‘Buchecha’ feels Arjan Bhullar’s inactivity will lead to downfall against Anatoly Malykhin

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is one of the top heavyweight contenders on ONE Championship’s roster.

As one of the most decorated submission grappling competitors on the planet, Almeida made the decision to compete in MMA after his grappling career, signing with ONE Championship in 2021.

In a span of less than 12 months, he racked up four first-round finishes to put himself right at the top of the division. But with the current storyline surrounding the division’s heavyweight king and interim king, the top heavyweights including Almeida are currently in a state of waiting.

Since winning the world championship back in May of 2021, Arjan Bhullar is yet to defend his title due to several injuries and negotiations that have kept him away from action.

In his absence, an interim world champion was crowned when undefeated Russian Anatoly Malykhin claimed the gold and the light heavyweight world championship whilst he waited for Bhullar to unify the heavyweight strap.

As he waits for his opportunity, Marcus Almeida spoke about the long-anticipated match-up between Bhullar and Malykhin in an interview with the South China Morning Post on YouTube, pointing to one specific factor that could give Malykhin the edge.

He said:

“I think Anatoly has the advantage over Arjan because of that, the time [he has spent being] inactive.”

To emphasize the point ‘Buchecha’ is making, Anatoly Malykhin has fought three times since Bhullar became the world champion, knocking out Amir Aliakbari, Kirill Grishenko and Reinier de Ridder en route to becoming a two-division king.

Whilst he made it clear that he wants to have at least one more fight under his belt before fighting for a world championship, Almeida will be watching very closely once Bhullar and Malykhin finally meet inside the Circle.