‘Buchecha’ goes through the wringer with fellow BJJ legend Roger Gracie

BJJ fans got the biggest surprise of their lives when Marcus Buchecha Almeida reunited with former rival and national hero Roger Gracie in a grueling training session this week.

The legendary grapplers have met on multiple occasions before, especially when ‘Buchecha’ was taking the jiu-jitsu world by storm. Two of the biggest highlights of Almeida’s career, for instance, consisted of locking horns with Gracie.

In order to prepare him for his next bout, Buchecha sought the help of Roger Gracie while staying in Denver during fight week for ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video, which fans can rewatch for free on Amazon Prime Video in North America.

Using his Instagram, Buchecha shared their iconic reunion with the caption that said:

“Today was like Rocky x Apollo III, behind closed doors! 🥋.”

The 33-year-old star has been hinting at his return to action over the last few months and finally, ONE Championship has made it official. The Brazilian standout is lined up to fight on August 5 against ‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane in a heavyweight showdown after two years in the making.

Buchecha was expected to make his MMA debut against Kane in April 2021, but the bout was ultimately scrapped. ONE Championship attempted to pit the two heavyweights together again the same year, but it resulted in another cancellation.

After having invested so much time to make this work, perhaps the third time’s a charm? Marcus Buchecha Almeida expects nothing less as he prepares for his fifth straight matchup in MMA against one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the division.