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Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is one of the world's fastest-rising contenders having found a home in ONE Championship's heavyweight division. The grappling superstar isn't shying away from relaying praise to interim heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin.
Since debuting with ONE Championship in September 2021, the Brazilian has rattled off four straight finishes, including a Performance of the Night-worthy showing in his last bout against Kirill Grishenko.
Meanwhile, Malykhin has been even more impressive lately, knocking out Reinier de Ridder in his previous outing to attain the light heavyweight strap. Almeida has been watching closely as their paths may cross in the near future.
He told ONE:
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"I think he's showing that he's one of the best in the game. He still didn't have many performances in ONE after he won the heavyweight belt, and that was his first fight at light heavyweight."
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'Buchecha' continued:
"But he's certainly evolving and showing every day that he's one of the best MMA heavyweights in the world right now."
'Buchecha' believes he's right on track for a title shot
With four consecutive victories in just over a year's time, there's little denying that Almeida is trending towards a heavyweight world title shot.
As he waits for his next opponent, the talent spoke to the promotion about his recent success, saying:
“I have no one to challenge. But I am an employee of the company and the mission given to me I will be ready. I'm sure I'm getting closer to my goal, which is to fight for the title and win the belt. I have four fights and four wins.”
The 32-year-old added:
“Among the heavyweights, I'm the guy who's been fighting the most, so I'm on the right track. I'm sure I'll get this chance to fight for the belt soon.”
Malykhin starched a world-class grappler in his most recent outing, making a match with Almeida even more compelling. Expect the Brazilian to earn a title shot with one more victory inside the circle.
Be sure to check back for an announcement pertaining to Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida's next fight, as it will surely be a top-contender bout at heavyweight.
Check out Marcus Almeida's full ONE debut fight against Anderson Silva below:
