“He is to be congratulated” - 'Buchecha' impressed with Rodrigo Marello’s record-setting 15-second submission

If there’s one person who appreciates a quick, yet technically sound submission setup, it’s Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida.

The 32-year-old grappling specialist, after all, has a keen eye for Brazilian jiu-jitsu brilliance, which his compatriot Rodrigo Marello displayed in his ONE debut.

‘Diguinho’ only needed 15 seconds to force Russian Sambo specialist Ruslan Bagdasarian to surrender in pain at ONE 161 last month. The Evolve MMA standout knew what he wanted to do right off the bat and attacked his opponent’s left leg with feverish gusto.

Marello dropped down and quickly latched on to Bagdasarian’s limb, cranking his ankle in places it has no business being in. The in-pain Bagdasarian had no choice but to tap.

Marello, on the other hand, netted a cool $50,000 bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for the fastest submission in the promotion’s relatively short submission grappling history so far. The massive win also made him a prospect to watch out for in ONE’s newly established submission grappling scene.

Considered one of the greatest BJJ practitioners of all time in gi and no gi, ‘Buchecha’ watched that BJJ vs. Sambo matchup unfold and had nothing but praise for ‘Diguinho’.

He told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:

“Yes, I saw. Rodrigo's submission was very good. That foot lock works great. There are several jiu-jitsu athletes who use it very well with the gi. He managed to apply it well, submit, and earn the bonus.”

‘Buchecha’ further elaborated:

“It is a foot lock that takes a lot, especially among athletes in the lighter categories, because they are more elongated and in this position, you need to be a little more elongated to fit the hook and fit the foot lock. The bonus he earned was well deserved. He is to be congratulated!”

Almeida, of course, has had his fair share of leg lock submissions throughout his illustrious BJJ career. With that in mind, getting praised by a legend like ‘Buchecha’ is a huge feather on Marello’s cap.

---

‘Buchecha’ submitted Kirill Grishenko in a similar manner

After dominating the BJJ scene, Marcus Almeida has made a seamless transition to mixed martial arts. The IBJJF Hall of Famer is undefeated in his first four fights inside the circle, finishing all of his opponents in less than a round.

‘Buchecha’ faced the stiffest test of his career against former interim ONE heavyweight world title challenger Kirill Grishenko at ONE on Prime Video 1 this past August. The fight turned out to be the fastest win of his career yet.

After exchanging some strikes in the first minute of the bout, the American Top Team fighter dropped for a takedown and managed to grab a hold of Grishenko's leg.

He caught the Belarusian with a nasty heel hook and forced the tap at the 1:04 mark of round one.

Watch the full fight below: