“It drove me crazy” - 'Buchecha' remembers how his older sister used to always tap him out in BJJ

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida has quickly established himself as one of mixed martial arts’ most highly touted heavyweight prospects. In just three fights, Almeida has laid waste to every man that has stepped into the circle. Finishing each opponent in the first round, ‘Buchecha’ has only spent an average of 2:35 - just over half of a single round - in each fight.

Almeida’s dominance is catching the eye of the MMA community, but it wasn’t always like that for the 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. In his early days of learning, Almeida recalls being regularly beaten by his sister, who got a slight jump on him in learning the art of submission grappling.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Almeida said:

“In the beginning, she already knew some techniques, so she had a certain advantage. In the first training sessions, she did well against me. She already knew the basics and was bigger than I was. Then, with the mastery of some techniques, she was able to beat me. It drove me crazy!”

‘Buchecha’ has come a long way from the days of getting dominated by his sister. The Brazilian now has 138 recorded submission grappling wins and an undefeated record in his still early MMA career.

On Friday, August 26, Almeida plans to make it four in a row when he faces Belarusian heavyweight Kirill Grishenko.

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Kirill Grishenko is critical of Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida’s striking ahead of ONE on Prime Video 1 clash

Marcus Almeida will see a fairly significant step up in competition when he meets former ONE interim heavyweight title challenger Kirill Grishenko at U.S. primetime.

After recording five straight wins in his career, Grishenko suffered the first loss of his career to Anatoly Malykhin at ONE: Bad Blood in February. A solid wrestler with dangerous hands, Grishenko plans to stop the ‘Buchecha’ hype train when the two meet on Friday.

Speaking to ONE ahead of the bout, Grishenko was critical of Almeida, specifically his perceived lack of striking skills.

“He has impressed me with his skills on the ground, but not with his striking – it is too basic, too slow. If he wants to stay at the top of the game, he needs to become a well-rounded fighter.”

Grishenko continued:

“I think he’s a high-level grappler, a living legend, who has achieved a lot [in BJJ]. If he can improve his striking, he has a chance to be a champion [in MMA]. Now, he relies on his ground game too much.”