‘Buchecha’ reveals date for his return match and next opponent 

The much-awaited return to action of ONE heavyweight contender Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida will take place in August against Senegalese knockout artist Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane.

The American Top Team and Evolve MMA affiliate announced it himself in a recent interview with the South China Morning Post on the sidelines of ONE Championship’s first-ever live on-ground event in the United States last week.

'Buchecha' said:

“August 5th, I’ll be back inside the Circle once again. It’s going to be against Reug Reug, in Thailand, Bangkok. Super excited. I’ve always wanted to fight there, so now, I’m doing it. In three months, we will be inside ONE Championship Circle once again.”

Watch the interview below:

ONE Championship, however, is yet to confirm the booking.

‘Buchecha’ was last in action in August 2022, making short work of Belarusian opponent Kirill Grishenko, whom he defeated just 64 seconds into their match by submission via heel hook.

It was his fourth straight victory in as many matches since making his promotional debut in September 2021.

In less than two years in the promotion, ‘Buchecha,’ a 17-time BJJ world champion, is steadily carving a path in the ONE heavyweight division and is widely considered to be among the upcoming contenders for the world title.

He is following the development of the unification fight between reigning ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar and interim world title holder Anatoly Malykhin as the winner could be the one standing between him and the world championship belt.

‘Reug Reug,’ meanwhile, has won back-to-back fights. His last victory back in December in a ONE Championship event in Manila, where he topped Uzbekistan’s Jasur Mirzamukhamedov by unanimous decision. The victory was his first that went to the judges’ scorecards, with his three previous triumphs coming by way of technical knockouts.