'Buchecha's' gut instinct suggested he'd return to winning ways vs. Amir Aliakbari: "Something would be good here"

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida may have had pressure on his shoulders ahead of his return but he wasn't feeling it.

The 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion is still gaining experience after making the transition to MMA. His previous fights and the lessons he learned in them prepared him well for his return at ONE 169 this past weekend where he was cool, calm, and collected.

The moment could have easily gotten to him considering that Almeida was looking to bounce back from his first loss since he made the switch and debuted with ONE Championship.

Instead, this outing against a fellow top contender in Amir Aliakbari brought out the best in him which shows his ability to thrive under pressure.

In a post-fight interview with the Bangkok Post after he submitted Aliakbari in the first round, 'Buchecha' spoke about the positive energy that surrounded him on fight week and how it carried over into the fight:

"This time I was enjoying every single moment, so it was different. I knew something would be good here. And I'm just happy that me and my opponent didn't get hurt. We just came here to work."

Watch the full interview below:

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'Buchecha' is back on the right path

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida faced a tough challenge on his return to competition on Nov. 8 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In his previous fight, he suffered his first defeat in a tough and grueling fight against 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane, who went on to defeat Anatoly Malykhin to become the heavyweight world champion at ONE 169.

Drawing another top contender and seasoned wrestler in Amir Aliakbari would really test Almeida but he overcame this hurdle with flying colors.

The Brazilian was able to get the fight to the floor where few men in the world can compete with him in the grappling. With a first-round submission win, he made a statement inside the Thai capital.