‘Buchecha’ says risk of getting punched in the face made him get better at striking

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida started his martial arts career in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where the risk of getting hit in the face isn’t that common.

So when he transitioned into mixed martial arts, the 17-time BJJ world champion decided to put a heavier emphasis on his boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing development.

In an interview with Money Moicano Podcast, Almeida said fights will always start on the feet and he’ll be vulnerable if he keeps shooting and failing to land his takedowns.

‘Buchecha’ said:

“That's why I do a lot of boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, because at the end of the day if you don't take your opponent down, you're gonna be standing with him and getting punched in the face. You need to be prepared for that.”

Almeida has since used that improved striking to lure opponents into his domain.

The Brazilian legend is a perfect 4-0 in his MMA career with three of his wins coming by way of submission and one by way of technical knockout.

‘Buchecha’ made his MMA debut against Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva at ONE: Revolution in September 2021. Though he was technically a greenhorn in MMA, that didn’t seem to faze him, and ‘Buchecha’ scored a quick submission win against the Brazilian knockout machine.

Almeida has since submitted Kang Ji Won, TKO’d Simon Carson, and most recently forced Kirill Grishenko to tap to an absurd heel hook at ONE on Prime Video 1.

Heading into his fifth MMA bout, ‘Buchecha’ could display his striking once more when he takes on Senegalese brawler ‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane at ONE Fight Night 13 this August 4 at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

A win for ‘Buchecha’ could land him in the conversation for a shot at ONE heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin, but that notion has yet to gain traction.

Fans in North America can stream the entire ONE Fight Night 13 card live and for free via Prime Video.

Watch Almeida's entire interview below: