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In just one year in the sport of MMA, 17-time Jiujtisu world champion Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida has become a threat to anyone wearing gold at heavyweight. Fighting under the ONE Championship banner, the Brazilian grappling wizard made short work of all his four opponents in his first year.
After pretty much every gold medal available in competitive jiujitsu, 'Buchecha' 'transitioned into MMA in 2021. He has finished Anderson 'Braddock' Silva, Kang Ji Won, Simon Carson, and most recently, former ONE interim heavyweight world title contender Kirill Grishenko. All in the first round.
Almeida has effectively lived up to the hype and mystique surrounding his grappling mastery. Posting on Instagram, the BJJ icon sent a chilling message to all the other heavyweights in ONE:
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"I hope everyone that’s ahead of me is working because I’m coming."
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A chilling warning indeed. With a strong first year comprised of four first-round finishes, perhaps one more high-profile win for 'Buchecha' and he'll be looking at his first world title shot in MMA. Currently, the ONE world heavyweight title is hanging in the balance. The reigning divisional king Arjan Bhullar is bound for a unification bout with interim world champion Anatoly Makykhin at ONE Friday Fights 22 on June 23rd.
In the meantime, Almeida will face Senegalese behemoth Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane at ONE Fight Night 13 on August 5th. The bout was initially scheduled to take place at ONE 156 last year but was canceled due to Kane pulling out due to injury.
With two massive heavyweight fights on the horizon, ONE's 265-pound division looks bright. Only time will tell which titans will face each other for the gold by the end of this year. Something tells us that one of them will be 'Buchecha.'
ONE Fight Night 13 will stream live and free on Prime Video in North America. As for ONE Friday Fights 22, which will air live from the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand, the event can be viewed on ONE's YouTube channel for free.
