'Buchecha' shares his thoughts on recently retired Brandon Vera

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, grappling wizard Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida shared his thoughts about the recently retired Brandon Vera and the impact he made in MMA.

Former ONE heavyweight world champion ‘The Truth’ Brandon Vera hung up his gloves after suffering a TKO loss to Amir Aliakbari at ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks.

The charismatic fighter has inspired a whole multitude of athletes during a career that has spanned two decades, fighting many legendary MMA fighters in major sports organizations across the globe. Suffice to say, his absence in ONE will be missed, especially by those who have watched his journey unfold.

ONE heavyweight contender Marcus ‘Buchecha’ recently followed up with ONE Championship about the legacy Vera left in MMA, saying:

“Brandon Vera was a guy I followed a lot throughout my jiu-jitsu career. He dominated the ONE Championship heavyweight division for a long time. He is an example inside and outside the cage, a very family guy, and in the cage, he always fought forward and showed a lot of determination. I've always been a big fan of Brandon Vera."

He continued:

"I had the opportunity to fight at the same time as him in the organization, and that was incredible. I followed is career a lot and at the end, I was able to follow him more closely after I joined ONE Championship. I can only congratulate him for the brilliant career he had in MMA.”

The 45-year-old star felt he had one more run in him before suffering defeat at the hands of Aliakbari, breaking his hand in the process. However, as Vera told his Filipino fans that night, the journey doesn’t end here as he plans to move from MMA to the big screen.

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“I feel just like a white belt” - ‘Buchecha’ on his journey in mixed martial arts

32-year-old Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida feels like he’s got enough energy to go another decade or so in the martial arts world.

A life-long jiu-jitsu practitioner, the Brazilian powerhouse proved he belongs in MMA following a first-round submission finish against former world title challenger Kirill Grishenko last August.

Undefeated with a perfect record of 4-0, ‘Buchecha’ is becoming a serious contender in the division.

Showing no signs of slowing down, ‘Buchecha’ hopes he can continue doing what he loves and make a big impact in mixed martial arts before retiring.

He told Bloody Elbow:

“I feel just like a white belt, so there’s a lot to go yet. But until I’m 40 years old, I’ll be fighting. I’m taking better care of my body, my head and my financial situation is better too so I can worry just about training.”