‘Buchecha’ doesn't want to suffer the same fate as those who rushed title shots: “I’m not like that”

After four straight first-round finishes, most fighters would vehemently demand a world title shot. Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida, though, comes from a different breed.

The 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion has been perfect since transitioning to mixed martial arts full-time and is considered one of the most promising heavyweights in the promotion.

Most fans and pundits believed ‘Buchecha’ was due for a world title shot after he heel-hooked his way to victory against the formidable Kirill Grishenko in his last circle appearance.

While the 33-year-old’s primary mission is to become an MMA world champion at some point, he’s also not too keen on rushing the process.

For one, the insightful ‘Buchecha’ has already learned from the mistakes of his predecessors who requested world title shots right away only to find out they weren’t ready for it yet.

The American Top Team product said in an interview with ONE Championship:

“When my team says I’m ready, I’ll be ready. I see a lot of athletes saying that they are going to [win] one, then another, and then will compete for the belt. Then comes the fight and ends up losing. I’m not like that.”

Currently 4-0 under the ONE banner, ‘Buchecha’ still considers himself a white belt when it comes to MMA. After all, he made his MMA debut in his early 30s, which is already considered quite late by today’s standards.

Still, the ever-wise ‘Buchecha’ wants to gain all the experience necessary before challenging the promotion’s seemingly-unbeatable heavyweight king, Anatoly Malykhin.

He’ll be tested like never before this coming August 4, when he dukes it out with fellow heavyweight rising star ‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Prime Video.

The entire event will emanate from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok and air live in US primetime. It will air free for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.