Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is that rare breed of fighter who can dominate one sport and then put on a promising career in another. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend dominated the submission grappling scenes in the 2010s and is now carving a stellar career in MMA.
A record 17-time BJJ world champion, 'Buchecha' held gold in both the IBJJF and the ADCC. Of those world titles, Almeida decided to look back on two gold medals he won a decade ago when he conquered heavyweight and absolute divisions in the 2014 IBJJF World Championships.
'Buchecha' wrote on Instagram:
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"What were you doing 10 years ago? I was on this crazy ride inspired by Carreta Furacão 😂. In 2014, I was the world heavyweight and absolute champion, winning my fifth and sixth titles! The World Championships are coming up next week and the memories are coming along with it! 10 years ago, there were nine fights and seven submissions!"
Almeida first beat Alexander Trans to capture the heavyweight gold and then overcame Rodolfo Srour for the absolute gold medal.
His double-gold finish in the 2014 World Championships was the third straight year Almeida captured both world titles in the heavyweight and absolute divisions.
He went on to secure double-gold finishes three more times in the 2016, 2017, and 2019 World Championships.
'Buchecha' details his mindset in overcoming high-pressure situations
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is no stranger to high-stakes scenarios.
The BJJ legend knows what it takes to keep a calm mind when faced with oftentimes insurmountable pressure.
Almeida said in a Q&A feature on the Renzo Gracie Dubai YouTube channel that the best way he found whenever he wanted to overcome pressure was to just keep pushing toward his goal.
He said:
"It's hard to mention just one specific technique because, especially when the pressure is on when the fight is tense -- a lot of times when I'm behind on points, I'm not looking for anything specific. I just want to get to the positions, get a good situation, and overcome any adversity that I could be going through during the fight and get the victory."
He used that zen-like mindset to capture a record 17 BJJ world titles and thus far carve a 4-1 MMA record in ONE Championship.