“It is too basic, too slow” - Kirill Grishenko says he’s a faster, more skilled striker than Buchecha

Kirill Grishenko isn’t one to hold his punches, he’s also someone to go guns blazing when it comes to riling up his opponents.

The bruising heavyweight completely discounted grappling legend Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida’s striking ahead of their match at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II on August 26, US primetime, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The event will be the first ONE Championship card that will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Grishenko pointed out Almeida isn’t as advanced on the feet as he is on the ground. The Belarusian knockout artist believes that it’s ‘Buchecha’s’ lack of experience on the feet that would ultimately be his downfall.

Kirill Grishenko said:

“He has impressed me with his skills on the ground, but not with his striking – it is too basic, too slow. If he wants to stay at the top of the game, he needs to become a well-rounded fighter.”

Grishenko, unlike Almeida, uses his brute striking to grind his opponents down, as evidenced by the three knockout wins he has in his career.

The 31-year-old from Minsk, Belarus had an impressive start to his career going 5-0 in his first five fights. He also had a streak of four straight finds that ended in either a knockout or submission.

Meanwhile, ‘Buchecha’ prefers to use his superior Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to good use. The 17-time BJJ world champion scored submission wins in his first two matches while his third victory was a ground-and-pound knockout of veteran Simon Carson.

---

Kirill Grishenko criticizes ‘Buchecha’s’ grappling-reliant style

While Almeida already owns one knockout win in his career, Grishenko couldn’t help but hit the Brazilian heavyweight’s fighting style.

Grishenko said ‘Buchecha’ relies too much on his grappling and submission skills. Grishenko added that Almeida has the potential to become a world champion in the future, but that won’t happen unless the BJJ legend starts honing his striking.

In the same interview with ONE Championship, Grishenko said:

“I think he’s a high-level grappler, a living legend, who has achieved a lot [in BJJ]. If he can improve his striking, he has a chance to be a champion [in MMA]. Now, he relies on his ground game too much.”