Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida was surprised with how the Anatoly Malykhin-Reinier de Ridder fight ended

All-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu great ‘Buchecha’ Marcus Almeida did not expect the stunning knockout ending when Reinier de Ridder faced Anatoly Malykhin for the light heavyweight crown.

The Dutch-born Reinier de Ridder was an unbeaten two-division world champion with incredible submission skills. He even trained alongside ‘Buchecha’, so the Brazilian heavyweight knew his abilities well.

At the end of 2022, De Ridder was knocked out in the first round by Russia's Anatoly Malykhin. The Dutchman is still the ONE middleweight world champion but Malykhin now holds the ONE light heavyweight world title in addition to his interim heavyweight strap.

The 33-year-old ‘Buchecha’ said that he was a little surprised by the ending of the light heavyweight title match. Speaking in an interview with SCMP MMA, he explained:

"To be honest, I wasn’t expecting that. I thought RDR would use more jiu-jitsu. But as you said, Anatoly’s grappling defense and takedown defense was on point and RDR could not use the jiu-jitsu like everyone expected."

Watch the full interview below:

Anatoly Malykhin will next challenge for the undisputed heavyweight throne against Arjan Bhullar. The two powerful heavyweight fighters are booked for a showdown on March 24 in the headlining fight of ONE Fight Night 8, which can be enjoyed on Prime Video with an active Amazon subscription.

---

When is Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida's next fight?

In 2021, Brazil's Marcus Almeida transitioned to MMA and focused his efforts on improving in his new sport. After capturing dozens of world titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it was time for a new challenge.

Since making his professional debut in ONE Championship, Almeida has gone a perfect 4-0 in the ONE circle, having won all of his matches by first-round stoppage.

Fans are wondering when they will next get the chance to see the dangerous Brazilian back in ONE. Almeida has a timeline in mind for his return.

'Buchecha' told SCMP MMA:

“I don’t know, they did not say anything about Adriano's [Moraes] card. So I think it’s going to be too soon because they did not say anything yet. They probably have the card ready to go. Anything after that, maybe June or July I hope I can be inside the circle fighting again.”

It sounds as though 'Buchecha' won't be booked at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5, which some fans were let down by because they wanted to see him in action on US soil. However, he is planning a return to the ONE circle in 2023 sometime in the summer.