Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida wants to fight everyone in the top five at heavyweight

Brazilian jiu-jitsu great Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is climbing the heavyweight ladder in ONE Championship. With four consecutive first-round stoppages thus far, the 33-year-old is a danger to the top of the division.

After collecting multiple world championships in submission grappling and cementing himself as an all-time great in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ‘Buchecha’ transitioned to MMA under ONE Championship.

After impressing MMA fans with his dangerous skills in the ONE circle, ‘Buchecha’ only has the top-ranked fighters ahead of him now in the heavyweight division.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, Almeida stated:

"Of course, I have four fights, four victories, four in a row. So I think I’m the heavyweight with the most wins in the division right now. So that is how much to go, you know what I mean?"

He is looking closely at the fighters ahead of him. Almeida continued:

"There are like four guys at the top, so I hope to fight one of them. To be honest, I want to fight them all before I fight for the belt. That would be a great plan for me."

Watch the full interview below:

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Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is in no rush for a world title

At ONE Fight Night 8 booked for March 24 on Prime Video, the undisputed ONE heavyweight world title will be contested as Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin are set to go to war. Many pundits are projecting Almeida to be the next contender after this match.

However, ‘Buchecha’ is in no rush to challenge for the heavyweight throne. In the same interview with SCMP MMA, the Brazilian heavyweight fighter explained:

"Every day, I give more value for the small things. If I can keep fighting and keep doing this for as long as I can, I’ll be really happy because it’s something that I love."

The 33-year-old fighter added:

"I want to have fun and enjoy my life. That’s the perfect world for me. I just want to do this and go back to the gym and train and fight. That’s something that makes me happy.”

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is aiming to be back in the ONE circle later this year, and he is not prioritizing a world title showdown just yet. The heavyweight grappling ace may be looking to collect a few more wins first.