ONE CEO raves about BJJ legend ‘Buchecha’

It’s no surprise that ONE Championship is getting excited about the MMA career of Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida.

Already a legend in submission grappling, the Brazilian decided to transition to MMA with ONE and has produced a perfect career thus far.

Making his debut in September 2021, he’s already risen to be among the top contenders of ONE’s heavyweight division after collecting four straight wins in the circle.

In an appearance on the MMA Hoje podcast, host Raphael played a video for Almeida that he received from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

In the video, Sityodtong had this to say about the Brazilian's potential:

“What’s up Raphael? What’s up ‘Buchecha’? Good to see you guys. Earlier today, Raphael asked me ‘What do I think of ‘Buchecha’?’ I think ‘Buchecha’ is the single greatest heavyweight prospect on the planet today. Of course he’s an extraordinary athlete. Just look at his balance, his speed, his cardio, his explosiveness, his movement, and he’s learning to improve. Of course he is a jiu-jitsu legend and I’m sure he’s gonna make Brazil very proud.”

Almeida returned the favor, thanking the ONE CEO for the work that he has done with the athletes to create ONE’s atmosphere. A big talking point of the podcast was 'Buchecha' fighting for the ONE heavyweight world championship, but he will have to wait for Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin to unify the belt first.

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“I'll get this chance to fight for the belt soon” – 'Buchecha' feels like he is surging toward a ONE world title shot

17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida has made a huge impact in ONE’s heavyweight division since transitioning to MMA.

Since debuting in 2021, Almeida has produced four wins inside the circle, with four finishes in the first round. The most recent of his wins came at ONE on Prime Video 1 against Kirill Grishenko in August.

After a legendary career representing his country in submission grappling, the Brazilian is now looking to become a world champion in MMA, and with how fast he has risen through the ranks, his goal doesn’t seem too far away.

In an interview with ONE Championship, he said:

“I have no one to challenge. But I am an employee of the company and the mission given to me I will be ready. I'm sure I'm getting closer to my goal, which is to fight for the title and win the belt. I have four fights and four wins.”

He added:

“Among the heavyweights, I'm the guy who's been fighting the most, so I'm on the right track. I'm sure I'll get this chance to fight for the belt soon.”

With all four of his pro MMA wins coming in less than 12 months, Marcus Almeida is seemingly on a one-way collision course with ONE Championship gold.