Buchecha confirms his return to the Circle on Instagram

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida has started the countdown for his return to action in the Circle.

In a recent Instagram post, ‘Buchecha’ shared some photos of him doing what he does best with a caption that said:

“I can’t wait to be inside the @onechampionship circle again! 9 more weeks to go! The Countdown has begun!”

Check out the post below:

His return will fall on the week of April 8th where a live event has been set by ONE Championship. The event will follow the promotion’s monumental 10-year anniversary show, ONE X, on March 26.

The grappling legend has performed better than advertised in his first two bouts as a mixed martial artist.

Almeida defeated heavy hitter Anderson Silva in the first round of his MMA debut in September 2021's ONE: Revolution. He quickly followed it up with another first-round submission win over former world title contender Kang Ji Won later that year at ONE: Winter Warriors.

Alemeida has not confirmed who his opponent will be for the yet-to-be named card. However, his announcement most likely means that only minor details are being worked out and he’s already preparing for the fight.

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Who should 'Buchecha’ fight next?

The heavyweight division has been infused with a number of talented fighters who could pose a tough challenge to Almeida.

Senegal’s Oumar Kane (3-1) would be an interesting pairing. ‘Reug Reug’ is a star in his home country’s grappling arts of “mbapatte” and “lute avec frappe”. Their battle could be an incredible grappling clinic between two masters of their art.

American heavyweight Odie Delaney made his ONE debut in ONE: Bad Blood with a first-round submission win over Thomas Narmo. ‘The Witness’ has finished all three of his opponents in MMA. Taking on Almeida will be a huge leap in just his second bout in the promotion. However, it will by no means be an easy fight for either man.

Newly crowned ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin has also named ‘Buchecha’ as a fighter he would want to face. While a world title unification bout with Arjan Bhullar should be the next logical fight for Malykhin, it won't come as a surprise if the Russian chooses to put his belt on the line against Almeida before that happens.