"Keep the momentum going" - 'Buchecha' Marcus Almeida discusses ONE 158 win and what comes next

Marcus Almeida, better known to MMA fans as 'Buchecha', returned to the ONE Championship circle at ONE 158. The Brazilian earned his third straight first-round finish, defeating Simon Carson via TKO in less than half a round.

It was another scintillating performance by Almeida. In fact, the fight itself was much easier for him than it was to find an opponent.

While the 32-year-old was originally scheduled to face Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane in April, his opponent withdrew from the contest due to an injury. Stepping in on short notice was Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Hugo Cunha.

Unfortunately, Cunha tested positive for COVID-19 prior to leaving Brazil. In a last-ditch effort to keep Almeida on the card, the promotion signed Jasur Mirzamukhamedov to step in on short notice, but 'White Tiger' tested positive for COVID-19 following his arrival in Singapore.

While speaking to ONE Championship, Marcus Almeida discussed the difficulties he faced looking to secure an opponent:

"It was hard for me to find an opponent, but finally, we found one, and I hope to get back as soon as possible. I want to keep on track and keep the momentum going."

Fortunately, Simon Carson stepped up and entered the ONE Circle with Almeida. While speaking to ONE Championship, Almeida briefly discussed his bout and the gameplan that led to his victory:

"It was back and forth [in the striking], but I saw the opportunity to take him down, so I did. He was defending well, but once I got into a good position, the mount, I felt like it was a good position to ground-and-pound, so I didn't waste any energy before."

Watch the full fight in the video below:

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Marcus Almeida hopes to keep the momentum going, but is cautious of moving up the ranks too quickly

Following his third straight dominant victory in the circle, many fans began to speculate that a heavyweight title opportunity would be in Marcus Almeida's near future.

Reigning heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar and interim title holder Anatoly Malykhin still have a unification bout to wrap up, but Almeida himself doesn't want to rush things:

"It wasn't long ago [since my debut], right? But I can say I'm feeling confident in the cage. I'm learning the game, and every fighter becomes more comfortable. I'm not rushing anything. I'm taking my time to do everything."

While Marcus Almeida may not want to rush into the heavyweight title picture, he is not shying away from a quick turnaround. After his quick finish of Simon Carson, the Brazilian is looking for another fight this summer when the promotion debuts on Amazon Prime:

"I saw Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes coming up. August 26? If I'm not wrong so I'll be down to be in the card. 100%. A couple of weeks to go, that's it. I hope I can get back to the cage as soon as possible, so this date would be perfect for me.”