It's no secret that 13-time jiu-jitsu world champion and current ONE heavyweight Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is a frightening opponent on the ground. You know what's even scarier though? 'Buchecha' learning how to throw strikes.
In his most recent outing at ONE 158, the grappling savant showed what happens when you teach a jiu-jitsu master the concepts of ground-and-pound. It was quite scary and it makes us wonder who in ONE's heavyweight division could stop this man.
How Almeida got the fight to the ground was vintage Buchecha blast double to heavy top pressure. Australian heavyweight slugger Simon Carson didn't stand a chance. Once the Brazilian managed to secure the mount, he squeezed his legs together to hold the the Aussie in place before he rained down heavy blows.
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The victory was a huge turning point for the submission-based fighter as he was able to showcase a new facet of his game. Almeida himself was so excited about his performance that he posted the photos on Instagram with a simple caption:
"Ground and Pound! 👊🏼💥 "
Check out the Instagram post below:
Now that we've seen Almeida throw heavy boulders on the ground in ways that can make Mark Coleman proud, it's a scary proposition for the rest of the division. Not only can the man strangle you, he can also pound your face into a bloody pulp.
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida vs. Simon Carson at ONE 158 play-by-play
After two fight cancellations this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, Marcus Almeida finally got to fight his third MMA fight at ONE 158 earlier this month. His opponent, Simon Carson, took the call and signed on to fight the grappling legend.
It was, perhaps, a bad call for Carson as Almeida utterly dominated the fight inside a single round.
Early on in the fight, Almeida showed something new in his arsenal: kicks. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu icon has been exploring the art of Muay Thai recently. In the fight, Almeida showed off his developing stand-up game by throwing a few hard kicks on the feet.
The kicking didn't last long, however, as 'Buchecha' went for his trademark blast double leg just as Carson was getting comfortable on the feet. From the top position, the jiu-jitsu legend rained down heavy punches on Carson. With the Aussie not looking like he could intelligently defend himself anymore, the referee was forced to stop the fight.
Watch the fight highlights below: