“Buchecha” - The story behind Marcus Almeida’s famous nickname

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida will look to extend his impressive run inside the circle when he returns on Friday, August 26 for ONE on Prime VIdeo 1, the promotion’s highly-anticipated debut on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service. Almeida will face his toughest test to date in the form of former ONE interim heavyweight world title challenger Kirill Grishenko.

Sitting down with ONE Championship to discuss his upcoming contest, the 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion was asked how he was branded with the nickname.

“I was not a plump kid. As I was active, I didn't get overweight. But I was a chubby kid. That's why they started calling me ‘Buchecha’ [big cheeks] at the gym. I never cared because weight was never something that bothered me. But funny enough, that my dad [was] bothered. He didn't like the nickname.”

Almeida believes that his father’s attempted intervention simply made people use the nickname even more.

“But he went to tell the people at the gym that I didn't like the nickname, that I got mad. That's when the nickname really caught on because when you tell someone you don't like their nickname, that's when you screw up. Because my father said that, people started calling me just Buchecha. The nickname stuck, but I never cared about it.”

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‘Buchecha’ gladly shares his nickname with a Brazilian musician

While Marcus Almeida may not have chosen his nickname, the submission grappling superstar gladly accepts it and shares it with his favorite Brazilian musician.

Providing further details on the history of his nickname, Almeida said:

“There is even a singer in Brazil who has the same nickname, and I really like this singer and his songs. It was something that always associated me with this singer, so I never cared. In fact, I even thought it was funny because every time, I remembered him. And years later, I ended up making contact with him because of his nickname.”

No matter where the nickname comes from, Almeida has made it his own and the name is quickly becoming well known in the MMA community.

With three straight first-round finishes to begin his career inside the circle, fans are going all in on the next Brazilian heavyweight contender.