WATCH: Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida working hard on his striking ahead of potential return

ONE heavyweight contender Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is working hard to improve his striking as he awaits his next opponent.

'Buchecha' has been nothing short of spectacular since signing with ONE Championship in 2021—scoring four straight first-round finishes.

The Brazilian is trending towards a heavyweight world title shot in the near future, and he's working to upgrade his striking game.

The 33-year-old owns first-round stoppage victories over Anderson Silva, Ji Won Kang, Simon Carson, and Kirill Grishenko.

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“I live for today” - ‘Buchecha’ talks about the greatest lesson he learned from friend Leandro Lo

Leandro Lo is a record holder with eight IBJJF world championship titles in five different weight classes. He is also a dear friend of Marcus Almeida. Sadly, Lo was murdered at a São Paulo nightclub in 2022 at the age of 33.

Prior to his untimely death, Lo shared some advice with 'Buchecha' that has changed his life. Almeida shared this lesson, telling ONE Championship:

"This was a lesson I learned from a friend of mine, who was one of the most important people in my life and who taught me a lot. He taught me to live today, the present, and live intensely. He's gone, but he taught me a lot.

"And that's what I bring to my life, not only what he taught me, but many other things, so I'm thinking about today, living intensely like there's no tomorrow. I don't worry about tomorrow. I live for today, I live for now, because life is now.”

Lo was considered a dedicated BJJ practitioner, competing across multiple weight classes who gained victories in the light, middle and heavyweight tournaments at the Copa Podio Grand Prix.

More importantly, he was considered a kind and forthcoming coach within the BJJ community who will be missed dearly.

Lo will be proud to see his friend succeed on the world stage.

Heavyweights Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin are scheduled to unify the belts at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video in March.

Make sure to check back with Sportskeeda MMA for an announcement regarding Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida's next fight, as he guns for a heavyweight title shot.