Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida has been nothing short of perfect during his transition into mixed martial arts in ONE Championship.
The Brazilian has reeled off three straight first-round finishes to put himself in the discussion as one of the top contenders. And although he is only 3-0 in his young career, “Buchecha” is not the typical newcomer.
Almeida is a multiple-time BJJ World Champion, and a certified legend of the sport.
At ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II, the American Top Team athlete will get a chance to make a statement against Kirill Grishenko. By taking out a former title challenger, Almeida may be unable to deny he is next in line for a shot at the sport’s ultimate prize.
And although “Buchecha” has been shying away from a possible title bid, the race up the mountain does have him looking toward the top. He is not opposed to a shot at the gold should his coaches think he is ready and ONE deems him worthy.
With the peak of the mountain beginning to shine with its golden aura, the Brazilian is taking note of Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin.
“Man, it’s hard to say because I didn’t see much. I think I saw more Arjan fights, because of when he used to fight in the old events. So I didn’t see much of Anatoly’s wrestling, but what I see is that Arjan is really good and I know he used to train at AKA,” Almeida told ONE.
“I know he has really good wrestling, but to be honest, I never really followed too much, just the wrestling career itself for both of them.”
There are no guarantees and “Buchecha” is taking him time to fully develop all of his skills, but the matchup at ONE on Prime Video 1 will put him under the biggest spotlight to date.
The legendary Brazilian figure may be one more dominant showcase away from competing for the ONE Heavyweight World Championship.
