Tag: Marcus Almeida

Grappler Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida believes he earned MMA respect after another first-round finish

“Buchecha” has plans on being successful in MMA for a long time.

[autotag]Marcus Almeida[/autotag] believes he has proven himself as a dangerous MMA fighter.

A high-level BJJ black belt with multiple tournament championships to his credit, “Buchecha” took on the challenge of becoming an MMA competitor last year. So far, so good for Almeida (4-0), who picked up his fourth-straight victory in the first round by stopping former title challenger Kirill Grishenko.

The fight took place on the main card of ONE on Prime Video 1 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Friday.

Almeida gave a glimpse of his ever-evolving striking game when he knocked Grishenko off his feet with a hard leg kick to start the fight. The strike immediately set the tone of the bout. Before Grishenko (5-1) could get into a rhythm, Almeida shot in for a takedown and seamlessly transitioned into a heel hook that forced a quick tap just 64 seconds into the fight.

“I fought the toughest guys of the division already,” Almeida said during his post-fight interview. “I got the job done, so now I think people start to respect me as a MMA fighter, not just a grappler. They saw that I can take a punch, I can punch back, I can kick. So, I think that’s all about to be a MMA fighter and I’m proving that. … I’m here for a long time. I’m here to stay.”

Almeida, 32, made his MMA debut against Anderson Silva (no, not that one) in September 2021, winning by submission in the opening round. In December, he followed it up by handing Ji Won Kang his first pro loss. This year he has picked up two victories, pounding out Simon Carson for a mid-first-round stoppage at ONE Championship 158, and the heel hook finish of Grishenko.

Check out the full post-fight interview with “Buchecha” in the video above.

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Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida wants to be ONE champion ASAP

Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Marcus Almeida is just 3-0 in MMA, but he’s looking to be fast-tracked to the top.

[autotag]Marcus Almeida[/autotag] is ready to get fast-tracked to a title.

Almeida (3-0), a multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion and ADCC gold medalist, is just three fights into his professional MMA career. All three have been finishes, most recently tearing right through Simon Carson in June.

“Buchecha” meets Kirill Grishenko (5-1) on Friday at ONE on Prime Video 1, which takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The main card streams on Amazon Prime Video at 10 p.m. ET.

“Everything I do in my life, I want to put my 100 percent, so MMA is not different, so I’m training for that,” Almeida told MMA Junkie Radio. “Of course, I want to get to the top, I want to be the champion one day, but to be honest, I don’t want to wait that long. Years sounds like a lot of time, so I’m putting a lot of work to reach there before those years that you’re saying.”

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All three of Almeida’s finishes have come in the first round. While he sees the value in going the distance for some experience, he has no intentions of going past the first against Grishenko.

“I see my game is getting a lot better,” Almeida said. “I’m feeling way more confident in the cage, so when the door closes, I’m not the kind of guy that wants to leave as soon as possible. So if I have to be there for three rounds, I’m ready to do it, but if I’m saying I want to fight three rounds, I’m lying. I want to finish as soon as possible if I have the opportunity, so if I get the job done in the first round, that is like mission accomplished for me.”

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Video: Jiu-jitsu champion Marcus Almeida pulverizes opponent at ONE Championship 158

Watch Marcus “Buchecha” pick up his latest victory in MMA at Friday’s ONE Championship 158.

[autotag]Marcus Almeida[/autotag] continues to shine in his transition to MMA.

The multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion and ADCC gold medalist picked up another win inside the cage. Almeida (3-0) stopped Simon Carson in the first round of their heavyweight contest at Friday’s ONE Championship 158 in Kallang, Singapore.

The official stoppage came by TKO (punches) at the 2:24 mark of Round 1.

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“Buchecha” went professional in late 2021 and since he’s racked up three consecutive stoppage wins. Two of those wins came by submission and the other by TKO. Almeida didn’t have an amateur career and currently trains out of American Top Team in South Florida.

Almeida, 32, is one of the greatest and most accomplished grapplers in the history of sport jiu-jitsu. He’s a member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame.

You can watch Almeida’s full fight in the video above.

ONE Championship: Winter Warriors results – Stamp Fairtex submits Ritu Phogat to win atomweight grand prix

Stamp Fairtex put a stamp – pun intended – on her run through ONE Championship’s atomweight grand prix.

[autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] put a stamp – pun intended – on her run through ONE Championship’s atomweight grand prix.

Fairtex (8-1) submitted [autotag]Ritu Phogat[/autotag] (7-2) with a second-round armbar in the tournament final at ONE Championship: Winter Warriors. Fairtex had to work through early aggression from Phogat, but eventually found herself in position to get the tap and the win after back-to-back decisions in the grand prix’s opening round and semifinals.

Phogat tried to get the fight to the canvas early, but Fairtex, a former ONE muay Thai and kickboxing champion, used her kicking game to defend. And in the middle frame, Stamp locked up a triangle choke after a Phogat takedown, then transitioned to an armbar to get the tap at the 2:14 mark of the round and the grand prix title.

Also on the card, [autotag]Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev[/autotag] went to proverbial war with [autotag]Timofey Nastyukhin[/autotag] and ultimately shut him down in the third round. After a back-and-forth opening round, Arslanaliev had Nastyukhin on the ropes in the middle frame. Nastyukhin survived to see the third, but it didn’t take Arslanaliev long into the last round to land a big right for the finish just 49 seconds into the round.

ONE Championship: Winter Warriors MMA results included:

  • Stamp Fairtex def. Ritu Phogat via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 2:14
  • Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev def. Timofey Nastyukhin via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 0:49
  • [autotag]Marcus Almeida[/autotag] def. [autotag]Ji Won Kang[/autotag] via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:27
  • [autotag]Yuya Wakamatsu[/autotag] def. [autotag]Yong Hu[/autotag] via unanimous decision

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Proven grappling champ Marcus Almeida fully embraces MMA: ‘It’s a new chapter in my life’

Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida discusses his decision to leave grappling and pursue a career in MMA.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Marcus Almeida[/autotag] has a new mountain to conquer.

“Buchecha,” one of the greatest and most accomplished grapplers in the history of sport jiu-jitsu, said goodbye to the mat as he now finds himself competing in the cage. Almeida (1-0) successfully transitioned to MMA in September, winning his professional debut by first-round submission under the ONE Championship banner.

It was the start of a new career as Almeida intends to invest all his efforts in MMA and no longer jiu-jitsu.

“It was amazing,” Almeida recalled fighting MMA for the first time when speaking with MMA Junkie. “To be honest, I thought I was going to be more nervous about it. Of course I was really excited, but I kept calm, and I stuck to the game plan. … I felt great, and it was better than my expectations. I think I got addicted to it, so that’s why I’m fighting again really soon. I don’t see myself leaving this sport anytime soon.”

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Almeida returns to the cage Dec. 3 at “ONE Championship: Winter Warriors.” He’s scheduled to face unbeaten heavyweight Ji Won Kang (5-0).

The 31-year-old is not fully closing the door on grappling but has no interest in competing. He believes he’s done it all in the world of jiu-jitsu and has nothing else to prove.

Almeida is eager to build a legacy in MMA, just as he did in grappling.

“I always had in my head that a real fighter always tests himself, and I want to test myself,” Almeida explained regarding his switch to MMA. “That’s what fighting is about. I test myself in the gi, and I got like 13 world titles as black belt and then I test myself no-gi, and I won two ADCC titles, which is kind of like the Olympics of grappling.

“So now I want to test myself in MMA. I did my first fight and of course I’m not done. I like it. It’s a new game. Since my last world championship, I don’t have the fire, the desire anymore to go through a camp with the gi. To win 14th time, 15th time, I think that’s not going to make a difference in my legacy.

“I proved myself already, so it’s time for a new challenge. It’s time to move on. It’s a new chapter of my life. I’m really excited about it, and it feels like a brand new beginning. It’s the same feeling when I got my black belt in 2010. I wanted to prove myself and test myself against the best. It’s a similar feeling I’m having right now in MMA.”

MMA Junkie Radio #3194: UFC Fight Night 192 and Bellator 266 recaps, guest Marcus Almeida

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,194, the fellas discuss unpack the fight at UFC Fight Night 192 and Bellator 266, including Anthony Smith’s big win and Yoel Romero’s spoiled debut. They also weigh in on Anthony Johnson being forced out of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix, Demetrious Johnson’s return in a mixed rules fight, the retirements of Joseph Benavidez and Carlos Condit, as well as welcome guest [autotag]Marcus Almeida[/autotag], who fights this Friday at ONE Championship: Revolution. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.