Marcus Almeida (4-0) is only four fights into his mixed martial arts career, but he is already a scary proposition for any fighter in ONE Championship’s heavyweight division.
“Buchecha” is set to return to the global stage at “ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian” on August 4, where he’ll face off with Senegalese wrestling sensation “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane (5-1) in the hopes of going 5-0 in his MMA journey.
Before the brutish pair lock horns at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, we break down why Almeida is such a tough matchup.
1. A mountain of a man
All it takes is one look at the hulking Brazilian to figure out why so few fighters have called him out.
Almeida stands at 6-foot-3, which isn’t exactly enormous for a heavyweight, but he tips the scales at a stocky 260 pounds.
His muscle-bound frame is an imposing sight when standing across the from him, and having an athlete of that size, with the skill set he possesses, on top of you is a terrifying prospects for most athletes in the heavyweight division.
2. One of the best grapplers ever
It’s not just “Buchecha’s” size that makes him dangerous; he also happens to be a 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, with a staggering 138-14-1 record.
The legendary grappler’s skills have transferred to MMA seamlessly, as three of his four wins have come by submission.
The 33-year-old has shown that he can get it done from anywhere on the ground. He tapped his debut opponent, Anderson Silva, via north-south choke, before following up with a rear-naked choke win against Kang Ji Won and a heel hook victory over Kirill Grishenko.
Few, if any, heavyweights can match the grappling prowess of “Buchecha,” and none of his opponents have been able to avoid being brought to the canvas by the decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu star.
3. First-round finisher
Almeida has yet to see a second round in his MMA career.
A deeper dive into his 4-0 slate makes the American Top Team representative’s record look even more imposing than your average four-fight run.
In addition to his three submissions, Almeida needed little more than two minutes to dispatch Australia’s Simon Carson with brutal ground-and-pound and score his first win by strikes at ONE 158 in June 2022.
The dominant victory underlined the danger that Almeida also poses with his hands and heralded him as an all-round threat to any heavyweight contender.
