Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida Shows MMA Evolution; Secures Third Straight First Round Finish at ONE 158

A fully stacked ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen went down in the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida continued his winning momentum at The Home of Martial Arts. The Brazilian jiujitsu legend put on a definitive performance against Australian ONE debutant, Simon Carson.

‘Buchecha’ showed his MMA evolution as he knocked out his opponent in the first round. Even before this win, the Brazilian fighter impressed the heavyweight champions, Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin. And now, it appears the 30-year-old will soon cross paths with one or both of them.

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This win marks the third straight win for ‘Buchecha’ inside ONE Circle. The heavyweight earned his first victory via a TKO/KO. Earlier, his couple of wins came via impressive submissions (North-South choke against Anderson Silva and RNC against Ji Won Kang).

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida made it look easy

The 17-time world jiujitsu champion showed he’s ready to step up in competition as he secured another first-round win. Besides, he took no damage whatsoever in the fight.

In the post-fight Circle interview, ‘Buchecha’ suggested he wants to make a quick return inside the ONE Circle.

While the Brazilian got his first win via knockout and has only put on impressive performances throughout his small MMA career, he needs some momentum on his side. Almeida had multiple opponents pulling out of the fight, which delayed his path to his ultimate goal—ONE World Championship.

Is ‘Buchecha’ next for the winner of the ONE heavyweight unification bout

The ONE heavyweight division currently has two champions, Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin. While the former won the championship from Ex champion Brandon Vera, the latter secured the interim championship in Bhullar’s absence. Thus, a unification bout is likely next.

Almeida already has opponents pulling out left and right, which has been the only hurdle in his smooth ONE Championship run. The Brazilian came out unscathed at ONE 158. Thus, a quick turnaround would be the best-case scenario for Almeida.

As of now, the heavyweight unification bout has no set date, thus, it makes no sense for ‘Buchecha’ to wait for that fight. Additionally, even after all the success in jiujitsu and small MMA run, ‘Buchecha’ has a lot to learn about the MMA realm.

Read More – BJJ Legend Marcus Buchecha Analyzes the Potential Arjan Bhullar vs. Anatoly Malykhin ONE Heavyweight Unification Title Bout

What do you think of Marcus Almeida’s win at ONE 158? Let us know in the comments section.