“The Fight Went as I Had Predicted”: Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida Analyzes ONE Heavyweight World Title Unification Bout and Eyes His Own Path to Glory

Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida is in hot pursuit of ONE gold, and he watched intently to see who he may potentially challenge in the future.

Anatoly Malykhin and Arjan Bhullar finally met to crown an undisputed ONE Heavyweight World Champion at ONE Friday Fights 22, with the Russian powerhouse picking up a dominant win at the June 23 event.

“Buchecha” had been eagerly waiting to watch the match play out, and though he was satisfied by the result, it offered no surprises for him.

“After so many postponements, the fight finally took place. And it was a really good fight. But the fight went as I had predicted,” he told ONE Championship.

“Arjan hadn’t fought for a long time, and I think that interfered with his fight pace. Coming back after so long off and fighting for the belt against a champion who is very active was a huge disadvantage for Arjan. In the end, Anatoly won, as most expected.”

Marcus Almeida questions Anatoly Malykhin’s pursuit of third world title

Following the win, “Sladkiy” called for “three-belt time,” making his intention to seek an unprecedented third World Title by challenging Reinier de Ridder for his middleweight strap clear.

While impressed by Malykhin’s most recent win, Almeida cast doubt on the light heavyweight and heavyweight king’s ability to move down two weight classes.

“Anatoly now has two belts, in the light heavyweight division and the heavyweight division. He wants to fight for his third belt, now in the middleweight division. I think he can’t make that weight, so I don’t believe this fight against Reinier de Ridder will happen,” he said.

For his part, “Buchecha” has remained undefeated in four fights in ONE Championship, and he is certainly on track to challenge Malykhin for his heavyweight crown.

Read more: “I’m Not Waiting Around” – Reinier De Ridder Is Eyeing a Middleweight Title Defense Earlier Than Anatoly Malykhin’s Suggested Timeline

Before that, though, he must go through “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane at ONE Fight Night 13 on Prime Video on Friday, August 5.

‘Buchecha’ sets sights on Oumar Kane

The Senegalese behemoth is riding the momentum of back-to-back wins and is also looking for his own shot at World Title glory on the global stage.

“Buchecha” understands the danger that lies in his path, and as such, he shuts down any discussion of a run at the divisional crown – for now.

Read more: “This Fight Has Everything to Be a Great One” – Marcus Almeida Is Beyond Thrilled to Finally Face Oumar Kane

“My focus is 100 percent on ‘Reug Reug.’ My head is only in this fight,” he said.

“I’m training to fight ‘Reug Reug.’ In my career, I have always taken one step at a time. And my next step is the fight against ‘Reug Reug.’”