Marcus Almeida: ‘This is Just the Beginning’

Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida could not have gotten off to a hotter start in One Championship.

The 13-time Mundials gold medalist has tuned up all four opponents with whom he has been presented, and none of the four have survived to see the three-minute mark against him. Almeida, 32, already has the ONE heavyweight title in his sights, having shown a willingness to climb the Singapore-based organization’s ladder rung by rung.

“I’m very happy with my career in MMA,” he told Sherdog.com. “Things are working out. I plan to keep doing the same things and to be as active as possible. Hopefully, I can fight one more time this year and wrap things up in December. My goal is to fight for the belt soon. I’m on the right track. I’m going to stay on this path. This is just the beginning.”

Almeida operates out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, and the alliance with the powerhouse camp has only accelerated his development.

“It’s my home,” he said. “It’s where I train, where I live. I have a very good group of people by my side. I have nothing but thanks for my coaches and training partners. They made feel at home since I arrived. As usual, I never train specifically in just one area. In MMA, it’s necessary to be complete. I train all martial arts, including jiu-jitsu. I think that accounts for my positive results.”

Positive might be an understatement. Four first-round finishes, three of them by submission, have made Almeida an instant sensation in One Championship—an organization that has welcomed him with open arms.

“I chose to fight at ONE due to the organization’s culture,” he said. “There [in Asia], we are seen as true martial artists. I agree 100% with [ONE founder] Chatri [Sityodtong] and the way he thinks. That’s why I picked ONE to be my home.”

Almeida took the latest step in his development at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August, when he needed just 64 seconds to submit Kirill Grishenko with a heel hook.

“It was a very important fight in my career,” he said. “It raised my profile even more. It was the quickest of my MMA wins.”

Though he has turned his attention to mixed martial arts, Almeida has no plans to stray from his roots. In fact, he believes the ancillary skills only enhance his strengths.

“I’ve been practicing jiu-jitsu for 20 years,” Almeida said. “I’ll never forget it. I’m sure, in MMA, it will remain my primary skill. Of course, in MMA, you must be a complete fighter. I’m learning all the other arts while still firmly believing in my jiu-jitsu. I train a lot of wrestling, muay thai and boxing. I feel I’m evolving daily. I feel increasingly comfortable in all the other areas. They help me utilize my jiu-jitsu even better. You can’t just be a grappler in MMA. You have to be complete. That’s where I’m heading.”