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Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida saw the rise and eventual departure of his teammate Adriano Moraes from the top of ONE Championship’s hallowed flyweight division.
Moraes was the longest-reigning ONE flyweight world champion with a total of 1,310 days in between his reigns.
‘Mikinho’, however, fell from his perch after he lost the gold to the legendary Demetrious Johnson at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022.
Moraes had a chance to recapture the ONE flyweight world title, but he once again fell to Johnson in their trilogy bout at ONE Fight Night 10 this past May.
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Almeida, who’s teammates with Moraes at American Top Team, believes his good friend has what it takes to get back to the top and claim the flyweight throne.
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In an interview with ONE Championship, ‘Buchecha’ said Moraes is already grinding away in the gym and looks to regain the world title that was once his.
"Let's see when the next fight will be and against who, but I'm sure he'll regain his space and the belt will come back to him. He dominated the ONE Championship [flyweight] division for 10 years.”
He added:
“It was only two losses, and it won't be a loss that will change the fighter he is. He's already training, he's focused, and I'm sure he'll be very different for the next fight. He will arrive hungry for victory and will put on a show.”
Although Moraes has lost his coveted belt, his first world title defense against Johnson produced one of the most unforgettable knockouts in mixed martial arts history.
Johnson, the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Champion, challenged Moraes for the flyweight strap at ONE on TNT I in April 2021. Moraes, however, stamped his name into MMA folklore when he slept Johnson with a crushing grounded knee for the second-round knockout.
As for Almeida, the 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion will race ‘Reug Reug’ Oumar Kane at ONE Fight Night 13 this Friday at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
ONE Fight Night 13 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
