"If it weren’t for them, I certainly wouldn’t be here today" - 'Buchecha' credits his parents as his biggest inspiration

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is considered one of the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists to ever live, but he would never have reached the heights of his career if not for a strong support system.

Apart from his friends, coaches, and teammates, two people hold a special place in Almeida’s heart. Those people are his parents Clayton Ferreira and Elisabete.

In an interview with ONE Championship, ‘Buchecha’ said his parents will always be his role models. Clayton and Elisabete did everything in their power to provide for their children and thus allowed a young Marcus to pursue his BJJ career.

‘Buchecha’ said:

“My biggest role models in life were my parents. My father and mother always worked hard and did everything to give the best for me and my sister. And thanks to the support I’ve had from them throughout my life, I’ve managed to focus 100 percent on the sport [of BJJ] and become who I have become.”

He added:

“If it weren’t for them, I certainly wouldn’t be here today. They were and always will be the biggest role models in my life.”

Almeida also had his first fan in his father Clayton. The Almeida patriarch is also a BJJ artist, and he and his wife were instrumental in their son’s commitment to the sport—a passion that has ultimately led to 17 BJJ world titles.

“The biggest lesson I learned from [my parents] was to insist, persist, never give up, fight for my goals, and chase my dreams. This willpower I have, I learned from them. I learned to run after things from an early age. That was the biggest lesson I learned from them. No matter what the dream is, do your best and dedicate yourself 100 percent. This is the formula for success.”

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‘Buchecha’ still carries his parents’ lessons into his MMA journey

‘Buchecha’ may have transitioned into mixed martial arts, but he’s still the same impressionable kid who took his parents’ teachings to heart.

The Brazilian heavyweight is 2-0 in his MMA career, with two first-round submissions under his name. He knew that for him be successful in another sport, he had to always remember what his parents taught him during his BJJ dominance.

“My 2021 in MMA was perfect. I have nothing to complain about. I had two fights, I got two wins in the first round, so it was really good because I felt I’m on the right track.”

‘Buchecha’ submitted South Korean brawler Kang Ji Won and Brazilian kickboxing star Anders ‘Braddock’ Silva in 2021 to start his MMA. Those two wins also meant a lot for Almeida since he was able to take them into his own game.

“Getting victories over athletes of this caliber was very good for me, for my career, and also to increase my confidence because they are very tough. Both of them have a lot of knockouts in their careers, so this was really good to boost my confidence and start off on the right foot in this new sport.”

Marcus Almeida will return to action for his third MMA fight on May 20. At ONE 157, he'll take on fellow Brazilian Hugo Cunha.