Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida knew close friend Adriano Moraes was capable of beating Demetrious Johnson

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida wasn't at all surprised when Adriano Moraes knocked out Demetrious Johnson to retain the ONE flyweight world title last year. While the victory was seen as a shocking occurrence within the MMA community, the Brazilian heavyweight was anything but stunned.

'Buchecha' and Moraes’ friendship is just a couple of years on but the two have been near inseparable at the American Top Team (ATT) gym. The 32-year-old Santos native says he wasn’t at all surprised when 'Mikinho' slept Johnson, often regarded as the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, the grappling legend stated he was confident of Moraes beating Johnson after witnessing his compatriot's ability in training:

“When he fought against Demetrious Johnson, he shocked the world, but not us. Anyone who trains with him daily knows his ability, knew he was going to win. Honestly, I thought it would be by submission, I didn't imagine a knockout, and so quickly. My bet was a third-round submission. He is an exceptional fighter... In this fight [against Johnson], the world saw his ability and the great fighter he is.”

Such was the pedigree of Johnson, a man who successfully defended his UFC flyweight title 11 straight times, that Moraes was seen as the underdog despite walking into ONE on TNT I as the reigning champion.

Nevertheless, a well-timed knee strike was all it took for Moraes to claim victory over one of the MMA GOATs.

---

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida and Adriano Moraes: Brothers in arms

While Adriano Moraes was already an established MMA star when he met 'Buchecha', the heavyweight grappler was just slowly getting a feel of the sport.

The jiu-jitsu legend recalled his first meeting with Moraes and spoke about how the ONE flyweight champion was as a person:

“I met Adriano as soon as I joined American Top Team almost two years ago when I started focusing on MMA. Adriano is a guy that everyone loves, who is always laughing, always upbeat. If someone says they don't like Adriano, I'm sure the problem is the person who doesn't like him because Adriano is a sensational person."

The Brazilian heavyweight says that he is learning a lot from Moraes, who also happens to be a black belt in jiu-jitsu.

Furthermore, Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida highlighted the mental strength that Moraes possesses and cited an example of his friend's ability to remain calm and composed when the going gets tough:

“His attitude and mentality are his most defining characteristics. No matter how difficult the situation is, he always tries to remain calm to change the situation. There was a fight in which he got a knockdown, fell practically unconscious and managed to compose himself and finish the fight. This is an example that shows his mental strength. He is not shaken in any situation."

While 'Buchecha' isn’t scheduled to appear at ONE X, Moraes will be defending his flyweight world title against Yuya Wakamatsu on March 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.