‘Buchecha’ laments fake personas in MMA: “They want to be Conor”

17-time BJJ world champion and undefeated ONE Championship heavyweight Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida might be the greatest grappler to have ever entered an MMA cage. His legendary run as the most decorated submission grappler in history translated seamlessly into full-on cagefighting.

With 4 straight 1st-round stoppage wins in his pro career so far, 'Buchecha' might be the next best thing in the division. He is the jiu jitsu equivalent of Francis Ngannou's nuclear hands. Once Almeida grabs a hold of you, the chances of the fight ending astronomically increases to near-certainty.

Despite his records, world titles, and achievements in both competitive grappling and MMA, the 33-year-old fighter has maintained a respectful and cordial attitude. He never engages in trash-talk nor speak ill of his opponents.

In a guest appearance in UFC fighter Renato Moicano's podcast, "Money Moicano Podcast", 'Buchecha' spoke more of why he doesn't assume the persona of a verbal instigator and what he thinks of those who do:

"How I see most of the fighters nowadays? They want to be Conor, but they're not. It's going to be fake."

Watch the full podcast interview here:

Almeida is speaking the truth here. The only person who can defeat Conor McGregor is Conor McGregor himself. Despite being entertaining and sometimes shocking, McGregor is authentic and not putting up a fake persona, which adds to his charisma as an entertainer. On the other hand, trying to imitate someone else will only come across as inauthentic and make you look like a fool.

Fighters like 'Buchecha', however, use their actions as words to shout their greatness to the world. After winning every single world title available in submission grappling, the Brazilian behemoth transitioned into MMA and has been utterly unstoppable.

All his wins under ONE Championship came in the first round, showcasing his debilitating jiu jitsu game and increasingly developing striking. As of this writing, Almeida is slated to face Senegalese wrestling superstar Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane at ONE Fight Night 13 on August 4. If he wins in dominant fashion as he has been so far, Almeida might be looking at his first world title shot in MMA.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 13 on replay and for free.