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Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida has been paying close attention to the heavyweight division since signing with ONE Championship in 2021. With that, he believes he knows who the interim champion will face in his next appearance.
The 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world titleholder pegs Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari as the next challenger to Anatoly Malykhin's throne.
Despite already losing to Malykhin last year, Aliakbari has seemingly earned the right to be in the conversation as the top heavyweight contender. 'Buchecha' recently spoke with the promotion on the subject, saying:
"In the heavyweight division, there are a lot of people on the rise. Amir Aliakbari has two wins in a row now, but he already had the chance to face Anatoly in an elimination fight for the belt, and he ended up getting knocked out."
'Buchecha' continued:
"But I think he's a great candidate to fight for the belt. Maybe he'll even be next for the belt, doing a rematch against Anatoly. Because, in my opinion, the fight between Anatoly and Arjan will not happen."
With heavyweight champ Arjan Bhullar's status still up in the air, Aliakbari could be next in line following his recent first-round TKO win over Brandon Vera.
'Buchecha' is happy with progress of his MMA career so far
'Buchecha' entered his mixed martial arts career as one of the world's top jiu-jitsu practitioners. Since debuting in 2021, the 32-year-old has been on a tear, scoring finishes over Anderson Da Silva, Kang Ji Won, Simon Carson, and Kiril Grishenko.
In an exclusive conversation with ONE Championship, the rising contender explained how he's feeling at this point in his MMA journey. He said:
“The feeling is of, ‘Mission accomplished.’ I’m happy to be doing well in the organization and taking the right steps in my career without hurrying. I think everything is going the right way,”
Expect Almeida to face one of the division's top contenders in his next outing. Another stoppage victory will make it difficult to deny him a world title shot.
Make sure to check back for an announcement pertaining to Marcus Almeida's next fight as he's looking to secure his fifth finish in as many tries inside the circle.
