'Buchecha' shares his thoughts on possible matches with Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin

ONE heavyweight phenom and jiu-jitsu legend Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is on a steady rise to the top of his division. Having won three straight fights, all coming by way of finishes, the Brazilian MMA stalwart is bound for an inevitable clash for gold if he keeps this going.

At the moment, the division is ruled by two kings: ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar and interim world champion Anatoly Malykhin. Given how Almeida is rising in the ONE heavyweight ranks, there's a huge chance that he will face one of these men, or both.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Almeida expressed his thoughts on both champions, particularly regarding their grappling and wrestling. If there is one thing 'Buchecha' has to be more concerned about, it's with how they can deal with his unstoppable grappling barrage.

When asked who between the two has better wrestling, Almeida said:

"Man, it's hard to say because I didn't see much. I think I saw more Arjan fights, because of when he used to fight in the old events. So I didn't see much of Anatoly's wrestling, but what I see is that Arjan is really good and I know he used to train at AKA. I know he has really good wrestling but to be honest, I never really followed too much, just the wrestling career itself for both of them."

It would surely be interesting to see how Almeida would deal with each champion's strengths. Malykhin has the nuclear option in his hands, so all he needs to do is use his wrestling in reverse to keep the fight standing. As for Bhullar, he's more well-rounded and can hold his own anywhere the fight goes.

Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida will face Kirill Grishenko at ONE 161

As part of ONE's historic deal with Amazon Prime Video, the streaming platform will air 12 ONE live events every year. This will allow the US viewing public to finally witness the greatness of ONE athletes. To mark the beginning of this multi-year deal, Amazon Prime Video will air ONE 161. The event is packed with big names that are perfect for introducing ONE Championship to the American viewing market.

Along with ONE world champions, a former world champion, and rising stars on the roster, the card will showcase the return of Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida, arguably the most decorated and accomplished submission grappler of all time. They're really packing this event like ONE X – like they're on a closing sale.

Against 'Buchecha' will be Kirill Grishenko, a heavyweight knockout artist who fought Anatoly Malykhin for the interim heavyweight world title but failed. Grishenko echoes much of what the previous opponents of 'Buchecha' looked like.

Grishenko is also a striking-based fighter who relies on his KO power. Let's see if this heavyweight kickboxer can put a stop to the Brazilian's run.