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Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida is game to fight Reiner de Ridder if the opportunity arises. 'The Dutch Knight' currently holds both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in ONE Championship and is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the organization at present.
'Buchecha' is currently without an opponent after his scheduled encounter with Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane at ONE 156 got taken off the card after the Senegalese star pulled out with an injury.
Reinier de Ridder has recently been on a tour of American gyms, during which he got in the rounds with several former and potential rivals, including 'Buchecha', whom he rolled with at American Top Team.
The Brazilian spoke about the encounter in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA. He said:
"Good training. We had just one session but it's good to see the level of jiu-jitsu in the champs of the organization."
When asked if he'd be up for facing the champ-champ inside the circle, the 32-year-old said:
"I'm always up for a fight... I did [that] my whole life. And it's a great opportunity for me to fight against the best, especially the double champ, so it would be a really interesting fight. 100%."
Catch our full interview with Almeida below:
As well as training at ATT, de Ridder also stopped at Sanford MMA, where he got some rounds in with former foe Aung La N Sang. Elsewhere on his American visit, 'The Dutch Knight' rolled with some of the best BJJ athletes in the game, including Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon.
'Buchecha' acknowledges lack of experience compared to de Ridder
Marcus Almeida is certainly not shy of a challenge and says he's "not getting any younger." Nevertheless, the Sao-Paulo-born fighter has frequently suggested that his goal is to get as much experience as he can before challenging for the title.
He told Sportskeeda MMA:
"He's double champ. For sure he's got way more experience than me. If you throw me to fight there I would fight anyone but being honest I need to get a little bit more cage time. But that's going to happen soon - fighting the guys with the belts in my division or the division below. That's why I want to keep active."
Almeida has looked excellent in his MMA fights so far and says he's keen to keep the momentum going. The next event is ONE 157 on May 20 and the IBJJF Hall-of-Famer is keen to compete on the card.
If he continues to perform at the level he's shown inside the circle so far, then a meeting with de Ridder could be inevitable.
