“One hundred percent it’s possible” - ‘Buchecha’ potentially a two-sport world champion in ONE

17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and current ONE Championship heavyweight fighter ‘Buchecha’ Marcus Almeida is completely fixated on advancing in his mixed martial arts career.

The 32-year-old legend transitioned to MMA in 2021, following years of dominance in the submission grappling scene, and will look to capture an MMA world title with ONE Championship in the future.

Almeida maintains he’s not thinking of anything else besides accomplishing his goal, but that he would be open to returning to submission grappling if certain conditions were met.

In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Almeida said:

“It’s not in my future right now, but yeah, one hundred percent it’s possible. I may want a title in MMA and another in jiu-jitsu.

He added:

“To be honest, I’ve been training a lot in the gi [this week]! My grips are not the same, but I train in the gi as much as possible.”

Almeida has expressed interest in potentially competing for a heavyweight submission grappling world title if ONE Championship decides to introduce this strap down the road. As one of the most successful and reputed grapplers in history, the Brazilian will have no qualms going up against anyone he’s faced with on the mats.

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‘Buchecha’ is determined to make the best out of his mixed martial arts career

When ‘Buchecha’ made his professional mixed martial arts debut last year, he fully committed to learning everything he could about the sport, despite having limited time to do so. The hard work he put in was certainly necessary, in order to progress quickly through the heavyweight ranks.

The 17-time BJJ world champion made his promotional debut against Brazilian countryman Anderson Silva at ONE: Revolution in September 2021, winning via first-round North South Choke.

‘Buchecha’ returned to action in December of that same year to face South Korean knockout artist Kang Ji Won, whom he submitted by rear-naked choke, also in the first round.

Earlier this year, Almeida scored his third straight victory, keeping his perfect record intact with a first-round technical knockout victory over Australia’s Simon Carson at ONE 158.

Needless to say, Almeida has made visible progress in his mixed martial arts run and has appeared unstoppable in his first three fights as an MMA fighter.

If he can continue his success in the world’s largest martial arts organization, ‘Buchecha’ could soon position himself for a shot at the ONE heavyweight world title, that or an opportunity to go for ONE gold in submission grappling, whichever comes first.