“Four more weeks to go” – ‘Buchecha’ teases next ONE Championship bout on Instagram

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is set to resume his mixed martial arts journey on the global stage in four weeks. The multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion took to Instagram yesterday to express his excitement.

'Buchecha' dropped a picture of himself working out at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. He added the following caption:

“Four more weeks to go until [I] get into the @onechampionship circle once again! Almost time for my third MMA fight, camp is going great! Let’s do it!”

The 32-year-old Brazilian has made a seamless transition from BJJ to MMA in ONE Championship. He defeated compatriot Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva in his debut at ONE: Revolution in September last year, securing a north-south choke at the 2:55 mark of the opening frame to announce himself on the global stage.

Then, at ONE: Winter Warriors in December, ‘Buchecha’ returned and became the first man to put a dent in ‘Mighty Warrior’ Kang Ji Won’s perfect record. The BJJ specialist stuck to his bread and butter to pick up a second submission victory at the Singapore-based promotion.

Scoring two wins in a row has inevitably put the Sao Paulo native into the heavyweight world title conversation. However, ‘Buchecha’ has repeatedly played down his interest, stating that he would like to improve his skill set first before making such a significant career jump.

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Who will ‘Buchecha’ face in his return?

ONE has been working tirelessly to expand its heavyweight roster over the past couple of years. Thus, it’s safe to say that Almeida shouldn’t worry about not having enough time in the circle to develop his MMA arsenal.

Two names that come to mind for the undefeated star to face on his return are former heavyweight champion Brandon Vera and Canadian powerhouse Dustin Joynson.

Vera hasn't competed since dropping his gold to Arjan ‘Singh’ Bhullar in April last year. Joynson, meanwhile, will be looking to capitalize on his split-decision win over Hugo Cunha at ONE: Bad Blood in February.

If neither can strike a deal with the Singapore-based promotion, Almeida could likely draw Kirill Grishenko. The Belarusian was knocked out by Anatoly Malykhin in February but is ready to return to competition.

Kang Ji Won and Paul Elliott are highly unlikely to return next month, having just competed at ONE’s 10-year anniversary showpiece, ONE X.

Meanwhile, atop the heavyweight mountain, divisional king Bhullar is expected to face off against interim champion Anatoly ‘Sladkiy’ Malykhin in a title unification bout, which also puts both of them out of the running.