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#2. 'Buchecha' is a marketing goldmine
There is a reason why 'Buchecha' has more social media followers than most of the former jiu-jitsu world champions fighting in MMA right now. From a marketability standpoint, Almeida is a goldmine. He has the skill, appeal, and legendary status to get any casual MMA fan tuning in.
Unlike his famous jiu-jitsu rival, the dangerous middleweight Rodolfo Vieira, 'Buchecha' can speak fluent English, which means he can easily connect with his fans across the globe.
Add that to his status as the most accomplished jiu-jitsu fighter of all time, then you have the male heavyweight equivalent of someone like Ronda Rousey.
ONE struck gold with their signing of Almeida as they pushed him into the main card slowly but surely. At the same time, they frame the narrative around him quite well. He is a mythical grappling specialist who is now taking the sport by storm.
Once he fights Grinshenko at ONE on Prime Video 1, a larger US audience will get to see Almeida shine, which will only add to his growing star power.
#1. 'Buchecha' is a 17-time jiu-jitsu world champion
Make no mistake, the ultimate reason why Almeida could become the next big thing in MMA will always be the tools that first brought him to the dance; his mastery of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Not many jiu-jitsu world champions have worn MMA gold but none have achieved the same level of success 'Buchecha' had in grappling alone.
Under the tutelage of MMA veterans and ONE Championship seeing him as a major player in the heavyweight ranks, sky's the limit for the Brazilian icon. We see Almeida's MMA game to eventually resemble that of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the perfect use of strikes to complement his debilitating ground skills. Once he perfects that formula, nothing will be able to stop him.
