Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida aiming for redemption following first MMA defeat

To say that Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida has redemption on his mind is an understatement.

The 17-time BJJ World Champion faced the first major challenge of his MMA career this past August.

A close and heartbreaking unanimous decision loss to “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane put a temporary dent in Almeida’s trajectory. This disrupted his path to a potential showdown against Anatoly Malykhin for the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship.

Rather than succumbing to the bitter taste of defeat, “Buchecha” has chosen to harness it as fuel for his journey back to the top.

“MMA is such a big challenge, and it’s new. It is something to look forward to. I have a chance to do something great, and that’s why I decided to go into MMA,” he said.

Almeida understands that setbacks are inevitable on the road to greatness. While the defeat to “Reug Reug” was undoubtedly disappointing, he sees it as an invaluable learning experience.

“My last fight was my worst appearance in MMA, but it was a good experience and good learning,” he said.

Hungry for redemption, he has returned to training. His rigorous regimen these days places a strong emphasis on his bread and butter — jiu-jitsu.

“I’m training, evolving every day, studying a lot of BJJ as it’s my best weapon,” Almeida said.

This discipline has been a cornerstone of his success in the past, and “Buchecha” is confident that it will play a crucial role in his resurgence in the all-encompassing sport.

“I want to improve and do something good in this sport, so I’m putting 100 percent in this,” he added.

Marcus Almeida looks forward to returning to Evolve MMA

Taking a lead from former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Hiroki Akimoto, Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida has plans to return to Evolve MMA in Singapore next year for further training.

Evolve MMA has been his home away from home in Asia, providing a supportive environment crucial to his development as a mixed martial artist.

It’s worth recalling that “Buchecha” kickstarted his MMA career with four-straight victories by way of finish.

“I would love to go back to Evolve MMA to train because it’s the perfect place to train,” he said.

“I hope in my next fight, I can spend time there again. No doubt about it, Evolve MMA is one of the best gyms I have been to in my entire life.”