“Be your own hero” - Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida looks back at his triumphant double-gold IBJJF campaign
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida didn't let injuries derail his path to becoming one of the greatest submission grapplers of all time.
The Brazilian superstar is the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist in history with 17 world titles in the sport.
While each of his world titles holds a special place in history, the two gold medals he won in the 2016 IBJJF world championships might just be his most memorable.
'Buchecha' was on a three-year streak of taking home the ultra-heavyweight and absolute world titles in the IBJJF from 2012 to 2014 but had to skip the 2015 tournament due to injury.
In an Instagram post, Almeida shared his mindset during the 2016 IBJJF World Championships:
"2016 was the year of return. After an injury in the 2015 Worlds, I had one year to recover and return for the following year's Worlds. I had two options, victimize myself and ask myself 'Why me?' or work without any sad story and return in 365 days."
Almeida added:
"As you can see in the video, I chose the second option. Never forget that the world and no one owes you anything! Work hard, do your thing, and don't be a victim, be your own hero! Make it happen!"
'Buchecha' asserted his dominance over James Puopolo to claim the gold in the ultra-heavyweight division, and he repeated that feat against Erberth de Mesquita for the absolute world title.
'Buchecha' itching to get back into MMA action
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida had one of the craziest starts to an MMA career when he arrived at ONE Championship in 2021.
The Brazilian legend racked up four straight first-round finishes at the expense of Anderson 'Braddock' Silva, Kang Ji Won, Simon Carson, and Kirill Grishenko.
Almeida's run, however, came to a halt when he lost to Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane in an absolute barnburner at ONE Fight Night 13.
Undeterred, Almeida is ready to get back to the winner's circle and shared his intent on social media.
"Let’s start one more week, ready and just waiting for the call!" wrote Almeida.