"I knew it would be a very tough fight" - 'Buchecha' says he never took Amir Aliakbari lightly heading into ONE 169
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida was prepared for a very tough test on his long-awaited return to action at ONE 169.
In the first four fights of his MMA career with ONE Championship, he was able to finish each opponent in the first round. However, his momentum and win streak came to an end at ONE Fight Night 13 last year where he was pushed to the limit by Oumar 'Reug Reug' Kane.
Almeida was unable to get the fight to the floor, where his legendary submission grappling skills can dominate the fight. But there is no shame in losing to the man that went on to become the world champion this past weekend at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
On the same night, 'Buchecha' looked to bounce back against another very tough opponent in Amir Aliakbari.
The Iranian wrestler would be another big test for the Brazilian, but this time around, he was able to produce one of his best performances and wins to date.
After submitting his opponent in the first round for the fifth win of his MMA career, Almeida spoke in a post-fight interview with the Bangkok Post about his expectations for this matchup:
"I have such great respect for Amir Aliakbari. He's a great champion, former Greco-Roman champion. I knew it would be a very tough fight."
Watch the full interview below:
'Buchecha' was able to bounce back even stronger
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida may still be young in his MMA journey but he's already achieved a great career in submission grappling.
Whilst he may still have much to learn in this second phase of his career, Almeida brings a lot of high-level experience from jiu-jitsu with him.
His character was put to the test alongside his physical skills at ONE 169 and he was able to return to the win column by looking better than ever.
The Brazilian is made of sterner stuff.