“It’s part of being an athlete” - Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida reflects on heartbreaking first MMA loss
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida has made peace with his first career loss in mixed martial arts.
After starting his career with four straight finishes, the 17-time BJJ world champion ran into a brick wall in the form of Senegalese sensation 'Reug Reug' Oumar Kane last year at ONE Fight Night 13.
On that night, Kane proved to be too big and powerful for Almeida to handle, leading to the Brazilian's first defeat in MMA.
Looking back on the loss, Almeida recognizes that coming up on the wrong side of the scorecards is all part of the process and he's not interested in letting it hang over his head any longer.
"It's been a little over a year since my last fight when I suffered my first defeat in MMA," Almeida told ONE. "Unfortunately, it's part of being an athlete, and it isn’t the first or last time I lost a fight."
15 months later, 'Buchecha' is back. On Friday, Nov. 8, Almeida will step back onto martial arts' biggest global stage for a high-stakes heavyweight scrap with streaking standout Amir Aliakbari.
'Buchecha' faces a tough test against Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari at ONE 169
With a win at ONE 169 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok this Friday night, Marcus Almeida will once again be in the conversation for a future heavyweight title opportunity.
However, to get there, he'll have to go through perhaps one of the most dangerous fighters in the division today.
'Buchecha' will meet Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari who goes into ONE 169 riding a four-fight win streak. He finished Mauro Cerilli, Brandon 'The Truth' Vera, Dustin Joynson and secured a disqualification victory over Arjan Bhullar.
Will Aliakbari extend his unbeaten streak or will Almeida climb back into the win column and potentially secure his first shot at ONE Championship gold?
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.