Seasoned athlete Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida recently revealed a fascinating perspective. He said that his shift to MMA brings about less pressure compared to his traditional domain of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
A legendary figure in BJJ, Buchecha emphasizes the ample space for strategic maneuvering within the multifaceted world of mixed martial arts.
Hailing from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the 33-year-old athlete redirected his focus to MMA upon joining ONE Championship in September 2021. Despite an impressive record of four victories in five matches, Buchecha acknowledges the continuous learning curve and welcomes it with open arms.
In a candid interview on the Jaxxon Podcast, Buchecha shared: “I tried to get the same mindset that I had when I was competing for jiu-jitsu. I try to keep the same mindset. But being honest, for MMA, I get less nervous cause there’s not as much pressure as to when I was one of the best jiu-jitsu athletes out there. For sure, it’s a lot of things to train.”
Buchecha last competed in August against Senegalese boxer Oumar Kane. He ended up being defeated him by unanimous decision. After winning his previous four MMA bouts by finishes within the first round, it was his first loss in ONE.
Buchecha acknowledged that it was a difficult defeat, but he also promised to bounce back stronger. He said that he would use the loss as inspiration to keep working for his MMA objectives.
A member of the esteemed American Top Team, Buchecha sheds light on his unwavering commitment to honing his MMA skills. In an interview with ONE Championship last year, he talked about the consistency in his training regimen and the satisfaction derived from the progress made thus far.
Buchecha said: “I train everything. I really like to train wrestling, the jiu-jitsu, which will always be my flagship, and striking. Nothing changed. I keep doing the same training. The emphasis is being on the overall context. I am feeling pretty good.”
