Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, the 13-time jiu-jitsu world champion, finds himself at a career crossroads after his impressive victory over Amir Aliakbari at ONE 169 in Thailand. The Brazilian grappling sensation, who has transitioned successfully to mixed martial arts with a 5-1 record is now exploring his options as a free agent.
Buchecha’s latest triumph marked the end of his contract with ONE Championship, where he has spent his entire MMA career thus far. Speaking to MMA Fighting, he revealed, “That was the last fight of my contract, and now I’m free, I can do anything I want. I’m already talking to my manager Ali Abdelaziz and we will make that decision. I don’t have anything decided just yet, but we’re already talking and deciding the next steps.”
The heavyweight fighter acknowledges that his recent victory has put him in a stronger position to negotiate his future. “Things are way different now compared to last week. I was coming off a loss, and now I’m coming off a good win, so I’m in a better position now to make a decision,” he explained.
While Buchecha’s manager is already in discussions with various parties, the star himself is keeping an open mind about his next move. He expressed a willingness to consider all options, including potentially re-signing with ONE Championship. “To be honest with you, I want to talk to everybody,” Buchecha stated. “If [ONE] wants to have a conversation with me, we will talk, but I don’t know what I want to do yet, you know?”
Buchecha’s manager openly showed hostility for ONE FC on social media.
Despite his impressive MMA record, which includes four submissions and one TKO stoppage, all in the first round, Buchecha insists that his decision will be based on the challenge rather than financial considerations. “The financial aspect is always interesting, of course,” he admitted. “But if there’s something I don’t want to do or organization I don’t want to sign with, no money in the world would convince me to sign. I have my values and my principles.”
At nearly 35 years old, Buchecha is acutely aware of the need to make the most of his remaining competitive years. “I’m driven by challenges,” he emphasized. “I want new challenges, I want to test myself more and more. I’m not getting any younger, so I have to do it sooner than later. I don’t want to waste any more time on the sidelines, because I’m not young anymore.”
