Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors of all time, has voiced strong criticism of the current trend in the sport where top athletes appear to be avoiding matches against each other.
In a recent interview on Connect Cast Miami, Buchecha expressed his frustration with what he sees as a concerning development in the competitive Jiu-Jitsu scene.
“The guys hide from a tough fight, it’s a stop here,” Buchecha stated. “The other day I said this, I gave an interview, I said it makes me sad, but I think the right word is hate.”
Buchecha, who won an unprecedented 13 IBJJF World Championships during his competitive career before transitioning to MMA in 2020, compared today’s athletes to legends of the past who never shied away from tough competition.
“Jiu-Jitsu, imagine the people explaining to Arona that these guys are wanting, so the fight that everyone wants to see, the guys are choosing, avoiding to the maximum, try to explain to Paulão, these old guys,”
he said, referencing legendary competitors who never turned down challenges.
The Brazilian champion reflected on his own career, during which he faced his biggest rival, Rodolfo Vieira, multiple times.
“I and Rodolfo made a lot of fights. It was the biggest rival I had in my career. I fought with him in the World Cup. He won and caught me. I spent a whole year fighting with him in the near future. And the people wanted to see this fight.”
Buchecha believes that the current trend of avoiding tough matchups damages the sport. While he acknowledges that monetizing fights through media promotion is sensible, he questions when highly anticipated matches will actually happen if athletes continue to dodge each other.
“I think it’s a little sad to see. As a spectator, I think it’s sad,”
he remarked.
The former champion suggested that the issue might not always be with the athletes themselves, but rather with the people around them – coaches, managers, and business interests who exert too much influence over matchmaking decisions.
“I honestly believe that it’s not for the athletes but for people or coaches or businessmen so I don’t think there’s a way to blame the athletes,”
Buchecha explained. He defended specific athletes like André Galvão and Micael Galvão, who have faced criticism but who Buchecha believes “will never run from a fight.”
Buchecha added that excessive protection of athletes by their teams can ultimately harm both their careers and the sport itself:
“Sometimes this excess of care with the athletes ends up being a little harmful to the athletes. You have to be careful that the fighter is the fighter, the fighter fights at any time.”
Buchecha‘s critical perspective offers valuable insight from someone who competed at the highest level during a time when avoiding tough matchups was simply not part of the sport’s culture.
