“I’ve trained with Buchecha back in the day. He’s a phenomenal grappler,” Firas Zahabi said. “Obviously, for those of you who know jiu-jitsu, he’s one of the top ranked guys in the world ever.”
Firas Zahabi recently shared thoughts on Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida‘s move to UFC’s heavyweight division. Based on past training, he praised Buchecha’s grappling but raised questions about his striking.
“He’s not good on the ground. He’s incredible,” Zahabi said in Q and A. “We’re talking about one of the all-time greats.”
Zahabi admitted striking remains a mystery. He said Buchecha only focused on jiu-jitsu and wrestling during their sessions in Vegas.
“I don’t know how good his striking is. I didn’t do any striking with him. He wasn’t doing any when I trained with him,” Zahabi said.
That gap is the biggest concern. While Buchecha is a decorated BJJ competitor and multiple-time world champion, modern MMA requires well-rounded skills.
UFC has been struggling with heavyweight, widely believed tho be the shallowest division ont he bracket. Many ranked stars have no audiences and are struggling to establish themselves.
A while ago Joe Rogan bemoaned the fact that UFC Heavyweights are nowadays usually fat as opposed to pre PED testing days when you had absolute units like Overeem.
Zahabi said Buchecha has solid wrestling and world-class ground control, giving him an edge. Still, striking may be the deciding factor as he faces dangerous opposition in the heavyweight ranks.
Zahabi has developed names like Georges St-Pierre, who succeeded by blending grappling with striking. He believes Buchecha has the base to succeed if his striking catches up.
If Buchecha sharpens that side of his game, Zahabi thinks he can become a serious presence in the division.
