This Friday morning (24) marked the debut of Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida in professional MMA. 13-time jiu-jitsu world champion, Buchecha entered the ONE Championship cage to face compatriot Anderson “Braddock” Silva and won the submission victory in less than three minutes.
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In the first seconds of the fight, Buchecha managed to land a takedown and went to mount. The newcomer quickly transitioned to the 100 kg position and, shortly thereafter, to the north-south position, in which he applied hard knees to Braddock's head, permitted by ONE Championship rules. With the path open, Buchecha finished the fight with a north-south choke.
BJJ legend Buchecha 🇧🇷 FINISHES Anderson Silva with a north-south choke in his mixed martial arts debut! 🥋 @MarcusBuchecha #ONERevolution #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/73ft7TYq78
- ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 24, 2021
“It’s a dream come true. Starting a new sport from scratch is difficult, but my life is full of challenges. I achieved everything in jiu-jitsu, so I don't feel like I have anything left to prove. I decided to start a new career in MMA and this was the first step. I’m very grateful,” said Buchecha shortly after the fight.
As for the submission, Buchecha revealed that he didn't believe the choke was well placed, but was warned by his trainer Leo Vieira in the corner.
“When I put my hands together, I couldn’t get a good grip. But Leo said, 'he's about to crash', so it's now or never. I pressed it as fast as I could and it clicked. I didn't say I was going to submit him in the first round, I said that a submission in the first round would be the ideal world. Then the ideal world happened for me”, concluded Buchecha.
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