“I Go There And Do My Job” – ONE Heavyweight World Title Is Not On The Mind Of Buchecha 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida has enjoyed an effortlessly smooth transition into mixed martial arts, and his grappling expertise has played a large part in that.

After dismissing his first four opponents in ONE Championship inside the first round to amass a perfect 4-0 slate, the heavyweight MMA star will tackle his most challenging foe yet in the form of “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane on Saturday, 5th August, at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian.

The gargantuan matchup will finally take place following two previous cancellations. And with ONE’s heavyweight division enjoying its best action in years, the pressure to perform will be higher than ever.

Most contenders in the ever-growing weight class are eager to show they’re worthy of a shot at Anatoly Malykhin’s newly unified World Title, but this isn’t something at the forefront of “Buchecha’s” mind.

The 17-time BJJ World Champion is happy with his current trajectory and content to wait until his people tell him he’s ready to contest for the divisional crown.

“A lot of people ask me about this. I really don’t think [about it], and I don’t care about it. I leave it in the hands of my coaches and my manager,” Buchecha said.

“I’m just an employee. I go there and do my job. When my manager and coaches think I’m ready, I’ll be ready. I don’t fight thinking that the next one might be for the belt. I just go there and do my job.”

Stylistically, the August 5th encounter should be an intriguing contest for “Buchecha.” While he will bring a wealth of BJJ mastery to the bout, Kane’s unique background in Senegalese wrestling background could offer up some challenges.

Almeida is aware of Kane’s pedigree and knows he’ll have to be on the look out for danger wherever the bout goes.

“’Reug Reug’ is a very tough guy. He comes from a good sequence of victories. His last defeat was against Kirill Grishenko, whom I beat in my last fight. It was a very tough fight between them, two wrestlers, so the fight ended up being a stand-up fight,” he said. 

“‘Reug Reug’ is a guy who comes from grappling and has a very good foundation, so I think he’ll try to exploit that to keep the fight on its feet. He’s definitely been training a lot on takedown defense and striking. I think those are his strong points.”