At ONE on Prime Video 1, Brazilian jiu-jitsu icon Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida picked up the biggest win of his young MMA career, as he submitted former ONE interim heavyweight world title challenger Kirill Grishenko in just over one minute.
That victory came on the heels of one of the most challenging times of Almeida’s life.
Approximately three weeks ago, his longtime friend and fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor Leandro Lo was tragically killed at a nightclub in Brazil. Almeida, along with the rest of the jiu-jitsu community, mourned the loss of Lo, who was a beloved figure in the grappling world.
Preparing for the Grishenko fight while simultaneously coping with his friend’s death was not easy for “Buchecha.” But the Brazilian heavyweight was motivated by the belief that Lo would have wanted him to continue training and ultimately compete at the historic event.
“It was a hard one,” Almeida said. “I never had anything like that in my life. I’ve never experienced anything like that, so I think the time on the mat was the only time that I could clear my head and try to forget. So like I said, you know, I think that’s what he would want me to do – to keep fighting, to keep living my life. That was the one thing that drives me to keep going.”
Almeida needed just 64 seconds to secure a heel hook submission on Grishenko. Immediately after the win, the 17-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion shuffled around the ONE circle with his arms outstretched to his sides, a fitting tribute to his late friend.
In his post-fight interview, “Buchecha” described the heavy heart he took into battle.
“I feel blessed to have the opportunity that I have – not just to be fighting in ONE Championship, but to be doing what I love in my life. So, that’s something that I learned lately,” he said.
“We have to enjoy it as much as we can because you never know what will happen. And maybe tomorrow never comes. So, that’s something that I learned: Live your life every day like it will be your last.”
Almeida has now finished each of his four MMA opponents inside the first round. And with a victory over Grishenko, who unsuccessfully challenged for the ONE interim heavyweight world championship in his last bout, “Buchecha” has arguably entered the world title picture.
While the Brazilian is confident a world title shot will come at some point, he’s not about to rush the process, and he won’t treat a championship fight any differently, whenever it happens.
“My time will come, eventually, so I don’t worry about that,” he said. “Of course, when the time comes, it comes. It will be one more fight. I’m not going to take it like a title fight. It will be one more fight. It will be one more challenge for me, and that’s it. One more step. I’m not going to think like, ‘Oh, that’s the biggest challenge of my career,’ because it won’t be. My toughest fight is always the next one, so that’s it.”
