The highly anticipated MMA debut of jiu-jitsu superstar Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida came to a satisfying end for him and his fans in BJJ.
Buchecha faced off against Anderson “Braddock” Silva in a fight that had many fans holding their breath until it actually happened — the record-setting IBJJF world champion has had his debut opponent and date changed multiple times in the leadup to his inaugural appearance at ONE Championship, but thankfully, his fight against Silva was indeed meant to be.
Buchecha wasted no time in charging forward for a takedown and easily getting Silva to the canvas. Buchecha applied heavy pressure from mount, adding in some ground and pound for good measure. Silva secured a body lock on his opponent, trying to control at least one of Buchecha’s arms while Buchecha’s other arm threw elbows to the head. Buchecha worked his way to the side of Silva, working on applying a head-arm choke and raining down punches while Silva trapped his leg in quarter-guard in a desperate attempt to regain any control. Buchecha transitioned to side control and then north-south, where he threw some big knees.
Buchecha’s grounded knees went AIRBORNE! âœˆï¸ @MarcusBuchecha #ONERevolution #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/4hebCAvgNa
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 24, 2021
With two and a half minutes left in the first round, Buchecha focused his efforts on applying a north-south choke. Silva resisted as long as he could, but in the end, he tapped out with just over two minutes remaining.
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
Buchecha was declared the winner by submission, kicking off his MMA career with a 1-0 record.
