Marcus Buchecha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marcus Almeida
Born	Marcus Vinícius Oliveira de Almeida (1990-01-08) January 8, 1990 (age 35) Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
Other names	Buchecha
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	254 lb (115 kg)
Division	Heavyweight
Reach	80 in (203 cm)
Style	Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Team	Checkmat American Kickboxing Academy (2014–present) American Top Team (2020–present)
Rank	4th deg. BJJ black belt
Years active	2011–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	7
Wins	5
By knockout	1
By submission	4
Losses	2
By decision	2
Medal record Representing  Brazil Submission Wrestling ADCC World Championship Gold 2013 Beijing, China +99 kg Silver 2013 Beijing, China Absolute Gold 2017 Espoo, Finland +99 kg Bronze 2017 Espoo, Finland Absolute Bronze 2019 Anaheim, USA +99 kg Silver 2019 Anaheim, USA Absolute Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship Silver 2011 California, USA -100kg Bronze 2011 California, USA Absolute Gold 2012 California, USA +100kg Gold 2012 California, USA Absolute Gold 2013 California, USA +100kg Gold 2013 California, USA Absolute Gold 2014 California, USA +100kg Gold 2014 California, USA Absolute Gold 2016 California, USA +100kg Gold 2016 California, USA Absolute Gold 2017 California, USA +100kg Gold 2017 California, USA Absolute Gold 2018 California, USA +100kg Silver 2018 California, USA Absolute Gold 2019 California, USA +100kg Gold 2019 California, USA Absolute World No-GI Championship Silver 2010 California, USA -100kg Gold 2011 California, USA +100kg Gold 2011 California, USA Absolute Pan-American Championship Gold 2011 California, USA -100kg Bronze 2011 California, USA Absolute Gold 2012 California, USA +100kg Silver 2012 California, USA Absolute Gold 2013 California, USA +100kg Gold 2013 California, USA Absolute AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro Gold 2012 Abu Dhabi, UAE +100kg Silver 2013 Abu Dhabi, UAE +100kg Gold 2013 Abu Dhabi, UAE Absolute Gold 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE +100kg Gold 2014 Abu Dhabi, UAE Absolute Gold 2015 Abu Dhabi, UAE +95kg Gold 2015 Abu Dhabi, UAE Absolute World Grand Prix Gold 2016 California, USA Absolute Gold 2017 California, USA Absolute

Marcus Vinícius Oliveira de Almeida, known as Buchecha, is a Brazilian professional fighter. He was born on January 8, 1990. He is a 4th-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). Since 2020, he has been a professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Before that, he competed in the heavyweight division of ONE Championship.

Buchecha has won many championships in World jiu-jitsu and ADCC submission fighting. He is part of the IBJJF Hall of Fame. Many people consider him one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors ever.

Early Life and Training

Marcus Almeida grew up in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil. When he was 14, his sister started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His father, Clayton, wanted to keep an eye on her, so Marcus went along. Soon, Marcus and his father also started training jiu-jitsu. Both of them became black belts. His father even won the IBJJF Masters World Championship.

Almeida earned his black belt from Rodrigo Cavaca. Cavaca gave him the nickname Buchecha, which means cheek. This was because Marcus had chubby cheeks when he was younger. Almeida competes as part of the Checkmat team.

Mixed Martial Arts Journey

Marcus Almeida had been thinking about moving into mixed martial arts since 2015. On July 30, 2020, it was announced that he had signed a contract with ONE Championship. He trained for mixed martial arts at the American Kickboxing Academy. He competed in the heavyweight division.

Fighting in ONE Championship

In August 2020, Almeida had to pull out of a jiu-jitsu match. He had a knee injury, which also delayed his first MMA fight. He was supposed to fight Oumar Kane at a ONE Championship event. However, he got another injury in training and was replaced by Alain Ngalani.

Later, he was set to fight Kang Ji-Won at ONE on TNT 1. But Kang also had to withdraw. Almeida then faced Anderson “Braddock” Silva on September 24, 2021. He won this fight in the first round using a move called a north-south choke.

Almeida fought Kang Ji Won again on December 3, 2021, at ONE: Winter Warriors. He won this match in the first round with a rear-naked choke. He was scheduled to fight Oumar "Reug Reug" Kane on April 22, 2022. This fight was moved to May 20, but Kane got injured. Hugo Cunha was set to replace him, but he tested positive for COVID-19. So, the fight was canceled.

Almeida then fought Simon Carson at ONE 158 on June 3, 2022. He won by technical knockout in the first round. He stopped Carson with punches while on the ground. On August 27, 2022, Almeida faced Kirill Grishenko at ONE on Prime Video 1. He won early in the first round by using a heel hook submission. This win earned him a Performance of the Night award.

On August 5, 2023, Almeida fought Oumar Kane at ONE Fight Night 13. He lost this fight by a decision from the judges. A movie about his life, called Buchecha: Far Beyond World Records, was released in 2023. Almeida's last fight with ONE Championship was on November 9, 2024. He fought Amir Aliakbari at ONE 169. He won by submission in the first round and received another $50,000 ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. After this fight, his contract ended, and he became a free agent.

Joining the UFC

On July 7, 2025, it was announced that Almeida had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. His first fight in the UFC was against Martin Buday on July 26, 2025. This fight took place at UFC on ABC 9. Almeida lost the fight by a decision from the judges.

Major Achievements

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Wrestling

Buchecha has achieved many great things in his career:

• He was the ADCC World Champion in 2013 and 2017.
• He won the IBJJF World Championship seven times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
• He was the IBJJF World No-Gi Champion in 2010 and 2011.
• He won the IBJJF Pan Champion title in 2012.
• He was the IBJJF Pro League Grand Prix Champion in 2016.
• He won the AJP Abu Dhabi World Pro four times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
• He placed 2nd at the ADCC World Championship in 2019.
• He placed 3rd at the IBJJF World Championship in 2011.
• He placed 3rd at the ADCC World Championship in 2017.

Mixed Martial Arts

• ONE Championship
  • Performance of the Night (Two times) for his fights against Kirill Grishenko and Amir Aliakbari.
• MMAjunkie.com
  • 2022 August Submission of the Month for his win against Kirill Grishenko.

Instructor Lineage

Marcus Almeida's jiu-jitsu training comes from a long line of masters: Carlos Gracie Sr. > Carlson Gracie > Élcio Figueiredo > Rodrigo Cavaca > Marcus Almeida

See also

In Spanish: Marcus Almeida para niños