Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida has just had the next opponent of his MMA career announced and the rising star will now be facing the toughest test of his time at ONE Championship. He will be competing at ONE 161 on August 26th, where he will take on former title-challenger Kirill Grishenko in the first fight since his unsuccessful attempt at the promotion’s belt. Grishenko originally put together a perfect 5-0 record in the Heavyweight division with all of his fights ending in finishes, including a victory over a previously suggested opponent of Buchecha’s, Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane.
This is what led to the Belarusian fighter being given the opportunity to fight for the Interim Heavyweight world championship against the terrifying Anatoly Malykhin. He proved to be too much for Grishenko to overcome however, and Malykhin ended up winning by knockout in the second round. This improved Malykhin’s undefeated professional MMA record to 11-0, with all of his wins coming inside the distance as well. Not just that, but as Interim champion Malykhin will now be given the next chance to fight UFC veteran and elite freestyle wrestler Arjan Bhullar for the ONE Championship Undisputed Heavyweight world championship.
That’s where BJJ legend Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida comes in to the story, because his next opponent being named as Grishenko is a clear signal of what the future could hold for him if he wins. It would catapult Buchecha to the very top of the ONE Championship Heavyweight division and would put him in a great position to campaign for a title-shot of his own. Additionally, former UFC world champion Demetrious Johnson will be getting the chance to fight for the promotion’s Flyweight world title as he takes on Adriano Moraes in the main event.
The full ONE 161 event, including Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida taking on Kirill Grishenko, will be available to watch live on August 26th on Amazon Prime, click here to subscribe and watch.
