<ul class="summary-list"><li>Brazilian jiu jitsu icon Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida could finally make his <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword> debut in May or June.</li><li>That's according to <keyword id="3170175" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="One-Championship">One Championship</keyword> founder and CEO <keyword id="3492993" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="chatri-sityodtong">Chatri Sityodtong</keyword>.</li><li>Sityodtong also said fans may see another grappling mega star, <keyword id="11128716" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gordon-ryan">Gordon Ryan</keyword>, compete in MMA in 2021.</li></ul>Two of the top grapplers in combat <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword>, both of whom have made highly-anticipated moves into mixed martial arts, could make their <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/one-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Championship</a> debuts this year.The Singapore-based <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> firm, which is led by founder and CEO <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/chatri-sityodtong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chatri Sityodtong</a>, has long been renowned for showcasing extraordinary Muay Thai and stand-up matches.But by adding Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida and Gordon Ryan to its roster, the company can rightfully claim it is also home to two of the most decorated jiu jitsu players on the planet."Ultimately, at One Championship, I just want to sign the best martial artists in the world," Sityodtong told Insider when asked about these acquisitions."I don't care what discipline. I just want the best - that's the most important thing. 'Buchecha' is the greatest Brazilian jiu jitsu stylist in history, and Gordon Ryan is the best no gi submission grappler in history."Fans may soon see 'Buchecha' and Ryan in a One Championship arena, after <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-adriano-moraes-knocks-out-demetrious-johnson-with-a-knee-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">striking maestro Rodtang added another win to his ledger against Daniel Williams on April 7</a>.Muay Thai features at One's next event. The show took place earlier in the month, but will be broadcast on TNT on Wednesday, April 21. Results have been kept secret for the benefit of US cable TV."You have John Wayne Parr, who is one of the great strikers, fighting Nieky Holzken [on Wednesday] who is one of the great strikers in the world," Sityodtong said."Rodtang currently is one of the best in the world [at striking], and the list goes on and on. I just want to showcase the best at One Championship - the home of martial arts in all the sports."<h2>Sityodtong hopes to see 'Buchecha' make his debut soon</h2><div type="image" title="Marcus Buchecha Almeida, best BJJ ever" height="750" width="1000" msid="82161103" hostid="261"></div>Almeida has been winning gold medals in the most prestigious jiu jitsu tournaments almost every year since 2011.He has been training mixed martial arts at Javier Mendez's famed American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, and generated great interest when it was confirmed he signed with One.Injuries, both to himself and his opponents, have scuppered continued efforts to complete his MMA debut. He was first supposed to compete in a One event last year, then in January 2021, then in April this year. All those bouts have been axed.Sityodtong told Insider it has been a frustrating period for the athlete."'Buchecha' has had a lot of bad luck," Sityodtong told us. "It's one thing after another. Opponents are injured, or pull out for one reason or another, and it's just a frustrating time for him."I told Buchecha, I talked to him last week over WhatsApp: 'I'll get you a fight - don't worry.'"Insider asked whether we could see Almeida make his long-awaited One debut in May or June. "I hope so," he told us. "That's our plan."It also leads into Ryan, and when the American - considered <a href="https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/31113936/jiu-jitsu-standout-gordon-ryan-signs-one-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the GOATS of his discipline</a> - could feature in MMA after impressing so much, in such a short space of time, at submission grappling.Ryan, 25, received his black belt in 2016 and has been on a near-unstoppable run ever since, prompting the MMA commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan - himself a black belt - to herald his countryman as <a href="https://www.bjjee.com/articles/joe-rogan-on-gordon-ryan-hes-the-pound-for-pound-the-greatest-of-all-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"the pound-for-pound greatest of all time."</a>"Gordon Ryan and I are friends," Sityodtong said, overjoyed at being the one to sign him."He came to Singapore. His coach John Danayer and I, are friends. And it's because Renzo Gracie is my master in jiu jitsu. John and I love Renzo, Renzo put us together, and John and I got along."So Gordon came along with John to do a seminar in Singapore, and I met with them. We got along. And Gordon said when he's ready, he'll sign with us. And he did."[Almeida and Ryan] are two of the greatest grapplers on the planet and it's not an accident as part of our strategy," said Sityodtong.Ryan's path to an MMA debut is not as clear as Almeida's."It remains to be seen [when he'll make his debut in MMA]," Sityodtong said. "He wants to do submission grappling while he's training up for MMA."Sityodtong told us that it's too early to determine but "it's possible [he could fight] this year."One is midway through one of the most pivotal months in company history. It is showcasing some of its best fighters during an ongoing four-event run on TNT.<a href="https://www.insider.com/video-adriano-moraes-knocks-out-demetrious-johnson-with-a-knee-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adriano Moraes knocked Demetrious Johnson with a knee</a> as wild violence marked One Championship's breakout US cable show on April 7.Christian Lee, 22, scored <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-christian-lee-destroyed-his-title-challenger-in-73-seconds-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a brutal 73-second knockout that cemented his spot as an MMA superstar</a> in an event broadcast the following week.One returns with its third event of the month Wednesday with a five-bout card that features John Lineker against Troy Worthen in the main event.Holzken and Wayne Parr fight a Muay Thai match in the final preliminary bout.

Grappling mega stars Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida and Gordon Ryan could make their MMA debuts in 2021

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3170175" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="One-Championship">One Championship</keyword>'s big signing of 2020, Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida could compete in multiple weight classes at the same time.</li><li>One CEO <keyword id="3492993" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="chatri-sityodtong">Chatri Sityodtong</keyword> had been looking at Buchecha for a long while, having dinner with him in Singapore in 2019, before signing him to the Asian MMA firm this year.</li><li>Buchecha is a consensus all-time great Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner and his MMA debut will be an event to behold as a result.</li><li>And Sityodtong will likely expect big things from Buchecha hailing him as a heavyweight who "moves like a lightweight."</li></ul>One of Asia's most powerful combat <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> executives, One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, says Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida could compete in two weight classes at the same time.Almeida is widely considered one of the greatest ever practitioners of Brazilian jiu jitsu having won gold medals in a variety of competitions over the last 10 years.He became one of the hottest properties in mixed martial arts when it became clear he was going to focus on MMA, and signed to One Championship this year.Speaking to Insider about the talent acquisition, Sityodtong marveled at Buchecha's abilities, hailing him as "the most decorated Brazilian jiu jitsu athlete of all time."Sityodtong said Buchecha is unique because he's so accomplished in grappling while still in his athletic prime at 30 years old. "In the heavyweight division no less," he said."I know he was talking to other organizations, I don't know which ones, but he actually had visited Singapore a year earlier. He and I had a good chat at dinner and he saw with his own eyes how different One Championship is from the other organizations.Almeida was persuaded to come to One Championship, Sityodtong said, by the company's ethos."I always say One Championship is built by martial arts, led by martial artists, for martial artists … so there's a real ethos, considering what Buchecha is, he's attracted to what One Championship is about and what we're trying to do."Sityodtong added: "I've known about him for years because of his incredible athleticism. He's a heavyweight but moves like a lightweight."His balance, speed, timing … it's unheard of in the heavyweight division. He's going to bring a lot of unique attributes."His grappling is the world's best but I think people are going to be surprised at how good his wrestling, striking, and MMA game is going to be."What I love about Buchecha is, he's obviously a lion in the arena of competition in the heat of battle but he's the nicest guy in the world outside the competitive realm, and he'll make a great role model and superhero for One Championship."We want the world's best martial artists full stop but we care deeply about our superheroes being role models to the world. Great role models for families, societies, countries."<h2>Buchecha has been training at AKA and Evolve</h2><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CD7Id7kFLnd" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <keyword id="10217211" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="marcus-almeida">Marcus Almeida</keyword> (@marcusbuchecha)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-08-15T20:48:50+00:00">Aug 15, 2020 at 1:48pm PDT</time></div></blockquote>To prepare for MMA competition as opposed to BJJ, Buchecha has been learning at world famous fight clubs like the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, where he has wrestled Daniel Cormier, and the Evolve gym in Singapore."He's training at AKA and Evolve," Sityodtong said. "Those are his two main camps and he'll get the best of the best when it comes to training."I have seen his stand-up when he hits the pads. He looks clean and crisp though he's still young in his game."On how long it could be before Buchecha challenges for a One Championship belt, Sityodtong said: "Let's see. We'll work at a comfortable pace for him."Because he's had [many] BJJ competition matches, his mental strength is going to be a different level already, right? His ability to overcome adversity. It's just going to be a different level."So, it's really about seeing how he is in the MMA arena and how he does with his first few fights. If he's capable and able, there's nothing that stops him from [going for the title sooner rather than later]."And if he could compete in multiple divisions, at heavyweight and light heavyweight, Sityodtong said: "Yes. Definitely."His walking weight fluctuates in that range so he can definitely get very lean and fight at light heavyweight and who knows, he could have an amazing title fight at light heavyweight. That would be amazing."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/video-shows-jon-jones-chase-burglar-from-property-with-shotgun-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Controversial former UFC champion Jon Jones appeared to chase an apparent burglar off his property with a shotgun</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-predicts-hell-demolish-dustin-poirier-in-january-fight-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC confirms Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier's fight is official, and the Irishman is already predicting a 1st round KO</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-sabah-homasi-wins-jumping-knee-ground-and-pound-ko-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Bellator MMA fighter knocked out his opponent with a jumping knee, then mercilessly attacked him with ground-and-pound</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-might-fight-again-in-ufc-dana-white-said-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">'There's a good chance' Khabib Nurmagomedov will make a sensational comeback and fight again, UFC boss Dana White said</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/mike-tyson-roy-jones-jr-annoyed-fighting-2-minute-rounds-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. are annoyed their boxing exhibition will have 2-minute rounds, as they think they're 'for women'</a>

Chatri Sityodtong says 'Buchecha' Almeida could compete in 2 One Championship divisions at once, marveling at his biggest 2020 signing

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A 13-bout <keyword id="12107768" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="one-championship" source="Orion">One Championship</keyword> card took place Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang.</li><li>One of the highlights featured a debilitating KO kick to the body, which you can see right here.</li></ul>Fabricio Andrade showed precisely why a kick to the body can be one of the most debilitating moves in <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> as it dropped Kwon Won Il after a delayed reaction.It all went down at the 13-fight ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen combat <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> event Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/one-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One Championship</a>'s event showcased a variety of fighting disciplines including <keyword id="11922276" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma" source="Orion">MMA</keyword>, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.Andrade and Kwon's bout was a bantamweight MMA match, and it lasted little more than a minute because of how well-timed and accurate the Brazilian 135-pounder's kick was.Kwon even took a couple of steps back as if he were able to shake the strike off, but then the pain from it all settled in, and he could do little more than crumple in a heap to the floor.The referee then had to rugby tackle Andrade to ensure Kwon did not take unnecessary damage while he was in agony.Watch it right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1532735777997611008">June 3, 2022</a></blockquote>There were other notable matches on the card, too.Marcus Almeida — one of the greatest jiu jitsu players of all time — fought Simon Carson in a heavyweight MMA fight, and advanced his pro record to three wins (two submissions and one knockout), undefeated.See Almeida get his first knockout win, via ground-and-pound, right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1532689805842059264">June 3, 2022</a></blockquote>In the main event of the evening, Tawanchai P.K. Saenchai defeated Niclas Larsen in the second round of a Muay Thai fight.Saenchai finished the fight with a left cross for the ages.See it right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1532741779841114112">June 3, 2022</a></blockquote>The ONE: 158 event was One Championship's 13th show of the year. It returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium on July 22 for ONE: 159, which currently has two confirmed matches.The most significant fight so far is a middleweight title fight between reigning champion Reinier de Ridder and challenger Vitaly Bigdash.

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Grappling mega stars Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida and Gordon Ryan could make their MMA debuts in 2021

Alan Dawson

Chatri Sityodtong says 'Buchecha' Almeida could compete in 2 One Championship divisions at once, marveling at his biggest 2020 signing

Alan Dawson

An MMA fighter scored a savage finish with a debilitating kick to the body

Alan Dawson