Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida is a multi-time BJJ world champion and recently Pan American black belt absolute winner against Andre Galvao. To get sneak peak footage of Marcus Buchecha’s "Total Control" BJJ DVD set, visit his Total Control BJJ website..
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Every so often an event rolls around that aims to reshape the structure and platform in which Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is presented. Not long ago, Ralek Gracie concocted an idea that would put BJJ and its elite players squarely in the limelight with an event called Metamoris.
At Metmoris 1, a match took place that spiked the opinions of grappling fans worldwide. The showdown in question featured the young up-and-comer, Marcus Almeida, and the established legend, Roger Gracie.
Metamoris is a unique event compared to other; there is no point system, you must win via submission. If the 20 minutes expires, three judges score the bout, similar to how MMA fights are handled. With that in mind, and a large crowd on hand, both Almeida and Gracie knew just what they had to do in order to claim victory.
While the outcome may not have been what either wanted, it solidified what Jiu Jitsu is all about.
The Emergence of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Star
Anybody can dominate and cut their teeth in their sport. Claiming accolade-after-accolade, win-after-win, the label of “the next big thing” is easy to throw around. However, if this is consistently done on a smaller circuit, the validity of the label may not be worthy.
However, for Marcus Almeida, a man that dominated the local scenes, Metamoris was his chance to introduce himself to the casual BJJ fans, and not just the diehards. Standing in his way was a fixture in the BJJ & MMA world in Roger Gracie.
Almeida brought his best game with him that night. Stepping onto the mat with such a legend, Marcus made sure he was flawless. Asserting his dominance, Almeida utilized his size and speed to overwhelm Gracie. Threatening leg locks and armbars, Almeida made sure Roger Gracie did not rest.
Keeping the legend on his toes, Almeida won over countless fans that night with such an impressive showing. While the judges scored it a draw, in the eyes of many, Almeida won the match.
Humble In Defeat, Gracious In Victory, Respectful In A Draw
Immediately following the match, Almeida bowed his head in a show of respect to Roger Gracie. Any time someone steps onto the mat with a Gracie, the respect is evident.
When it was announced as a draw, Marcus did not parade around the mat in protest and throws his hands in disgust. In front of a packed arena, Almeida delivered a calm and well thought out interview. Almeida seemed content in the fact that he was able to share the same mat with such a respect figure in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world.
This match proved that you don’t always need a win to make yourself an imposing figure. Almeida marched right in there that night and put his best foot forward against an iconic figure. How he handled himself—both during and after the match—added to his likeability.
Don’t sleep on Marcus Almeida.
"Total Control" BJJ, Back Again!
Marcus Buchecha will be going to double Gold again at this year’s world championships – and around the same time he’s re-introducting his total control BJJ DVD set. I recently did a review of the Total Control course itself (with some sample clips) on BJJLegends, but you can also visit his official site to cehck out the course yourself.
Good luck to both Roger and "Buchecha" this year – I know I’m looking for a re-match!
Dan Faggella