ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera will have no shortage of challengers in the division he currently rules.
In a span of a week, ONE Championship has picked up two major players in the heavyweight division – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida and Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion Amir Aliakbari.
The pair join a growing heavyweight roster that includes “Singh” Arjan Bhullar and Tom DeBlass, and it’s only getting deeper.
Almeida is a 13-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and two-time ADCC gold medal winner, making him one of the most decorated grapplers to ever walk the planet.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong officially welcomed Almeida last week.
“At only 30 years old, Buchecha is the most decorated BJJ athlete in history. When we had dinner together in Singapore last year, I was so impressed by his story, his humility, and his character,” Sityodtong said on his Facebook page.
“He is a truly humble warrior with a heart of gold. Buchecha will be competing in the heavyweight division for mixed martial arts in ONE with an expected debut in early 2021.”
As if signing Almeida wasn’t enough, a few days later they picked up the hottest free agent in the division – Aliakbari. The Iranian boasts a 10-1 record with an impressive 70 percent finishing rate.
Almeida and Aliakbari will no doubt look to make dominant debuts and prove they are worthy of challenging Vera for his strap.
The only question is: Who will get to him first?
In the meantime, ONE Championship returns to action with ONE: NO SURRENDER II on August 14 and ONE: NO SURRENDER III August 21 as The Home Of Martial Arts rolls out its string of live events in the new normal.
Catch it live on One Sports, One Sports+, and TV5 on Philippine television, or on the ONE Super App.
