Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida talked about his transition to MMA

 

Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida, 13-time world champion with kimono and four-time un-kimono black belt, talked about how his transition to the new modality has been. 

- In sparring, I am learning a lot. The master Katel Kubis, since the first day I arrived at American Top Team, embraced me and has taught me a lot about muay thai. I'm feeling the evolution, but of course it's not my specialty, I'm not going to change 17 years of Jiu-Jitsu for one year of Muay Thai. But I am feeling comfortable, and it is easier to use wrestling and jiu-jitsu. We are fighting to change belt, and every once in a while I joke that I gained a little weight, that I became a grimy blue (laughs). I remember that, in the beginning, every sparring session I would end my day with a terrible headache, but now I don't feel this pain anymore, I feel this evolution - said Buchecha.

Buchecha joked that the former UFC and Pride champion, Rodrigo Minotauro,  already "tested" him for MMA in training, and said that the idol was one of his references and advisors in this decision to make the transition. He also admitted that the jiu-jitsu applied in MMA is completely different from what he was used to practicing.

- It is very different. In the beginning, everyone says "just put it down and take it". It's not like that. At ATT, there are a lot of guys I didn't know, I went to train the first time and said, "My jiu-jitsu is garbage," I couldn't do anything. But no, these are guys that are used to defend, to get out of critical positions. It took a while there, in the first four months I couldn't use my jiu-jitsu. It took time to adapt and learn that it is not jiu-jitsu, it is another sport.

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