ONE Championship: Buchecha warns Arjan Bhullar ‘you have to fight or you have to give up the belt’
- Heavyweight champ Bhullar hasn’t fought since May 2021, and Buchecha believes ONE could ‘strip him of the belt’
- Brazilian contender fights ‘Reug Reug’ in Singapore on April 22, and could earn title shot in victory
Surging ONE Championship heavyweight contender Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida believes that, if reigning champion Arjan Bhullar does not defend his title soon, it may be time for the division to move on without him.
Canada’s Bhullar, 35, won the ONE heavyweight title last May, when he battered long-reigning champion Brandon Vera to a second-round TKO. He has not been seen in the ONE Circle since, as he has been sidelined by a contract dispute with the Asian martial arts promotion.
While ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently suggested Bhullar’s contract issues have been settled, there is still no time frame for the champion’s return, and contenders like Brazil’s Buchecha are beginning to get frustrated.
“I think it’s not fair,” Buchecha (2-0), one of the most accomplished submission grapplers in history, told the Post on Wednesday. “At some point you have to fight or you have to give up the belt.”
Bhullar (11-1) has been out of action long enough that ONE was forced to create an interim heavyweight title to keep the division moving in his stead.
The 34-year-old Russian Anatoly Malykhin (11-0) won that title with a second-round knockout of Kirill Grishenko in February, but has yet to be booked for a title unification bout with Bhullar despite plenty of calls for the opportunity.
Buchecha is optimistic the two champions will fight soon, but believes ONE may be forced to take action if that fails to happen.
“I think he denied a couple fights,” the 32-year-old said of Bhullar. “I think if he keeps denying fights maybe they will strip him of the belt and we’re going to have just one belt, but I think that fight should happen soon.”
Buchecha’s ultimate goal is the ONE heavyweight title – whether it’s being defended by Bhullar or Malykhin.
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At the moment, however, he has his hands full with another challenge: hulking Senegalese wrestler Oumar Kane (3-1) – better known by the nickname “Reug Reug” – whom he will meet at ONE: Eersel vs Sadikovic on April 22 in Singapore.
“We know what he wants,” Buchecha said of his opponent. “The idea of the Senegal wrestler is to take your opponent down.
“That’s pretty much what I think he’s going to do, but I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to be afraid to be on his back on the mat. It’s going to be interesting to see the strategy he’s going to try to use for this fight. Let’s see. It’s going to be fun.”
If Buchecha is able to defeat Reug Reug in Singapore, he’ll be 3-0 in the ONE heavyweight division after submission wins over Anderson Silva and Kang Ji-won in his first two bouts with the promotion.
A title shot could be next, but he will defer to his handlers to decide the next move.
“It’s not up to me [who I fight],” he said. “That’s going to be a conversation between the organisation, my manager, my coaches.”
“I’m just like a solider,” he added. “I just follow orders. I think I’m on the right path. Soon I’m going to be where I want to be.”
