Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida is backing Anatoly Malykhin to take ONE Championship’s heavyweight MMA title from Arjan Bhullar this spring. Russia’s Malykhin, who is already the promotion’s interim heavyweight champ, is set to challenge Indian-Canadian Bhullar for the undisputed heavyweight title at ONE Fight Night 8 on March 25 in Singapore. It will be the first time Bhullar (11-1) has fought since a title-winning stoppage against Brandon Vera in May 2021, and Buchecha, arguably the heavyweight division’s top contender at present, believes that lay-off could be the 36-year-old undisputed champion’s undoing. “They have really similar games,” the Brazilian-American, 33, told the Post . “They have fast hands and good wrestling and good takedown defence. But last time Arjan fought, against Brandon Vera, was years ago, so I think Anatoly has the rhythm. He was being active so I think that gives him a huge advantage over Arjan.” It is easy to understand Buchecha’s confidence in Malykhin (12-0). While Bhullar will be returning from a hiatus of nearly two years, the Russian was last in action on December 3 in Manila, when he bested formerly unbeaten Dutchman Reinier de Ridder to claim ONE’s light heavyweight title. It was as lopsided as wins come, as he denied all of De Ridder’s takedown attempts and knocked him out with punches before the first round was over. “I wasn’t expecting that,” Buchecha said of the fight. “I thought RDR would use more jiu jitsu, but Anatoly’s takedown defence was on point. “Hands against hands, Anatoly has better skills and he got the job done.” Malykhin’s win over De Ridder seemed like a worrying omen for any future opponents who would seek to take him down and grapple with him. His takedown defence looked nearly impenetrable. Yet Buchecha (4-0), who is arguably the greatest heavyweight in Brazilian jiu jitsu history and now one of ONE’s top heavyweight MMA contenders, believes he has the chops to bring the Russian down. “[De Ridder] uses a lot of judo – that’s not my style,” he said. “Against a wrestler with heavy hips [like Malykhin] it’s really hard to get it. “I have plan A, B, and C. If he could stop my shots, I would try something else. If he took me down, I would try bottom game. “He has takedown defence, but that’s the beauty of fighting. I would put my jiu jitsu on the table, he would put his wrestling on the table.” Do not take Buchecha’s confidence for disrespect. He has met Malykhin several times before. They even crossed paths on the mats at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand, and while they did not get the chance to train together, have come to hold each other in high regard. ‘I wasn’t ready to say goodbye’: Angela Lee’s moving message for sister “Every time we see each other, it’s a good talk,” Buchecha said. “He’s always laughing. He’s a great guy. “He works really hard and he deserves everything he’s getting. He’s good for the organisation. I think it’s great we have a champion like him.” Buchecha and Malykhin have both admitted they would prefer to avoid fighting each other, but have also conceded that they would do so with the belt on the line. “If we have to fight, we’ll do it,” Buchecha said. “It’s part of the job.” The good news for Malykhin and Buchecha is that they are unlikely to fight next. Malykhin, of course, has his hands full with Bhullar. Buchecha, meanwhile, believes he will need to win one more fight to secure a heavyweight title shot. He is not picky about the opponent, and hopes to eventually cross paths with all of ONE’s top heavyweights. “I see myself as a soldier,” he said. “They give me the mission and I just go. I want to fight them all.” Buchecha was last in action in August, when he submitted Belarusian Kirill Grishenko with a heel hook just over a minute into the first round.