Marcus Buchecha won the ultra-heavyweight and the open at the 2013 Worlds. Photo: Ivan Trindade.
The final of the absolute showed Marcus Vinicius Almeida, also known as Buchecha, is one step ahead of the competition.
In numbers, Buchecha proved his supremacy in the 2013 Worlds: He fought eight times and finished five opponents – only Bernardo Faria, Alexander Trans and Rodolfo Vieira went the distance.
But there was another opponent he didn’t submit, or even fight, and that was a much more important one.
It was his master Rodrigo Cavaca, in the ultra-heavyweight final.
“Closing out with Cavaca was a dream I had since purple belt, but it was a distant dream. Today it came true, and I don’t think this has ever happened before – a teacher closing out with their pupil who’s been training with them since white belt,” Buchecha said as he walked out of the arena.
That was when someone congratulated him for his second absolute championship and his eyes shone even brighter. “Who’d say, two-time open champ… I’ve tied the feat of Jacaré, Xande and Pé de Pano,” he mused, mentioning some of his idols.
If it’s all up to Buchecha, who claims not to be thinking of doing MMA anytime soon, there are some Jiu-Jitsu records about to be pulverized sooner rather than later. And this young man may become the most successful competitor in the also young history of tournament Jiu-Jitsu.
Can he do it?
We may find out very soon, dear friends.
