Last Sunday, Marcus “Bochecha” Almeida returned to competition for the first time since winning the absolute at the 2012 World Championship. The CheckMat black belt took to the mat at the WPJJC Trials in San Diego, competing in the over-91 kg brown/black belt division. The effort earned the Rodrigo Cavaca student an all-expenses-paid trip to Abu Dhabi, where he’ll likely collide with Rodolfo Vieira, Claudio Calasans, Leandro Lo and other already-qualified aces in the absolute division.
In the Trials final, Marcus Bochecha used one of his slickest weapons, the half-guard, to pull off a kneebar. The victim was the USA’s James Puopolo, who tapped out 1:55 minutes into the match.