The Brazilian star scored his third successive first-round finish inside the Circle on June 3, at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen, causing fans to wonder if anyone in the heavyweight division can handle his growing MMA skill set.

“Buchecha” squared off against Australia’s Simon Carson at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and he showed the global fan base that he is more than just a Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard. The 32-year-old attacked his opponent with damaging kicks then took him down to the canvas.

From there, he could have chosen to look for a submission. But instead, he decided to rain down furious ground and pound that forced the referee to step in and end the fight.

Buchecha was pleased with the outcome, especially since he got to showcase what he has been developing at American Top Team and Evolve MMA.

“I'm training a lot. The wrestling, the striking, the jiu-jitsu -- so I was really confident in my striking. But I saw Simon was moving really well too. He got a good kick, so I kicked him back. It was back and forth. But I saw the opportunity to take him down, and I did,” he said.

“But once I got to mount him, I got good control. I felt like it was the moment to start punching and open up for a submission or something. But I saw him defending, so [I thought], 'I guess I'm going to keep punching until the referee stops.'”

The grappling legend earned his first two wins in the Circle by submission, taking out Anderson Silva and Kang Ji Won. As a result, he had not had much of a chance to showcase his full set of skills prior to his bout at ONE 158.

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Winning by TKO was an important switch for the burgeoning mixed martial artist, as he recognized that the all-encompassing sport calls for every weapon to be as sharp as possible.

“It's MMA; I'm not fighting grappling. A lot of times you just focus on the submission and you make a mistake without punishing the guy [when you see an opening]. And it happened a lot with me in training before. But nowadays, I know it's a different game,” Buchecha said.

With Almeida’s commanding presence in the Circle, it may be difficult to find opponents willing to face him. But one athlete hoping to step in is fellow Brazilian, Guto Inocente, who is looking to switch from kickboxing to MMA, opening up the possibility that these two behemoths will meet down the road.

Whatever happens next, Buchecha will be open to it. The ever-humble brawler is not looking for a World Title shot just yet, but it must be in the back of his mind that one may come sooner rather than later.

“I'm not there yet to fight for the belt. I'm working my way up. In the future, I'm going to have more opportunities,” he said.

Watch ONE 159 on July 22 in ONE Super App and subscribe to ONE Championship on YouTube!

This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship.