Roger Gracie and Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida will meet in their long-awaited rematch on Sunday, July 23, at the Gracie Pro event in Rio de Janeiro.

We polled some of the top professionals from the world of jiu-jitsu, ranging from world champions and coaches to commentators and analysts, to find out their picks for the heavyweight clash.

Watch it LIVE or On Demand on FloGrappling! 

JT Torres

"My money's on Buchecha on this one. I think since they last fought Buchecha has become a more mature and experienced grappler with a high level of athleticism."
 

Andre Borges

Editor, BJJHeroes.com 
"I think Buchecha will take it in a points situation, but the longer time limit will work in Roger's favor. I don't see Roger taking Buchecha down early on and from a top position Buchecha is too explosive. He does tend to fade a bit as the fight drags to the later minutes, so if Roger has a chance, it will be after the 10-minute mark."
 

Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns

"I think the last time, Buchecha did very well, and since than he has been evolving in every area of his game. Than he got hurt and was out for a while but came back and beat everyone! I believe that Buchecha will win, but guess what? I cant wait to watch it." 

Tom DeBlass

"I am a Renzo Gracie student and have had the opportunity to train with Roger many times, so I must say Roger. In their first match Roger was very focused on MMA and had staph. For this match he's been able to totally focus on Buchecha and I believe the victory will be his."
 

Tyler Bishop

Analyst and jiu-jitsu black belt, founder BishopBJJ.com
"Roger is the X-factor. We haven't seen him in action under this ruleset setting in a very long time. He is one of the all-time greats, but I'm not sure we know what to expect from him. If he is who we expect him to be, Buchecha can expect to be in danger. I'll probably catch some heat for this, but I didn't think Buchecha looked particularly great this year at the Worlds. That seems like a ludicrous statement given his success, but to whom much is given, much is expected. He might be the most physically talented absolute champion of all time, but he will have to rely on his technique if he wants to beat Roger. Given the data we have, I'll take Buchecha on points. I don't think there's a human alive who can beat Buchecha on points."
 

Guilherme Mendes

"They are both great athletes and I believe it will be a great match. Roger has a very unique style and is very precise with the moves while Buchecha has the momentum of being the current champion on his side. I don't want to give any prediction, because at this level anything can happen and I respect both of them. I am happy to see this match happening and be able to watch it." 

Caio Terra

"I highly doubt there will be a submission. But if there is it should be from Roger, as he is extraordinary in his submissions and one of the best ever on submission defenses. Buchecha has the advantage on the points system because he has been competing a lot more often than Roger, however neither of these guys fight for points. At the end of the day I believe the winner will be the one who takes longer to get tired."
 

AJ Agazarm

"This matchup promises fireworks! Although Buchecha's explosiveness, agility and technique can be overwhelming for many, expect the fully healthy Roger to have his way here. I see an exciting exchange on the feet for the first couple minutes followed by Buchecha working to pass, but Roger finding the sweep, pass and mount to cross collar choke in under nine minutes. I'll be sure to be tuned in!"
 

Rafael Lovato Jr.

"I am a huge fan of both, so it is very hard to pick one over the other. Buchecha has matured a lot since their first meeting. He is at the top of his game and even bigger and stronger than before. I believe he has more weapons when it comes to being able to score and create scrambles that could lead to danger for Roger. On the other hand, Roger's defense is impeccable and if he is able to get to a dominant position on Buchecha, he is more likely to finish him. If I had to bet, I would put my money on Buchecha by a points victory."
 

Mikey Musumeci

"I believe Buchecha will win this match. I think Buchecha is a lot more active than Roger. Both men are legends and it will be an amazing match to watch, but ultimately Buchecha is right now the No. 1 athlete in jiu-jitsu. Buchecha plays more of modern style and in their last match he began to open up more at the end. So I believe in this 15-minute format, Buchecha in the last five minutes will become a lot more dangerous."

Kid Peligro

Jiu-jitsu black belt, and author of 'The Gracie Way'
"Tough match, both are amazing, but in IBJJF rules, I'll go with Buchecha because he has been competing more regularly in IBJJF."

Andre Galvao

"I don't think Roger can handle Buchecha's explosion and power. Buchecha is younger, faster and stronger. Also, he is the current champ of everything. I respect Roger, he is a legend... but I think Buchecha wins the fight." 

Lloyd Irvin

"I love Roger but I have to go with Buchecha based on activity."

Romero 'Jacare' Cavalcanti

Co-founder of Alliance
"Well, I think it's a very tough match to predict. Buchecha is in great shape, fresh and motivated for being the actual world champion, but Roger is the biggest winner in the history of BJJ with a very complete game. I would give a 50 percent chance to both to win."

Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro

"I think it's going to be a much more difficult match than the last one. The first one, Roger was a little slower than normal, but I'm sure since then he has studied Buchecha's game and made the necessary adjustments for this match. If Roger can control Buchecha and doesn't let Buchecha play too loose, he can win. If Buchecha gets in his comfort zone and plays his game, and Roger loses control of the situation, then Buchecha could win. I'm not gonna predict one or the other, but I think whoever insists on their game first and controls the other has every chance to win this match. I'm very excited to watch both of them compete. Roger is very efficient in everything he does. And Buchecha for his fast-paced game that moves like a featherweight, even though he is a heavyweight. I'm very excited that FloGrappling is covering this and I can't wait to see it happen!" 

Lucas Lepri

"It's always hard to pick one winner or another, because both of those guys are legends. Buchecha right now is in the top of his physical conditioning, and has been competing much more and must have built up a lot of confidence. But, on the other side, Roger doesn't make too many mistakes. He has a very solid, classic game. I think whoever makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win. If Buchecha makes any mistakes, Roger is gonna get him, especially from the closed guard. But, as we saw in the last match, Roger was able to get some good positions and Buchecha used his explosiveness to get out from really bad positions. I'm a big fan of both, and I'm super excited to watch this fight and it's super hard to pick one over the other. Let's see what happens!"

Luca Atalla

Jiu-jitsu black belt, CEO Gallerr.com
"I am against predictions. I have no clue who will walk out as the winner this Sunday. It wouldn't be honest also to hide my preferences: Everybody knows I am Roger's close friend for over 20 years now. Don't get me wrong; I also love Buchecha. He's a great person, and jiu-jitsu is great having him as the current absolute world champion. But I am all for Roger. They are different types of greatness. Roger impressed us for nearly a decade by smashing and submitting almost all his opponents. Everybody knew what he would do, but it was hard to stop him regardless. He had a complete game, and the very few matches he lost was being taken down, the only field one can argue he wasn't that great (even though he was super good). Buchecha is also a well-rounded fighter, but he was less dominant. So many of his matches went the distance, and a few were pretty close. He has cat-like skills (like his current coach, Leo Vieira), and a thing I've seen before only perhaps on (Fernando) Margarida. Buchecha is like a shark, so if he smells blood, he will go for a kill. So his opponent can't afford to show any weakness, because he will capitalize on it. I hope we have an epic fight this upcoming Sunday. I will be plugged in to FloGrappling and watching it."

Riccardo Ammendolia

Jiu-jitsu black belt, commentator and analyst 
"I think we can definitely expect this match to be different than the first. Both Roger and Buchecha have had five years to reflect on their first encounter. The biggest difference is that Buchecha has stayed very active in BJJ, and Roger has not. The rule set absolutely favors Buchecha, and it will be very interesting to watch how this technically plays out. They are both very different fighters stylistically. Buchecha likes to wrestle, has a great De la Riva guard, goes to the back and even will leg lock you. Roger has more of a judo style takedown game and -- as we all know -- an amazing closed guard, which usually leads him to mount or take the back. I feel as though the speed and explosiveness in the scrambles will help Buchecha stay ahead, and this match is his to win. But, Roger is Roger. Tough one to call, and I'm not a gambling man but if I had to bet…I'd say bet the house on Buchecha."

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