2017 ADCC World ChampionshipsSep 25, 2017 by Hywel Teague
Exhausted Buchecha Takes ADCC +99kg Gold But Overreaches In Absolute
Exhausted Buchecha Takes ADCC +99kg Gold But Overreaches In Absolute
Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida has had an intense year: an ADCC-rules superfight at the West Coast Trials, IBJJF Worlds, a superfight versus Roger Gracie and the IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix, all from April through August.
Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida has had an intense year: an ADCC-rules superfight at the West Coast Trials, IBJJF Worlds, a superfight versus Roger Gracie, and the IBJJF Heavyweight Grand Prix, all from April through August.
Coming into this weekend's ADCC 2017 World Championships in Espoo, Finland, it was clear that Buchecha was carrying a number of injuries. He was visibly hurt after his performance at the Heavyweight GP, and his hand was heavily taped up at ADCC.
Shortly after a grueling match with Orlando Sanchez that saw Buchecha win the +99kg title Sunday, he revealed that the hand injury dated back to June 3, the first day of the IBJJF World Championships.
Injuries aside, the energy expenditure of Buchecha's title run explains his tired performance in the absolute. He fought for 3:42 against Arman Zhanpeisov, 6:55 versus Tim Spriggs, 15 minutes with Cyborg, and a further 20 minutes against Sanchez in the +99kg final for a total match time of 45:37.
[facebook url="https://www.facebook.com/FloGrappling/videos/2025785524101848/"]
Another huge factor is that Buchecha's match with Sanchez was the last of the finals, which went in ascending order of weights. This gave the champ little time to rest before coming right back out to begin his absolute campaign.
By the time Buchecha met Pena in the absolute semifinal he had fought Mike Perez for 10 minutes and Xande Ribeiro in one of the hardest-fought battles of the day for another 15 minutes.
There was nothing left in the tank when Buchecha faced Pena, who found his way to the back and managed to secure a rear-naked choke almost seven minutes into the match, only the second time in six years that Buchecha has had to tap out.
Buchecha has now had 17 matches in 2017 in a tough six months of nonstop competition.
What's next for Buchecha? A lengthy rest to care of his injuries, most likely. He says IBJJF Worlds in 2018 is a certainty, but other than that we can't expect anything else. Here's hoping we see him back before too long.
• Buchecha vs Tim Spriggs
• Buchecha vs Roberto Cyborg
• Buchecha vs Orlando Sanchez
• Buchecha vs Xande Ribero (absolute)
Coming into this weekend's ADCC 2017 World Championships in Espoo, Finland, it was clear that Buchecha was carrying a number of injuries. He was visibly hurt after his performance at the Heavyweight GP, and his hand was heavily taped up at ADCC.
Shortly after a grueling match with Orlando Sanchez that saw Buchecha win the +99kg title Sunday, he revealed that the hand injury dated back to June 3, the first day of the IBJJF World Championships.
Injuries aside, the energy expenditure of Buchecha's title run explains his tired performance in the absolute. He fought for 3:42 against Arman Zhanpeisov, 6:55 versus Tim Spriggs, 15 minutes with Cyborg, and a further 20 minutes against Sanchez in the +99kg final for a total match time of 45:37.
[facebook url="https://www.facebook.com/FloGrappling/videos/2025785524101848/"]
Another huge factor is that Buchecha's match with Sanchez was the last of the finals, which went in ascending order of weights. This gave the champ little time to rest before coming right back out to begin his absolute campaign.
By the time Buchecha met Pena in the absolute semifinal he had fought Mike Perez for 10 minutes and Xande Ribeiro in one of the hardest-fought battles of the day for another 15 minutes.
There was nothing left in the tank when Buchecha faced Pena, who found his way to the back and managed to secure a rear-naked choke almost seven minutes into the match, only the second time in six years that Buchecha has had to tap out.
Buchecha has now had 17 matches in 2017 in a tough six months of nonstop competition.
What's next for Buchecha? A lengthy rest to care of his injuries, most likely. He says IBJJF Worlds in 2018 is a certainty, but other than that we can't expect anything else. Here's hoping we see him back before too long.
WATCH: Buchecha's best matches from ADCC 2017
• Buchecha vs Arman Zhanpeisov• Buchecha vs Tim Spriggs
• Buchecha vs Roberto Cyborg
• Buchecha vs Orlando Sanchez
• Buchecha vs Xande Ribero (absolute)
