Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida
Marcus Almeida, otherwise known as Buchecha ,is widely regarded as one of the all-time GREATS of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and for good reason. Buchecha has 13 World Championship titles, including 6 in the absolute division! Marcus is one of the few athletes in Jiu-Jitsu to reach the pinnacle of the sport in both Gi and No-Gi competition. On top of his Gi accolades he is a 2x ADCC champion as well as 2x IBJJF No-Gi champion.
Marcus represents CheckMat and is a black belt under fellow World Champ Rodrigo Cavaca. To reach the top of the sport Buchecha has crafted a devastating style that involves a diverse half guard, top-tier takedowns, and flat out unstoppable guard passing. Although Marcus is a big, explosive athlete his game is something that most people can utilize. Thankfully for the entire Jiu-Jitsu community Buchecha has recently turned his attention to releasing instructionals with BJJFanatics!
What’s even better is that his instructional material focuses on what he does best! Buchecha’s ability to teach and explain techniques is equal to his ability to perform them against the toughest competition in the sport. The beauty of Buchecha's teaching is that you would normally not expect a guy of his size and stature to be so supremely technical. Without a doubt, this is some of the most technical jiu jitsu on the BJJ Fanatics site. You're definitely going to get plenty of details you've never seen before. Check out some clips from his latest instructional below!
From THE BUCHECHA HALF GUARD SERIES
Almeida puts his diverse game on display right away! You would have to think if there would be any weakness with a big strong guy like Buchecha, it would be off of his back. As many top-tier athletes have found out Marcus has a pretty slick half guard.
With this situation Marcus forces a situation that Bernardo refers to as his “worst nightmare”. If you have ever played Deep Half, you know that when your opponent is able to free their leg over your face, it’s the beginning of the end. However with Marcus’s approach he embraces this “advantageous” position and uses it for his benefit.
As soon as Bernardo’s foot clears his head Buchecha is immediately looking to work. He starts by locking his hands around Bernardo’s waist. Next Almeida looks to shift himself in a way that brings Bernardo’s legs together making him unstable while on top. In this situation you leave your opponent with limited options. Buchecha uses his hook to stretch Bernardo’s weight away from him. This allows the space needed to maintain the body lock and get up to his knees. From here Buchecha is attached to Bernardo which makes his next sequence of attacks possible.
This is just a small glimpse into The Buchecha Half Guard. In this instructional Buchecha uncovers the formula to all of his best setups, sweeps, and submissions. To check it out, Click Learn More!
Now let’s take a look at Marcus Almeida’s signature Passing System, The Buchecha Folding Pass!
Buchecha has won countless matches by using his signature folding pass. Why is it so dominant? While there are many good answers to this question, one major reason is because it mixes mobility with pressure! Let’s take a look at how Marcus counters the guard pull with the folding pass.
From THE BUCHECHA FOLDING PASS
As usual Buchecha gets right to work. You can see him do this to his opponent’s over and over again in matches. Another key aspect to making this happen is by having top-notch takedowns, so then your opponent is encouraged to pull guard…..right into your folding pass!
Buchecha points out that in order for your opponent to successfully pull guard they will need a grip. So you need to measure the distance. If you can control the distance, you will be in better position to transition directly into the folding pass.
A good spot to aim for, position wise, is to be within arms reach of your opponent’s legs. If their feet are too close to you they will be able to attach to you and start to work their open guard. If you are able to find that sweet spot, your free hand should immediately go to your opponent’s knee to initiate the folding pass.
Timing is everything for this particular folding pass, and a great way to get honed in on the timing is to drill! A nice thing about the Buchecha Folding Pass is that it can be used to pass most modern guards. So once you have the major concepts of the folding pass you will be able to apply them in a multitude of positions!
If you are looking for a sure-fire approach to passing today’s trickiest guards,The Buchecha Folding Pass is for you! Start to shut down your opponent’s guards ASAP. To check it out click Learn More!
Remember us referring to the benefits of having a top-notch takedown game? Round out your Buchecha collection with The Buchecha Takedown System. This 4-part series covers Marcus’s favorite takedowns. Check out his variation of the collar drag below!
From THE BUCHECHA TAKEDOWN SYSTEM
This takedown comes from a neutral 50/50 position where your opponent has the same grips as you. A major detail Buchech covers right away is creating space under your opponent’s lapel gripping arm. The more space you create the easier it is going to be to complete the collar drag. If you freeze the video at the 1:33 mark you will see the position you need to shoot for once you have ducked under their lead arm.
It helps to have your opponent moving in the direction of your collar drag. Marcus does this by walking backwards while maintaining his grips. As soon as he feels his opponent coming towards him he is able to create space and sit into the collar drag. Buchecha keeps his head pinned to his partner’s hip which allows him to drive. By keeping the grip and working up to his feet his partner has little option other than to fall.
Much like his other instructional videos, The Buchecha Takedown System provides top-tier technique taught in an easy to follow format. Marcus conveys the key concepts and details that cut out the guesswork with your technique! To check it out, Click Learn More!
In Buchecha's latest release he takes on the project of showing the most efficient armbar on the planet from every position possible. Whether you're in mount, closed guard, side control, half guard, or virtually anywhere else in a match, Buchecha is going to show you how you can quickly and efficiently secure the armbar submission giving your opponent no recourse but to tap because all of the standard escape measures have been addressed.
From THE BUCHECHA ARMBAR
Having an opponent turtled up and being ultra defensive can be one of the most frustrating places you can find yourself. With the kind of brutal finesse that only Buchecha can demonstrate, he shows how to exploit small gaps in the opponent's defense to secure grips and positioning that make this armbar virtually unstoppable.
After a recent bout with injury, surgery and recovery, Buchecha decided to revisit the classic armbar and begin to expand his repertoire of finishing details for this classic submission. Though his opponents clearly won't benefit from this deep dive into the arm break, you the BJJ Fanatic will clearly benefit. You can get more information on this system here. Snatch those arms and Buchecha's ArmBar while you're at it.
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