Who Is Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida? The Most Decorated World Champion in Jiu Jitsu
Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida is the most decorated black belt world champion in jiu jitsu history: 13 IBJJF World titles, six of them in the open-weight absolute division. And his famous nickname? It comes from the Portuguese word for "cheek" — by way of a Brazilian funk singer. Here's the full story.
Every era of jiu jitsu produces one competitor the rest of the division measures itself against. In the 2010s, that man weighed over 220 pounds, moved like a featherweight, and answered to a nickname that means "cheek."
Marcus Almeida — known to the entire grappling world as Buchecha — retired from the gi as the most decorated black belt world champion in history, then walked into a second career as an undefeated-out-of-the-gate MMA heavyweight. Here's who he is, how he rewrote the record book, and the story behind one of the best nicknames in sports.
The Short Answer
Marcus Vinicius Oliveira de Almeida, better known as Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and 13-time IBJJF World Champion — the most world titles ever won at black belt, six of them in the open-weight absolute division. A Checkmat athlete from São Vicente, São Paulo, he dominated the ultra-heavyweight ranks throughout the 2010s before signing with ONE Championship in 2021 to compete in MMA. His nickname comes from bochecha, the Portuguese word for "cheek," via the Brazilian funk singer Buchecha.
What Does "Buchecha" Actually Mean?
Start with the Portuguese: bochecha means cheek — the kind on your face. Say the nickname boo-SHEH-shah, with the stress in the middle and the "ch" soft like "sh."
But Marcus didn't get the name directly from his own chubby childhood cheeks — at least not only. In the 1990s, one of the biggest acts in Brazilian funk was the duo Claudinho & Buchecha, whose singer carried the nickname Buchecha for exactly that reason: the round cheeks. Marcus grew up in São Paulo state singing along to their hits, and the family started calling the kid after the singer. The name stuck so completely that most fans have no idea he's called Marcus — walk into any academy and say "Buchecha" and everyone knows exactly who you mean.
It's a very Brazilian story: in Brazil, the apelido — the nickname — often replaces your name entirely. Jiu jitsu's history is full of them: Rickson, Jacaré ("alligator"), Cobrinha ("little cobra"), Preguiça ("sloth"), Cyborg. Buchecha belongs on that list, and it's arguably the most affectionate of the bunch.
From São Vicente to Checkmat
Marcus Almeida was born in 1990 in São Vicente, a working-class coastal city in São Paulo state. He came to jiu jitsu as a teenager and found his mentor in Rodrigo Cavaca, the Checkmat black belt who ran the local competition team. Cavaca saw the improbable combination early: a kid growing into ultra-heavyweight size who moved with the agility of the little guys.
Buchecha received his black belt from Cavaca in 2010 and made his name almost immediately. By the 2011 World Championship he had fought all the way to the absolute final, where he lost to Rodolfo Vieira — the most feared competitor of the moment. It was the last time losing would be a habit.
The Record: 13 World Titles
In 2012, Buchecha beat Rodolfo Vieira in the absolute final of the Worlds — a changing-of-the-guard match that announced the sport's new king. What followed was the most dominant decade any black belt has ever had:
13 IBJJF World Championship titles — the most in black belt history, surpassing the previous benchmark of ten set by Roger Gracie.
Six absolute (open-weight) titles — 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018, repeatedly winning double gold by taking his weight class and the absolute in the same championship.
The comeback — a devastating knee injury in 2015 would have ended many careers; Buchecha returned the following year and simply resumed winning double gold.
What made it remarkable wasn't just the count — it was how he did it. Ultra-heavyweights are supposed to win with pressure and patience. Buchecha won with cartwheel guard passes, flying attacks, and a scramble rate that broke the division's logic. He was the biggest man on the mat and usually the most athletic one too.
Buchecha vs. Roger Gracie: The GOAT Question
Every conversation about the greatest gi competitor of all time comes down to two names: Roger Gracie and Marcus Buchecha. Roger's ten titles came with a 100 percent submission-style dominance from the sport's most fundamental positions; Buchecha's thirteen came with unprecedented volume and longevity.
The two met once to settle it on the mat, at Gracie Pro 2017 in São Paulo — Roger's farewell match. Roger won — passing the guard, taking the mount, and finishing with his trademark cross choke — then retired on the spot. Buchecha, for his part, went out and won three more world titles. The debate has raged ever since: the head-to-head belongs to Roger; the record book belongs to Buchecha. However you score it, they are the two towers of the sport's gi era.
The Move to MMA
With nothing left to prove in the gi, Buchecha signed with ONE Championship and made his MMA debut in September 2021, submitting fellow Brazilian Anderson "Braddock" Silva in the first round. He ran off four straight wins in ONE's heavyweight division, showing the same fast-twitch grappling that made him famous — takedowns into instant back-takes, finishes in minutes. His first career MMA loss finally came by decision against Senegalese wrestling champion Oumar "Reug Reug" Kane, but by then the point was made: the greatest gi competitor of his generation could genuinely fight.
The Portuguese Thread
Buchecha's story is stitched through with Portuguese in a way no translation quite captures: a nickname borrowed from a funk singer, an apelido culture where "cheek" can be the most feared name in a bracket, a coach called Cavaca, a rival called Jacaré one weight class down. Brazilian jiu jitsu carries its birthplace in its vocabulary — the names, the commands, the mat talk.
That's the world Fala BJJ opens up: daily lessons in Brazilian Portuguese built for grapplers, so the nicknames, the techniques, and the culture behind the sport you love actually make sense. Understanding who Buchecha is tells you the history. Understanding what buchecha means tells you the culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Buchecha" mean? It comes from bochecha, the Portuguese word for cheek. Marcus Almeida was nicknamed after the Brazilian funk singer Buchecha (of Claudinho & Buchecha), whose songs he sang constantly as a kid — and the singer's own nickname came from his round cheeks.
How do you pronounce Buchecha? boo-SHEH-shah, with the stress on the middle syllable. The Portuguese "ch" is soft, like the English "sh."
How many world titles does Marcus Buchecha have? Thirteen IBJJF World Championship titles at black belt — the most in history — including six open-weight absolute titles (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).
Is Buchecha the greatest jiu jitsu competitor of all time? He and Roger Gracie are the two standard answers. Roger won their only meeting, at Gracie Pro 2017, but Buchecha holds the all-time record for world titles. It depends whether you weigh the head-to-head or the record book.
What team does Buchecha represent? Checkmat. He received his black belt in 2010 from Rodrigo Cavaca in São Vicente, São Paulo.
Does Buchecha fight MMA? Yes — he signed with ONE Championship and debuted in 2021 with a first-round submission of Anderson "Braddock" Silva, winning his first four fights in the heavyweight division.
The Bottom Line
Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida is what happens when generational athleticism meets a working-class Brazilian grinder's mentality: the most world titles in black belt history, six absolute golds, a comeback from a career-threatening injury, and a second act in MMA. And the name the whole sport knows him by is a piece of pure Brazilian culture — a funk singer's nickname, built on the word for "cheek."
Learn the records and you know the champion. Learn the Portuguese and you know the world that made him.
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