ONE Fight Night 13: Marcus Almeida Determined To Earn Another First Round Submission

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After two previously scheduled matchups fell through, Marcus Almeida will finally meet the biggest obstacle of his career in "Reug Reug" Oumar Kane at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian.

The heavyweight monsters lock horns on Saturday, 5 August, at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. And whoever wins could soon find themselves setting foot inside the ring with ONE Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin.

First and foremost, however, "Buchecha" has his sights set on passing the largest test of his career to date in Kane. Almeida has looked untouchable in his ONE tenure, but the Senegalese wrestling pedigree of Kane will pose a unique assignment.

It's worth noting, though, that Almeida is a 13-time BJJ World Champion who has scored three of his four victories by submission, the fourth coming by knockout. To add, all those victories have come inside the first round. Almeida is now focused on creating the same outcome once more.

"Of course, my goal, as it was in previous fights, is to do my homework. Preferably, in the first round. That's always the goal," the Brazilian said.

"But like I said, if that doesn't happen, I'll be prepared for whatever happens in the fight. But, without a doubt, the goal is a submission in the first round, as it happened in my previous fights."

The pair have been set to compete against one another on three occasions now. The earliest occurrence took place in 2021 with the second fight cancellation happening this past year.

This time, the heavyweight units are set to collide in just a matter of weeks. And ever since the fight's announcement, rumors have run rampant of the World Title ramifications that hang in the balance.

Almeida has ignored these whispers, though. Instead, he has channeled all of his energy into conquering the Senegalese standout. He wants to leave no doubt as to who the top contender is, no matter how long it takes.

"At the same time, I gain time in the cage. I gain experience, which I think is the most important thing. I don't want to speed anything up. When my team says I'm ready, I'll be ready," Almeida said.

"I will fight for the belt when the time is right. But I don't go into any fight thinking about the next one. I see a lot of athletes saying that they are going to [win] one, then another, and then will compete for the belt.

"Then comes the fight and [they] end up losing. I'm not like that. My focus is totally on 'Reug Reug.' After that, I'll think about the next fight."