The Most Exciting Fight in April is Reug Reug vs. Buchecha
Sure, great fighters are fantastic, but freak shows are always more fun
I love mixed martial arts. It’s a beautiful sport with so many subtleties and intricacies that it is still constantly evolving. The technique that guys have in different aspects of the fight game are so advanced that I can’t even fully comprehend what they are doing out there. I can appreciate this great skill without the full knowledge of everything going on, but sometimes I want something simpler. Reug Reug vs. Buchecha is exactly what I need.
Part of the appeal of MMA was its simple start. Sure, as a 155-pound undersized behemoth, I appreciated that Royce Gracie’s skinny ass was dominating dudes twice his size. But I also loved the simplicity of what one martial art vs. different martial art. Just give me Wrestling vs. Capoeira, and I will start giggling with anticipation.
Unfortunately, the UFC has stopped giving me MMA in its most simplistic form, so I have to go overseas to truly enjoy MMA to its fullest extent. Obviously, Japan is most famous for this as they still love to put on massive human beings vs. skilled small human beings just to see how things shake out. In Poland, KSW does a great job of giving me former World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz Pudizianowski, against a litany of roided out freaks. But Singapore is giving me what I need next weekend, because you could easily convince me that this is a total freakshow fight, or you could convince me that one of these guys will be world champion one day.
First off, let’s go with the guy who has as legitimate of credentials as you’re going to find. Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida is a 13-time Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion. Now, there are a few different world championships so it’s not like he’s been dominating since the early 2000s, but he has been pretty dominant in the jiu jitsu world for the last decade. You would assume Buchecha means something terrifying like, “Assassin” or “Brutalizer,” but instead it just means “Cheek.” Not quite as intimidating as I would have guessed, but hey, he makes it work.
He’s a big dude at 6’3”, 258 pounds, and with that level of grapping ability, he could legitimately give any heavyweight issues if he can find a way to get the fight to the mat. He’s just 2-0 so far in his MMA career, winning both of his fights in less than three minutes with chokes. Although I wouldn’t bet on it happening, if you told me this guy became one of the five best heavyweights in the world at some point in his career, I wouldn’t be shocked.
And then there is Reug Reug. Oumar Kane is from Senegal and became a star of Senegalese wrestling which from the limited videos I have watched seems to be similar to sumo wrestling but with a takedown being the only way to win (this might be slightly off base, so don’t get making bar bets about how much you know about Senegalese wrestling). But he’s transitioned to MMA and is quite a physical marvel.
But you really need to see Reug Reug in action to fully appreciate him. Reug Reug only knows one way to throw punches, and that’s to try to take your head off your neck.
Although he probably won’t be too aggressive with his wrestling, it’s nice to have this in the backpocket in case it’s needed.
How good is his jiu jitsu? Well, I’m not sure if this is the best strategy against Buchecha, but it seemed to work fine here.
Unfortunately, Reug Reug is no longer undefeated as he lost his last match after he quit the fight after taking a strike to the throat. That sounds painful, but I’ve also never seen anyone just quit off a strike like that. It seems as though Reug Reug is what would happen if someone had Brock Lensar’s physicality with my mentality. I mean, I would quit if someone hit me anywhere, but I expected more from a professional fighter.
But I truly love Reug Reug. It’s a fascinating story to come from Senegal and fight internationally, and I will always hope for the best for a story like his. He legitimately could wildly swing and knock Buchecha’s head off, or Buchecha could bring it to the ground and at that point, I’d be pretty shocked if Reug Reug lasted 30 more seconds. Either way, this match is going to be a blast, and that’s really what sports are all about.
So mark your calendars for April 22 for the most fun fight of the month. Even if you knew nothing else, who wouldn’t want to watch two guys named Buchecha and Reug Reug fight it out?