Aliakbari suffers first-round submission against Brazilian Almeida
Iranian mixed martial artist Amir Aliakbari fell to a first ONE Championship loss in three years, suffering a first-round submission against 17-time BJJ world champion Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida of Brazil in Friday’s ONE 169 event in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Brazilian landed a takedown in the bout’s opening minutes, and once he had his Iranian foe’s back flat on the canvas, he turned in a clinical performance.
Almeida patiently passed the former world Greco-Roman wrestling champion’s guard, and then he took his back and sunk in the fight-ending rear-naked choke in the blink of an eye at the 3:15 mark of the opening frame.
The victory improved the Brazilian’s career slate to 5-1 and kept his 100-percent finishing rate intact, while boosting his chances of a shot at the coveted ONE heavyweight MMA world title, currently held by three-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin.
Aliakbari (14-4), meanwhile, saw his run of four successive victories in the organization come to an end, with his last win coming in the fourth round against Indian Arjan Bhullar in ONE 166: Qatar in March.