Vera has hands full as Dominance MMA’s Marcus Almeida, Amir Aliakbari join ONE roster

CEO of Dominance MMA Management, Ali Abdelaziz, promised to bring his top talent to Asia after partnering with ONE Championship last month.

Now two of America’s premiere mixed martial arts agency’s athletes are set to shake things up in ONE Championship’s heavyweight division.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida and Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion Amir Aliakbari will join The Home Of Martial Arts, instantly turning the heavyweight division into a deeper pool of talent.

Almeida is a 13-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and a two-time gold medallist in ADCC. At age 30, he has virtually done it all in the world of grappling — he even won the openweight division at the Mundials six times.

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong officially welcomed Almeida to The Home Of Martial Arts last Friday.

“At only 30 years old, Buchecha is the most decorated BJJ athlete in history. When we had dinner together in Singapore last year, I was so impressed by his story, his humility, and his character,” Sityodtong said on his Facebook page.

“He is a truly humble warrior with a heart of gold. Buchecha will be competing in the heavyweight division for mixed martial arts in ONE with an expected debut in early 2021.”

Aliakbari, on the other hand, is one of the most decorated wrestlers to come out of Iran and ply his trade in mixed martial arts.

Boasting a 10-1 record with an impressive 70 percent finishing rate, Aliakbari will certainly turn heads when he makes his debut in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Aliakbari’s and Almeida’s signings have certainly rattled the division that includes ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera, “Singh” Arjan Bhullar, and recent signing Tom DeBlass.