Legendary competitor Marcelo Garcia is coming out of retirement to compete in ONE Championship.
One of the best pound-for-pound competitors in the history of BJJ is preparing for a return to competition.
On Monday, Singapore-based martial arts promotion ONE Championship announced that it has signed Marcelo Garcia to compete in the organization’s submission grappling ranks.
A five-time IBJJF world champion and four-time ADCC champion, the 41-year-old Brazilian is recognized by many as the greatest competitor the sport has ever seen. He won his first of five IBJJF gi world titles in 2004 and his last in 2011.
Beyond his accomplishments in the gi, Garcia is best known for his incredible ADCC runs. He is a four-time ADCC gold medalist in the 77kg division, which is typically viewed as the event’s most talent-packed weight class. What’s more, he is a multiple-time ADCC absolute medalist – a particularly incredible feat given his small size.
Garcia’s run at the 2007 ADCC World Championships is perhaps the most impressive single-tournament performance in submission grappling history. Over the course of two days, he submitted seven of his eight opponents, losing only to 99kg competitor Robert Drysdale in the final of the absolute division.
Garcia has also played a pivotal role in the technical evolution of BJJ. His butterfly guard, arm drags, and guillotine chokes have all been studied and replicated by elite competitors over the past decade, and techniques that he popularised remain a major part of the modern-day meta.
The Brazilian has not competed since 2011.
In early 2023, he announced that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. In December 2023, following chemotherapy treatment and a hiatus from training, Garcia returned to the mats.
No opponent or date has been announced for Garcia’s debut in ONE Championship.
He joins top black belt competitors Cole Abate, Dante Leon, and Fabricio Andrey in a recent slew of signings for ONE Championship’s submission grappling divisions.
