‘I’ll Give Everything I Have’ – BJJ GOAT Marcelo Garcia Opens Up About Return To Competition In ONE Championship

After nearly 15 years away from competition, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia is preparing for his long-awaited return to action in ONE Championship’s submission grappling ranks.

A five-time IBJJF World Champion and a four-time ADCC World Champion, the 41-year-old is widely considered the most talented grappler in the history of the sport.

Garcia last competed in 2011 when he was still at the top of the BJJ world, winning gold at the ADCC World Championships to further cement himself as an all-time great.

Since then, he’s focused on teaching, fatherhood, and recovering from a 2023 stomach cancer diagnosis.

According to the Brazilian icon, his time away was more of a break than an official retirement. He told onefc.com that, above all, the decision was a matter of shifting priorities:

“I don’t know if people realize it, but I never retired. Never ever did I say the word ‘retired.’ But it was definitely a plan to take time off of competition for two different reasons.

“One was that I was just not so excited to go compete, and I felt like I wanted time to focus on something that would make me happier. And at that moment, it was my gym in New York City. I was taking a lot of time, just teaching every day, not traveling, just focusing on my students. And then, once I had a kid, obviously, life turned upside down.

“And then I felt like, ‘Oh, I wanna be the best that I could as a father, as a dad. So I took that time.”

With his children now aged 11 and 9, and his new academy up and running in Hawaii, Garcia is ready to once again focus on competition.

Given his lengthy list of accomplishments, the decorated veteran has nothing left to prove in the sport. But while some athletes in his position struggle to find the motivation necessary to push themselves in the training room, that won’t be the case for Garcia.

He said that his ONE Championship debut – whenever that comes, and whoever it comes against – will be all the inspiration that he needs:

“For the last, like, 10 years, I was not motivated to train hard because I didn’t feel like there was somebody training to beat me. [But having a tough opponent] kinda always pushes me.

“In reality, when you’re training that hard, you have more bad days than good days. But I always felt like, ‘Okay, I can’t avoid this. I can’t rest today. I can’t sleep in. I have to do it.’

“So I always feel like I have more discipline when I feel that somebody is training to go against me. I always feel I have to do more than that person.”

In early 2023, Garcia shocked the BJJ world when he announced that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Over the course of the following year, he underwent eight chemotherapy treatment sessions to battle the cancer into remission.

He spent the time recovering as best as he could, playing the Zelda video games and enjoying his children. Still, he was unable to train, and his time away from the mats was difficult.

Now back to full health and ready to compete, Garcia is supremely grateful to be doing what he loves:

“It’s been so long that I haven’t been able to do everything that I would like to do. I feel like now I have the freedom to just do all the things that make me happy.”

Garcia Explains Why He Chose ONE Championship

Marcelo Garcia’s upcoming return to competition in ONE Championship is monumental news in the submission grappling world.

Understandably, the BJJ legend had plenty of suitors for his return. He said he chose ONE because the organization, along with ONE Vice President of Submission Grappling Leo Vieira, made him feel admired and respected:

“I just like to be appreciated. I spent so much time in jiu-jitsu. In competition. I feel I always have given my best, and I feel like the appreciation from ONE Championship came at the right time. They value me. They value my time.

“And reality is I can name every organization that was trying to convince me to go compete. But then ONE, especially with Leozinho, Leo Vieira is somebody that is close to me, close to my family. He came in for us.

“If I wanna come back, I need to come back to an organization that values my work, that values my time, that appreciates the athlete. And that’s what I felt with ONE.”

As he’s done countless times throughout his incredible career, Garcia promises to perform at his best when the lights are the brightest – and there is no bigger martial arts stage than ONE’s global platform.

He added:

“I just know and I can promise that I’ll give everything I have. When I say everything I have, I know I’m gonna give my best, no matter what. I’m prepared to give a match, a fight, that people want to see.”