Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia has long been regarded as one of the greatest submission artists the sport has ever seen. Even after being forced to retire in 2011, the grappling world had not forgotten him.
One of those who has admired the Brazilian submission star is ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong. The promotion’s frontman also holds a black belt in BJJ, having earned it from renowned combat sports icon Renzo Gracie.
A student of the game, Sityodtong quickly became appreciative of Garcia’s skill set. But after cancer forced the legend out of competition 14 years ago, nobody ever thought they’d see Garcia step on the mats again.
Not only that, but the world of submission grappling had evolved into a different beast over the course of his hiatus from competition. The sport reached new territories around the world, with even more highly skilled competitors emerging to the forefront.
Understandably, it came as a shock to many to see Garcia sign with ONE Championship and announce his return to competition.
ONE Championship has an abundance of elite grapplers on its roster ready to tangle with “Marcelinho.” But Sityodtong is confident in saying that, if Garcia can claim gold in ONE, there can be no argument as to who is the best to ever do it.
“One of the greatest of all time is arguably Marcelo Garcia. The last few years he’s been battling cancer, but he’s cancer-free now. That’s why he wanted one big last run,” he said on The Tim Ferriss Show.
“If he wins a World Title in ONE, he’ll retire as arguably the greatest of all time.”
