BJJ royalty Marcelo Garcia comes out of retirement to join ONE Championship’s submission grappling ranks

ONE Championship is bringing one of the most iconic Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners of all time to the circle.

The world's largest martial arts organization announced the massive signing of grappling legend Marcelo Garcia to its loaded submission grappling ranks:

"A LEGEND RETURNS 👑🥋 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu icon Marcelo Garcia is coming out of retirement to compete in ONE submission grappling! Who do you want to see him take on first?"

Garcia certainly needs no introduction in the BJJ scene. The 41-year-old is considered one of the pound-for-pound best competitors of all time.

His list of accolades in the gi includes being a five-time IBJJF World Champion, a Pan-American Champion, and multiple-time Brazilian National Champion, among others.

It goes without saying, though, that 'Marcelinho' did his best work in no-gi.

Marcelo Garcia won the prestigious ADCC World Championships four times, a significant feat that includes multiple podium finishes in the openweight division. At just 170 pounds, the beloved icon showed the world BJJ at its true essence by being able to subdue and defeat opponents much bigger than him.

Moreover, Garcia is a proven finisher with an absurdly high submission rate in his matches, making him the perfect fit amongst ONE's elite submission hunters.

The IBJJF and ADCC Hall of Famer is also a pioneer in 'The Gentle Art' and widely renowned for innovating techniques that are still being used by athletes at the highest levels.

This includes his shoulder crunch attacks from the butterfly guard, the Marcelo-tine (modified guillotine choke), and his highly effective arm drags and backtake system.

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Marcelo Garcia is a welcome addition to ONE's evolving submission grappling divisions

Tom DeBlass has been a busy man since accepting the position as ONE VP of Grappling.

Apart from the signing of BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia, ONE Championship also recently welcomed teenage phenom Cole Abate and respected veteran Dante Leon. The electric Fabricio 'Hokage' Andrey is also heading to the home of martial arts.

ONE's exciting submission grappling ranks — currently bannered by the marvelous Ruotolo twins Kade and Tye — have gotten even more stacked with these welcomed additions.