The Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, hosted a bevy of exciting fights at ONE 170 this past Friday, Jan. 24, which featured the return of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) great Marcelo Garcia to competition after dedicating the past 14 years to his family.
Despite the layoff, the consummate family man looked every bit as dominant as he did in his heyday throughout the 2000s. The masters of 'The Gentle Art' engaged in a high-level chess match for the better part of four minutes before Garcia eventually cinched in a north-south choke for the win.
Relive their legend-versus-legend showdown below, which ONE shared on YouTube:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The victory marked Garcia's 59th triumph via submission, improving his career record to an even more impressive 80 wins. His resume also includes five IBJJF World Championship gold medals and four first-place finishes in the ADCC World Championships.
Aside from his motivation to put on a show for his kids who were watching him compete for the very first time, Garcia's magnificent return to action had extra meaning to the Brazilian great after battling stomach cancer for most of 2023.
Marcelo Garcia's moving post-fight message
Marcelo Garcia's wisdom comes from the many struggles he faced in his illustrious career, and he shared a heartfelt message with ONE analyst Mitch Chilson during the post-fight interview.
He said:
"Let me just share one thing - if you got a problem, you got to share your problem. You got to let people know you have a problem. I did this, and I got so much love from everyone around me. So if you have a problem, let people know what's going on, because that's the only way you can get help. That's what I did and I got so much love."
The full replay of ONE 170 is available via watch.onefc.com.