“I have a lot to teach” - BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia says he owes his students one last run ahead of ONE Championship debut

Marcelo Garcia is undoubtedly one of the greatest Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists of all time, and he believes he has more than enough left in the gas tank for one final run at the highest level.

While some people may comfortably retire at his age, the 41-year-old legend said he wants to show his students how he competes with ONE Championship giving him the perfect avenue to showcase his pedigree.

In an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Garcia said he returned to active competition to show his students why he's regarded as one of the greatest submission grapplers in history.

Marcelo Garcia said:

"That's one of the reasons why I feel like I want to come back because I still feel like I have a lot to teach to my students, to people who follow my career, to people [who enjoy seeing] my techniques. I always did most of the training by myself. I have my coach, Fabio Gugel, but he's in Brazil."

The nine-time BJJ world champion last competed in 2011 before stepping away from the sport to focus on his academy in New York City and raising his two children.

In 2023, Garcia revealed he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent multiple chemotherapy sessions.

Garcia, ultimately, beat the disease and signed with ONE Championship earlier this year in a surprising move that the BJJ community wholeheartedly supported.

A member of both the IBJJF and ADCC Halls of Fame, Garcia will make his ONE Championship debut at ONE 170 against Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari on Jan. 24, 2025, at Impact Arena.

Watch Garcia's entire interview below:

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Marcelo Garcia says competing gives him a sense of freedom he can't get anywhere else

Martial artists will always desire to compete, and Marcelo Garcia knew he was bound to return to action one way or another.

Garcia ultimately signed with ONE Championship this year and said he couldn't be happier with his decision.

Despite being away from competition for almost 13 years, Garcia longed for the atmosphere and he said in an interview with the promotion that he feels a certain kind of freedom heading into his return:

"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."