"I'm still ready for him" - BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia wants Shinya Aoki next after submitting Masakazu Imanari at ONE 170

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) icon Marcelo Garcia had a spectacular ONE Championship debut at ONE 170 this past Friday, Jan. 24. However, he still hopes to face former ONE lightweight MMA king Shinya Aoki.

The IBJJF and ADCC Hall of Famer told ONE fighter-turned-commentator Mitch Chilson during the in-ring post-fight interview:

"There is a match that was supposed to be before this one. There was somebody who I was supposed to fight before this one. Shinya Aoki was supposed to be my first one. I'm still ready for him."

He continued:

"He was the one who I was supposed to fight for my first match, but for some reason, he couldn't wait for me. Now I'm still here, so I hope I can get this match back with him."

As Garcia pointed out, 'Tobikan Judan' was supposed to welcome him to ONE, but unfortunately, plans fell through. This opened the door for another Japanese legend, Masakazu Imanari, to step in.

ONE 170 was the first time the 42-year-old Brazilian great competed since stepping away in 2011 to focus on the rigors of fatherhood. Garcia submitted 'Ashikan-Judan' at the 4:49 mark via north-south choke.

The full replay of ONE 170 is available via watch.onefc.com.

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Marcelo Garcia gives more perspective on why he took a break

Marcelo Garcia's decision to step away from competition after winning his fourth gold medal in the ADCC World Championship in Sept. 2011 was partly motivated by his desire to see his students succeed.

He said in an interview with JitsCast ahead of ONE 170:

"For me, I was getting more happy to see my students go and compete and win than myself going to compete. I felt like, oh if I take the time away from me to go compete, I feel like I can spend more time on my students and my gym, and I did that."

Watch the entire interview below: