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42-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia is fresh off a successful ONE Championship debut last weekend.
The iconic grappling star experienced his first match in the world's largest martial arts organization at the recently concluded ONE 170, where he defeated Japanese MMA and grappling pioneer Masakazu Imanari via submission.
Garcia tapped out Imanari with a north-south choke midway through the match.
After the bout, the 42-year-old addressed the media backstage at the official press conference and shared his thoughts on his ONE debut.
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Garcia said:
"It was an amazing show. And to be able to be a part of this, to be able to do grappling between those fights, I feel very honored. And obviously, it's been so long that I am not doing this, almost 14 years ago. You guys can't imagine how I feel. I'm feeling very young, but of course, with a lot more experience [now] than when I was 20 years old. So, it feels amazing."
ONE 170 was broadcast live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, last Friday, January 24. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand for free on watch.onefc.com.
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Marcelo Garcia's next fight.
Marcelo Garcia impressed by level of talent in ONE Championship: "I've never seen this before"
As a veteran of the fight game, Marcelo Garcia admits ONE Championship has something special.
As the world's largest martial arts organization, ONE hosts the absolute best martial arts athletes across the full spectrum of striking and grappling disciplines.
Garcia told the media:
"Definitely, it was very emotional. But I have to congratulate all the fighters that I saw fighting today. I didn't see the fights before, but I saw the fights [after mine]. I was so impressed with the strikers, with their level of like Muay Thai. I've never seen this before. I'm so impressed."
