"It felt like life went upside down" - Marcelo Garcia says his legendary career had to take a backseat after he became a dad

Marcelo Garcia making a return to competition isn't something that many combat sports fans will have had on their bingo cards for 2025. The submission grappling icon has been away from this world for a significant amount of time, but his legacy is already assured.

He won his last ADCC world title some 13 years ago before deciding to take some time away from competing. Overcoming a battle with stomach cancer also delayed any plans that he had to step back under the spotlight.

However, after signing with ONE Championship, Garcia is back as his return is locked in for ONE 170 on Jan. 24, where he faces fellow grappling legend Masakazu Imanari in an openweight submissiong grappling duel.

In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Marcelo Garcia explained that while his return came as a surprise, he never officially made the decision to retire.

Life got in the way and other things took priority but now he's finally back:

"I don't know if people know, but I never retired, so I just took time off. I was competing and I felt like I wanted to focus on my gym, focus on my students, and I did that. And in the meantime, I have my kids and then I felt like life went upside down, you know what I mean?"

Watch the full interview below:

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Marcelo Garcia didn't have the hunger to compete

Timing was everything for Marcelo Garcia when it comes to his upcoming return at ONE 170 which is set to take place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

For a long time, competing fell down the pecking order. As a result, he didn't have that same hunger to get back in there.

The stars alligned for him in order to bring a comeback together and a clash with Iminari is the perfect contest to return for.