“It’s just like a dream” - BJJ royalty Marcelo Garcia says victorious comeback at ONE 170 couldn’t have gone any better

BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia made it a triumphant return to competition after over a decade last week, describing it as dream-like.

The five-time IBJJF world champion and four-time ADCC gold medal winner had a successful ONE Championship debut at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, defeating veteran Japanese fighter Masakazu Imanari in their openweight submission grappling joust.

Garcia remained topnotch with his game despite out of competition since 2011 when he retired. He was in control of the match throughout, putting the pressure on Imanari no end, culminating in a tight choke from the north-south position that forced his opponent to tap out at the midway point of the scheduled 10-minute match.

Following his victory, Marcelo Garcia was emotional as he described his journey back to action and the win during the post-fight interview with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson.

He said:

"Come on guys, you guys can see, it’s just like a dream. It’s hard to believe what I went through the last few years, and look where I am. I just wanted you guys to see that. You just have to follow your dreams, chase your dreams, because you can get everything you want if you just make yourself happy and just follow good examples."

The win at ONE 170 was the latest of the big wins that Garcia has had in life of late. In 2023, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer but sent it into remission after a year of treatment. He is also doing his passion of sharing BJJ to new-generation athletes in his academy.

The full replay of ONE 170 is available on watch.ONEFC.com.

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Marcelo Garcia hopes win at ONE 170 inspires others going through hard times

Marcelo Garcia said he hopes that his victory at ONE 170 serves as an inspiration as well to people going through hard times in life.

He shared this in the same post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson, highlighting that after going through his own tough battle, a source of inspiration to forge ahead would go a long way. He, in particular, stressed the need to seek the support of others.

The now-42-year-old BJJ legend 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."

Following a triumphant return at ONE 170, Marcelo Garcia said he is looking forward to his next match, which he hopes to be against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki, his original opponent for his promotional debut.