Marcelo Garcia reveals his students have been keeping him in shape ahead of ONE 170 debut

BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia came out of retirement and is set to make his ONE Championship debut next month in Thailand. While it has been some time since he last competed, he said he is in shape, having been constantly training with his students in his academy.

The now-41-year-old four-time ADCC gold medal winner is featured in an openweight submission grappling showdown against veteran Japanese fighter Masakazu Imanari at ONE 170 on Jan. 24, 2025 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok. It will be his first pro grappling match since stepping away from competition over a decade ago.

In an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show on Dec. 5, Marcelo Garcia spoke about his upcoming return to action, saying:

"And since I moved to the U.S. in 2006, I've been training with only my students. And people know that my students will witness that. And I feel like it's not going to be now that I'm going to change that."

Check out what he had to say below:

Marcelo Garcia has spent the last two years in Hawaii, teaching in his academy and looking after his family. He is excited to make his ONE debut for his kid to finally see him compete, among other things.

ONE 170 will be aired live and for free in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime video subscription.

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Marcelo Garcia says teaching his students has made him a better fighter

Marcelo Garcia has spent the last decade or so teaching his students the intricacies of jiu-jitsu in his academy. It is something he not only enjoys but also gives him added perspective in how to become a better fighter.

Garcia shared this in the same interview with Ariel Helwani on his show ahead of his ONE Championship debut in Jan. 24 at ONE 170. He highlighting how his back-and-forth with his students has prepared him for big fights, including the one at hand.

The BJJ legend said:

"I'm teaching because I'm constantly discussing with my students, during class, before class, after class. So that makes me think, that makes me a better competitor. I'm not saying it's easy, but I feel like that's what I did my entire life, preparing for those tournaments."

Garcia last competed in 2011 at the ADCC. But before he stepped away from competition, he racked up 17 straight victories, for a total of 85 wins as opposed to 17 losses.