"Now I have a name" - Marcelo Garcia fixated on Masakazu Imanari clash in epic return at ONE 170

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) legend Marcelo Garcia is coming out of his 13-year layoff to dazzle ONE Championship fans with his grappling mastery at ONE 170 on Jan. 24, 2025. His opponent inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, will be Japanese icon Masakazu Imanari.

During a sit-down interview with renowned combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, the four-time ADCC gold medalist shared his excitement about facing Imanari:

"My training was never based on my opponent. I just based my training like to go compete against the best one. So I never really thought about my opponent."

The revered BJJ figure later added:

"Now, obviously, now I have a name. So now I know who I can focus on. But it was never really much about the opponent."

Watch the entire interview below:

One of the greatest BJJ athletes of his generation, the 41-year-old revealed in January 2023 that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. After undergoing surgery to remove the tumor and multiple chemotherapy sessions, Garcia shared that he was in remission in June of that same year.

Going up against a fellow grappling legend like Imanari as his first bout since 2011 is sure to produce an immediate contender for submission grappling bout of the year.

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Marcelo Garcia opens up about coming out of retirement

Marcelo Garcia's health scare last year awakened the competitive spirit that had lain dormant within him since stepping away from the sport after winning the gold medal in the 77kg division of the 2011 ADCC World Championship.

The ADCC Hall of Famer shared in a recent interview with the world's largest martial arts promotion:

"It's been so long that I haven't been able to do everything that I would like to do. I feel like now I have the freedom to just do all the things that make me happy."