“The Original GOAT” - Fighters and fans alike hyped for BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia’s looming return to action at ONE 170

BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia is coming out of retirement to compete once again, and fans are all hyped up to see one of the best to ever do it back in action.

The Brazilian star competes after over a decade at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. He will battle veteran Japanese fighter Masakazu Imanari in an openweight submission grappling joust in his ONE Championship debut.

Fans expressed their excitement over the return of Marcelo Garcia, taking to the comments section of the promotion's Instagram post of the BJJ icon rolling with his students in his academy as part of his prepartion for his comeback match.

One fan underscored the standing of Garcia in the BJJ game, writing:

"The Original GOAT! 🏆🐐🏆"

The GOAT returns

A comment, meanwhile, shared the BJJ fighter's battle with stomach cancer back in 2023, making his comeback even more significant, saying:

"Beat cancer, came back to training and still kicking. 👏🔥MG"

Comeback significance

But it was not only fans who shared their anticipation for the return of Marcelo Garcia. Fellow BJJ artists Vagner Rocha, Cameron Shayne and Don Stoner also gave their takes.

Below are screenshots of what they wrote:

One of the best to ever do it.

The legend is back

Marcelo Garcia has been based in Hawaii for the last two years, teaching in his academy and looking after his family.

ONE 170 is available on the ONE YouTube channel and Facebook (geo-restrictions may apply) as well as on watch.ONEFC.com.

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Marcelo Garcia prepared for his comeback fight

It may have been some time since fans last saw Marcelo Garcia in action but he assured that he is prepared when he plunges in his comeback fight at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 in Thailand.

He shared this in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, in line with his return to action. The BJJ legend said that training his students in his academy has kept him sharp and in shape.

The now-41-year-old Garcia 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 is a highly successful BJJ artist, who has won in a lot of tournaments, including at the ADCC, where he is a four-time gold medal winner.