“We're going to see the very best of Marcelo Garcia” - Chatri Sityodtong says the sky’s the limit for BJJ legend in ONE Championship

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong expects BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia to hit his mark in ONE Championship as he resumes his career.

The nine-time jiu-jitsu world champion was triumphant in his return to competition after a nearly 14-year hiatus at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. He defeated veteran Japanese fighter Masakazu Imanari by submission (north-south choke) in their openweight submission grappling showdown.

During the post-event press conference for ONE 170, Sityodtong shared his thoughts on Marcelo Garcia unretiring and joining the promotion, saying:

"I think we're going to see the very best of Marcelo Garcia. Obviously, he's already a legend. He's a nine-time world champion, but I truly believe that this year we will see the greatest version [of Marcelo]."

Watch the press conference below:

Prior to ONE 170, Marcelo Garcia was last in action in 2011 at the ADCC, where he won his fourth gold medal. He decided to retire after and focused on his family and teaching new-generation athletes in his academy.

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Chatri Sityodtong happy to see Marcelo Garcia answer doubts on his fitness in return

ONE executive Chatri Sityodtong shared there were some doubts from various quarters as they signed Marcelo Garcia to a contract. He, however, was happy that the BJJ legend answered all concerns with his impressive victory at ONE 170.

In the post-event press conference for ONE 170, Sityodtong shared that concern over Garcia's fitness was brought up as they made the decision of bringing on board the promotion the five-time IBJJF world champion. It stemmed from his long layoff from active competition and recent battle with stomach cancer.

The ONE official said:

"I mean, just two years ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. What that does to your body, but on the flip side, what does that do to you mentally? Right? For him to be where he is today. And when we first talked about it when we were signing Marcelo, of course, I'm a huge fan, but I was very worried (about) what does chemotherapy do to your body. Where is Marcelo health-wise and fitness-wise? Can he get back to being fit, and just a lot of questions."

He added:

"But today, he answered every question. I mean, [Masakazu] Imanari is no joke, you know, Imanari is a world-class black belt, real skills, and he made it look very easy."

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