What Made Marcelo Garcia So Special? An Explanation
What Made Marcelo Garcia So Special? An Explanation
Today we look at the past, present, and future behind the best no-gi grappler of all time, Marcelo Garcia.
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Four-time ADCC champion and five-world championship, Marcelo Garcia, is one of the greatest grapplers in history. His world-class technique has allowed him to conquer opponents twice his size and today he is one of the most beloved icons of our sport. Take a deep dive and see why he's still the greatest, even in retirement.
The History Of Marcelo Garcia
With an overall ADCC record of 27-5, Marcelo is one of the most dominant competitors to ever enter the tournament. However, he became a crowd favorite through his outstanding 72% submission rate. Jiu-Jitsu historian, Riccardo Ammendolia, has been following Marcelo's career since day one. He has put together this incredibly comprehensive history lesson on the goat himself.
On The Mat: Marcelo Garcia NYC
During his reign as champion, Marcelo influenced the competition scene dramatically. His effective use of X-guard, RNC, high elbow guillotine (later nicknamed the "Marcelotine"), north-south choke, butterfly guard and crucifix have changed the jiu-jitsu landscape forever. Go inside his NYC academy and see first hand how the champ trains at home.
Passing The Torch: Matheus Diniz
After retiring from jiu-jitsu competition, Marcelo now is preparing the next generation for jiu-jitsu greatness. Carrying the torch is 2019 ADCC champion, Matheus Diniz. He is one of Marcelo's top protege's alongside Johnathan Satava and Gianni Grippo. We visited Matheus weeks before his ADCC debut and got his thoughts on training with jiu-jitsu royalty.
After Matheus's win over Craig Jones in the 88kg final, we caught up with Marcelo. Surprisingly Marcelo's coach, Fabio Gurgel, steps in to create an incredible full-circle moment decades later.
The future: Marcelo Garcia eyes ADCC return
Just this week, we asked four-time ADCC champ Marcelo Garcia if he will compete again and he named the event he would like to make his comeback, saying that his desire is to return in 2023 when his kids are older.
