Marcelo Garcia opens up on life-threatening battle with stomach cancer 

On and off the mats, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu icon Marcelo Garcia hasn’t had it easy in recent years. The legendary grappler has overcome an arduous battle with stomach cancer, and now he’s ready to embark on a new chapter of his life. 

Garcia debuts in ONE Championship at ONE 170 this Friday, January 24, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena versus fellow legend Masakazu Imanari. 

In 2023, though, Garcia never even knew if he’d see this day. When the illness was discovered, he was never promised anything. But he was determined to overcome his tough opposition to find his way back onto the mats.

“My doctor, she didn’t promise anything. She’s like, ‘I’ve never dealt with somebody that young that has your type of cancer, so I don’t know what you’re gonna be able to do.’ So I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to train,” he said.  

“[My doctor] didn’t guarantee me anything. So when I was able to go back to training, I felt like, ‘Okay, I can work again. I can just be myself again.’ So that was the best feeling for me when I went back to training.”

Marcelo Garcia discusses new lease of life post-cancer

Everything changed when Brazilian legend Marcelo Garcia was diagnosed with stomach cancer. 

Having pushed through into remission, the submission specialist is alive and well today. And with everything back in order, Garcia felt now was the right moment to resume his life’s work in competition.  

“It wasn’t a great thing fighting for my life. And when I say my life, I’m not just talking about myself. I’m talking about the life of my kids’ father. You know what I mean,” Garcia said.

“I know what makes me feel the best in my life – if I can give a better childhood to my kids. That’s my biggest wish. So when I trained again, I felt like, ‘Okay, now I can give a better life for my family because now I can work every day. Now I can do that thing that’s probably the best thing that I know how to do.’”