Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was first introduced to the world as being the most effective style of ground fighting for real combat. Its strongest appeal to the world was its effectiveness which could allow a smaller man to submit a larger opponent using leverage-based techniques. As the art and artists who practice it sought out more venues to prepare themselves and refine their techniques, competitions emerged and rules were introduced, involving the art into a sport.
It is very rare that at the highest level of the sport you still see the smallest martial artist or competitor competing and winning at the elite unless you’re watching a Marcelo Garcia. Marcelo Garcia broke the mold and exemplifies the efficiency of grappling. Through his many historic battles, when one thinks of the small competitor defeating a larger one, Marcelo is always in the midst of those conversations.
Marcelo is a Winner of countless titles in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, however, Marcelo’s victories at the ADCC events garnered him the most notoriety in his legacy. Not only because of the names of his opponents who he defeated but through the introduction of several techniques that Marcelo implemented, such as the single-leg x, x guard, butterfly guard, arm drags, his guillotines, and of course epic back takes that would end with a rear-naked choke.
2003 ADCC World Championship
Marcelo’s ADCC journey began at the 2003 ADCC trials in Brazil. Garcia who had recently moved from Minas Gerais to Sao Paulo to train under Fabio Gurgel was part of the new generation of the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu team of that era. Nonetheless, the young Marcelo represented the alliance eagle for an attempt to represent Brazil at the upcoming 2003 ADCC World Championship, and change the face of our sport forever. Throughout his matches, a relatively unknown Marcelo who was still a brown belt at the time has submitted multiple opponents using a variety of techniques, but in the finals, he lost against Daniel Moraes.
Marcelo impressed the ADCC federation so much with his technique and performances that they considered him as an alternate for the upcoming event. Shortly before the ADCC event in Sao Paolo, Marcelo has got the call.
In the first match, Marcelo has faced Japan’s Kuma Kunioku and in less than two and a half minutes submitted him with what has become his patent combination arm drag, back take, and rear-naked choke.
In his second match, he has fought against one of the sport’s biggest icons, and two-time ADCC Champion Renzo Gracie. Renzo has competed at the highest level in Gi, No-Gi, and MMA, but the name Gracie did not intimidate Marcelo or at least he didn’t show it. Marcelo has done something that had never been done to Renzo in ADCC prior to this match. Marcelo has been able to surprise him multiple times with his techniques, x-guard sweeps to guard passing and back takes. He has controlled him for the majority of the match, earning the victory.
The third match was against another Jiu-Jitsu legend Vítor Shaolin Ribeiro of Team Nova Uniao, who had what many considered the best No-GI wrestling game in the sport. Marcelo quickly arm dragged Shaolin, jumped on his back, and secured the rear-naked choke, that has put Shaolin to sleep.
In the finals, he+s been set to face Otto Olsen. Marcelo stuck to his game plan and attacked from start to finish eventually leaping onto Olsen’s back to secure a rear-naked choke for his first-ever ADCC gold medal in the 77-kilogram division.
Absolute division
Absolute divisionMarcelo competed in the absolute division as well that year. Something he had done several times before competing in Gi tournaments throughout Brazil.
American wrestler Mike Van Arsdale was his first opponent in the absolute division. Van Arsdale was a savage MMA fighter who had wins over a handful of BJJ black belts. But this time Marcelo’s style of fighting was a large contrast to the passive styles Van Arsdale has defeated.
Marcelo utilized a lightning-fast arm drag, but this time from the bottom position, took them back, and securing again the rear-naked choke. In the absolute finals, Marcelo faced the larger champion Marcio Cruz and has been defeated. However, he has become the award for the most technical grappler of the event by the ADCC Committee.
The GOAT Of ADCC
Marcelo’s ADCC career continued on for four more editions, getting a gold medal in 2005 in California, 2007 in New Jersey, and back again in 20011 in the UK. Although Marcelo was unable to win the absolute title. His matches at the ADCC Worlds will always be remembered as some of the most amazing in our sport.
Though his epic match with Ricco Rodriguez to his rivalry with Pablo Popovitch, outweighed several times but never outmatched severely by technique, Marcelo was one of ADCC’s most memorable champions.
He introduced a new wave of techniques to the No-Gi BJJ game and intrigued the minds of grapplers all over the world.
He embodies what Jiu-Jitsu is about through his technique in competition to his gentle demeanor. Marcelo is one of the sport’s greatest representatives and an ADCC legend.
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