‘Fighting For My Life’ – BJJ Legend Marcelo Garcia Opens Up About Scary Battle With Cancer
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia will soon make his wildly anticipated return to competition when he battles Japanese icon Masakazu Imanari in an openweight submission grappling bout at ONE 170 – but the hardest fight of his life is already behind him.
This Friday, January 24, in Asia primetime, martial arts fans around the globe will tune in when “Marcelinho” competes for the first time in nearly 15 years at the sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
A four-time ADCC World Champion and a five-time IBJJF World Champion who is widely regarded as the BJJ GOAT, Garcia stepped away from the sport while at the top of the mountain, fresh off winning gold at the 2011 ADCC World Championships with a near-perfect submission rate.
The 41-year-old has since spent time with his family and focused much of his efforts on growing his world-class academies in New York City and Hawaii.
But in early 2023, Garcia’s world came crashing down when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. While the grappling community rallied around its favorite hero, he understandably felt nervous about what the illness and treatment process would bring.
The BJJ star spoke to onefc.com about receiving the news of his diagnosis:
“I was like, ‘Alright, so now this is a whole new thing that I have no idea what’s gonna happen.’ I was just trying to figure it out.
“Thank God, things started going more in my way to help me, and we found the cancer early.”
The cancer and chemotherapy treatments forced Garcia off the training mats and onto the couch. He jokes that he spent much of his time playing video games simply trying to occupy his mind.
Still, his fight against cancer was scary. In his darkest moments, he worried not just about his own health and wellness, but also about his two children who deserved to have their father watch over them:
“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?
“I have to be their father, I need to stay here longer, and I need to try to give them the best chance to grow up like good people.”
With his family at the forefront of his mind, Garcia dutifully underwent every treatment necessary to battle his cancer into remission.
Looking back on that year-long fight, the Brazilian is surprised by how quickly he’s bounced back – both physically and mentally:
“It was not fun at all to go through the treatment. I ended up doing eight sessions of chemotherapy. The first four were really rough. The last four, not terrible. And in between those eight chemotherapy sessions, I ended up having a big surgery. That changed a lot of the dynamics inside my body, my stomach, my esophagus.
“And the crazy thing is how it’s just a year ago that I finished my treatment, but it feels like it’s been so long. I’m not gonna lie, I almost forgot everything. It’s just crazy how our bodies adapt. It’s just crazy how our mind forgets about things, too.”
By late 2023, “Marcelinho” was able to safely return to the mats and do what he loves most.
When he first received his diagnosis, he wasn’t even sure that he’d survive, much less grapple again. That’s why he’s so grateful for each and every day that he’s alive, whether he’s training and teaching BJJ or spending time with his loved ones:
“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.
“For me, when I was able to go back to training, I started to feel like, ‘Oh, I think I can live with this. I feel like I can roll normal. I feel like I can teach. I feel like I can go upside down if I have to, and I wouldn’t feel the food going up my throat.’
“[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.”
How Garcia’s Positive Mindset Carried Him Through Dark Times
Marcelo Garcia’s battle with stomach cancer and the year spent away from BJJ training gave him a valuable perspective about what is most important in his life.
Unable to actively take part in the sport, he felt like a piece of himself was missing and that he wasn’t providing for his family.
So, when Garcia finally returned to the gym, he thought primarily about those around him:
“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.’
“When I was able to go back on the mat, I was just not thinking about myself, but I was just so happy to be able to make a living again with jiu-jitsu because it was hard to not be able to really work. That was really what beat me up every day.”
Within the BJJ community, “Marcelinho” is known as one of the most humble, friendly, and easygoing athletes the sport has ever seen. Ultimately, that positive outlook carried him through his most difficult times.
When life seemed the most bleak, he focused his mind on the things that give him true, lasting happiness:
“We have to know what makes us feel good. When I say make us feel good, like, not momentarily, not make us feel good now, but in the long term, too. Pleasure makes us feel good now, but also, is it gonna make us feel even better later? So once we know that, we have to just put our mind on that.
“We need to figure out what makes you happy, and just focus on that. But not what makes you happy now. I can eat a pint of ice cream. That would make me really happy now. But very soon after, I’m not gonna feel great after that. So I find what makes me feel the best, and I focus on that so much.”
