The year 2023 has gotten off to a bad start as far as BJJ icons go. This is because on the 19th of January, the legendary Marcelo Garcia announced that he had stomach cancer. To make things even more twisted, this was just two days after his 40th birthday.
Speaking on Instagram, he wrote “I’m about to fight the biggest fight of my life , I have stomach cancer and will start chemo for 3 months and back at MSK for surgery remove the tumor . Please keep me and my family on your prayers . Get your check ups, listen to your body , all I had was hiccups after eating and I’m glad I went to see a doctor .just wanted to say thank you for everyone who’s supporting me now , you all know who you are and I will never forget it .”
Understandably, various high profile grapplers such as Bernardo Faria, Jacare Souza, Fabio Gurgel, and others have gave their support – as have countless other members of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community. Speaking directly to his former mentor, Faria wrote “One more battle that you are going to win by submission and inspired the whole World as you ALWAYS DO! We love you Marcelinho!!!”
As seen by Marcelo’s message – he appears to be in good spirits and as we all know, he is a tough fighter – so hopefully he will pull through. Marcelo Garcia is best known for winning various ADCC titles as a smaller grappler, whilst also pioneering positions such as the X-Guard and effectively using wrestling and guillotines during his prime.
