ATT co-founder, martial arts icon Ricardo Liborio set to corner BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia in ONE Championship debut at ONE 170
Marcelo Garcia is the perfect example of the new adage, that GOATs (greatest of all time) recognize GOATs.
Taking to Instagram, the BJJ icon revealed that the legendary Ricardo Liborio would be in his corner for his ONE Championship debut at the stacked ONE 170 card.
Garcia returns to action against Japanese legend Masakazu Imanari on Jan. 24 at Impact Arena in Bangkok.
BJJ online publication BJJLove.com also reported on the development.
"Almost ready for @onechampionship, look who just arrived, thank you @liboriobjj!!!" posted Marcelo Garcia.
Liborio was one of the inaugural world champions in the IBJJF when he ruled over the super heavyweight division in 1996.
In 2001, Liborio worked with Dan Lambert and the pair eventually founded the super gym American Top Team in Florida.
Meanwhile, Garcia is one of the most decorated and respected BJJ artists in history, with almost the entire submission grappling community praising him for his career and character.
'Marcelinho' is a nine-time BJJ world champion and has been inducted into the IBJJF and ADCC Hall of Fame.
Garcia would collect his final ADCC and IBJJF world titles in 2011 before settling to focus on his family and BJJ academy.
In 2023, Garcia revealed that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumor.
Garcia ultimately beat the disease and announced that he signed with ONE Championship in 2024 in one of the greatest moves in submission grappling history.
Marcelo Garcia says he'll be in a tough fight when he faces fellow legend Masakazu Imanari
Marcelo Garcia and Masakazu Imanari are arguably two of their generation's most important martial artists.
With BJJ and MMA desperate for stability in the early 2000s, Garcia and Imanari revolutionized the respective disciplines and elevated both to where it is in the current generation.
In an interview with JitsCast, Garcia said taking on the man credited for the innovative "Imanari Roll" will be one of the toughest assignments he's faced in his career.
"I need to get in shape because somebody's training to beat me, and now I have the motivation. So I just got what I was missing. But it feels natural to be able to go back to training. And I just can't wait to do this for as long as I can."