Australian jiu-jitsu standout Lachlan Giles has disclosed that his upcoming match with Marcelo Garcia came about because Garcia himself specifically requested the matchup.
Speaking on the FloGrappling Show, Giles explained how the historic bout materialized.
“I think it came just before CJI. I started speaking to Tom DeBlas. He was asking me if I’d be interested in the match,”
Giles revealed.
“And as far as I’m aware, it’s a match Marcelo asked for actually.”
The fact that the legendary Garcia sought out Giles specifically speaks volumes about the respect the Australian has earned in the grappling world, particularly after his incredible performance at ADCC 2019 where he captured bronze in the absolute division.
For Giles, who has been retired from competition for the past three years, the opportunity to face someone widely regarded as the greatest of all time was impossible to refuse.
“That’s the be, you know, a chance to have a match against the greatest of all time, I think, is incredible,”
he said. The match represents a rare occasion where Giles is willing to come out of retirement, stating unequivocally,
“I wouldn’t take any other match except for this one to be honest just because it’s such a cool match.”
The matchup carries particular significance given Giles‘s history with Garcia‘s style.
“I would have spent a good probably seven or eight years trying to just be some version of Marcelo’s game,”
Giles admitted.
“I was on MG in Action, watching his instructionals, watching rolling footage, and just trying to emulate as much of his game as possible.”
This deep familiarity with Garcia‘s approach adds a fascinating strategic element to the upcoming contest.
Interestingly, the two grapplers have actually rolled before, with Giles noting there are videos from 2014 when they trained together in the gi.
“There’s a roll I had two rolls with him that were up in the gi on which would have been in like 2014,”
he recalled, adding that he’s been reviewing that footage as part of his preparation. The evolution both athletes have undergone since then promises to make their upcoming match a clash between two highly refined versions of technical excellence.
Preparing for the match has required Giles to shift his training significantly. While he’s maintained his practice over the past three years as a coach and gym owner, his focus has been broad rather than competition-specific.
“Obviously the intensity of my training, it’s just I keep it to just the enjoyable amount which is just showing up and do as many rolls as I feel like makes me happy,”
he explained. Now, with the Garcia match on the horizon, Giles has returned to refining his best techniques and building his fitness specifically for competition.
The announcement has generated tremendous excitement among fans, with many viewing it as a dream matchup between Garcia‘s foundational technical mastery and Giles‘s modern, systematized approach to the game.
