Legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Marcelo Garcia has surprised fans by revealing that his children, ages 9 and 11, have only recently started training in jiu-jitsu. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Garcia shared his parenting philosophy and the reasons behind their late introduction to the sport that defined his life.
Delayed Introduction to Jiu-Jitsu
Despite being one of the greatest grapplers in history, Garcia made a conscious decision to delay his children’s exposure to BJJ. Instead, he focused on spending quality time with them during their early years.
“I have my kids. And then I felt like life went upside down,” Garcia said, reflecting on his early parenting years. “Once my kids was born, I took so much time to be around them. And now they’re getting old.”
A Chance to Witness Their Father Compete
Garcia emphasized that part of his motivation to return to competition is for his children to witness his dedication and experience firsthand the lessons that come from competing at the highest level.
“I feel like they’re going to be happy to see their dad go compete. And I don’t want to miss the opportunity,” Garcia explained. “I don’t know where to me get any older. So obviously we’re not getting any younger, you know what I mean? So I feel like that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to do it. And I feel like that time is now since I still have that feeling.”
Starting as White Belts
When asked if his children train in jiu-jitsu, Garcia revealed that they have only recently begun their training, starting as white belts.
“They just started, you know. Since I just opened the gym over here. And we didn’t have kids program before in New York. Now we have like a beautiful kids program over there. So they just started in New York, and then we moved to Hawaii. And now since I just opened the gym over here, they just started over here. So they’re brand new. White belt.”
A Teaching Opportunity
Garcia sees his return to competition as an opportunity to impart valuable lessons to his children, both on and off the mat. He hopes they can learn from how he carries himself during high-pressure moments, regardless of the outcome.
“Win or lose, like they can learn based on like how I might behave,” Garcia said, emphasizing the importance of leading by example.
A New Era for the Garcia Family
As Garcia prepares to face Masakazu Imanari at ONE Championship on January 24th, his children are taking their first steps in the sport that made their father a legend. Their journey as white belts and their father’s return to competition represent a unique convergence of beginnings and comebacks—a testament to Garcia’s belief in the transformative power of jiu-jitsu for all stages of life.
