What made Marcelo Garcia SO SPECIAL? To me, this is one of the main reasons Marcelo became one of the greatest competitors in the history of Jiu-Jitsu, both Gi and No-Gi. And it wasn’t just because he won a bunch of tournaments. This week is ADCC week, and when I look back at Marcelo’s ADCC career, I always notice something incredible. Almost every time Marcelo showed up at ADCC, it felt like he showed the world something new. 2003: X-Guard and arm drags. 2005: North-South Choke. 2007: High-Elbow Guillotine. 2009: Crucifix. And the least goes on and on… I could be wrong on some of the exact years, but think about what that means… He wasn’t just going to ADCC and winning. He was showing up with something people weren’t prepared for and then hitting it over and over again against some of the best grapplers in the world. And I think that’s what makes a star a star. People don’t remember you only because you won. They remember HOW you won. As many of you know, Marcelo has always been my biggest hero in Jiu-Jitsu. I was such a big fan that I even knew which years he won the Worlds at each color belt 😂 1999 as a blue belt, 2000 as a purple belt, 2002 as a brown belt. I literally knew everything about his career. And somehow, years later, I was lucky enough to train and teach at his academy in New York City from 2013 to 2017. Looking back, I don’t think Marcelo became one of the biggest stars in Jiu-Jitsu just because of his titles. I think it was the way he competed. He was often smaller than his opponents. He was always attacking. Always looking for the submission. And every few years, it felt like he would show us a new technique that suddenly everyone in Jiu-Jitsu wanted to learn. I think that’s what made Marcelo so different. Titles make you a champion, but the way you compete can make you a legend. And Marcelo might be the best example of that. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments 🙂 Also dont forget to check all Marcelo’s instructional videos at bjjfanatics, just seach for his name at bjjfanatics