Renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia, celebrated for his technical brilliance and humility, has opened up about his dislike for leg locks. As he readies for his much-anticipated return to competition against Masakazu Imanari at ONE Championship on January 24th, Garcia offered a glimpse into his mindset on the controversial submission technique.

A Pragmatic Philosophy on Risk

Garcia’s reservations about leg locks stem from his risk-averse approach to grappling. On The Ariel Helwani Show, he explained his reasoning, emphasizing the unique risk-reward dynamic of leg locks, which he views as a gamble.

“I don’t like to exchange foot ankle lock attacks,” Garcia said. “I feel like it’s almost like a 50% chance. I feel like it’s one of the only moves that when you attack someone, the person can attack you back with the same move, different than guillotine, different than like a rear naked choke.”

He contrasted leg locks with upper-body submissions, which don’t expose practitioners to simultaneous counters. This element of mutual risk doesn’t align with Garcia’s preference for maintaining control in matches.

“When you attack somebody with the guillotine or rear naked choke, you have to do just with defend yourself. You cannot really attack back,” he elaborated. “So it is a part of the game that I don’t like to risk. I want to have like the odds on my favor.”

Avoiding Imanari’s Specialty

Rather than directly countering Imanari’s well-known leg lock game, Garcia intends to avoid those exchanges altogether. His strategy revolves around controlling the engagement and playing to his strengths.

“My whole point is like, I’m just not getting into his game,” Garcia noted. “I believe I have a good defense…I want to go where I have most of the chance, where it’s like on my game, on my attack.”

This calculated approach reflects his broader philosophy of focusing on techniques that favor his unique style and attributes while minimizing unpredictability.

A History of Unconventional Views

Garcia’s perspective on leg locks isn’t his only unconventional stance. Highly respected MMA and BJJ coach Firas Zahabi recently shared insights into Garcia’s training philosophy during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. Zahabi recounted a session where Garcia dismissed other popular techniques, including the Darce choke and Kimura.

“I remember going to train with Marcelo Garcia,” Zahabi shared. “We were doing just a one and one training session and he was telling me that he doesn’t like Darce, he doesn’t teach Darce and that he doesn’t believe in Darce… He also said that he didn’t like leg locks, that they’re no good which is crazy. Imagine that a Palhares walks into your gym and you tell him, dude don’t do leg locks, but that’s his game.”

Garcia’s rationale is rooted in his experiences competing against larger and more powerful opponents, where certain moves felt less reliable. Zahabi reflected, “For him, these moves would be valid on opponents that are the same size as you. However, he believes one should focus on techniques that work equally well against opponents of all sizes, especially bigger ones.”

Despite his unconventional views, Garcia’s track record speaks for itself. His strategic choices may not align with popular opinion, but his consistent success and adaptability have cemented his legacy as one of the greatest grapplers in the sport.