Marcelo Garcia – one of the most decorated and beloved grapplers in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu history – recently reflected on his stint into mixed martial arts (MMA) and the circumstances that led to his departure from the sport.

Garcia made his MMA debut in October 2007 under K-1 Hero’s, facing experienced South Korean fighter Dae Won Kim.
Despite his grappling successes, Garcia’s MMA career ended almost as quickly as it began – as a second-round knee from Kim caused a cut that led to a doctor stoppage and a TKO loss for Garcia.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Garcia explained that while he doesn’t regret stepping away from MMA, his post-fight training left him longing for a chance to redeem himself:

Not that I regret [not fighting MMA again], but I had trained so much after that loss that I feel I had to let it out at someone.

Someone had to pay for all the training I did after I lost that fight.
And I ended up never coming back to MMA.

The main obstacle, according to Garcia, was his contract with K-1 Hero’s.
The agreement prohibited him from competing in grappling tournaments, leaving him stuck without opportunities to fight or return to his BJJ roots:

Time was passing by, and I was wondering if I would still be able to compete in Jiu-Jitsu if I ever came back.
That made me lose interest in fighting MMA entirely.

Thank God, I was able to go back and win three more [IBJJF] Worlds and another ADCC.

Garcia also revealed that he nearly secured another fight in 2008, which could have been a massive moment in his MMA career – a matchup with Nick Diaz.

At the time, Diaz was an established fighter with victories over top competitors like Robbie Lawler and Gleison Tibau.
Despite preparations, the fight never materialized:

People don’t know, but I got really close to fighting Nick Diaz.

We even watched his tapes and all, but it didn’t work out.

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