Though currently just a footnote to the international mixed martial arts landscape, Brazil's Marcelo Garcia is a deity in the world of sport Jiu-Jitsu and international submission grappling competition. In the eyes of many, including UFC color commentator Joe Rogan and 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo, "Marcelinho" is the greatest grappler to ever compete in international submission grappling competition.

Garcia's exploits speak for themselves: he is a three-time winner of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World Championship in the Middleweight (66-76 kilogram) Division (2003, 2005 and 2007); a four-time winner of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in the 82 kilogram division (2004, 2006, 2009, 2010); a two time winner of the Rio de Janiero-based Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship (2004, 2006), again in the 82 kilogram division, as well as the winner of its 2006 Absolute Division (overall) crown; and the recipient of "Most Technical Grappler" and "Best Match" awards too numerous to catalogue. Garcia's Jiu-Jitsu accomplishments extend well beyond a crowded trophy case, in terms of his enormous stylistic influence in the development of modern ground grappling. He is known not merely for those signature moves he has refined to a level beyond any other fighter, such as a Rear Naked Choke so reliable it has led to his nickname as "The Human Backpack," but also for entire positional repertoires, such as his popularization of the X-Guard defensive system roughly a decade ago. The latest styles, moves and counters Garcia introduces or merely emphasizes in international competition are sure to be scrutinized and emulated by thousands of aspiring grapplers the world over. An unassuming man and modest self-promoter who spends most of his life on the mats perfecting his craft, Marcelo Garcia's influence on Jiu-Jitsu cannot be overestimated.

Garcia's lone foray into the world of MMA resulted in a surprising setback. Facing South Korea's Dae Kwon Kim at K-1 Hero's 2007 Korea event, Garcia was expected to run through his opponent with a quick takedown followed by a textbook RNC. But Garcia's almost complete absence of a striking game cost him, as Kim was able to keep the fight standing and open a cut above Garcia's eye that prompted a Doctor Stoppage twenty seconds into the second round. Garcia has not competed in professional MMA since that October 28, 2007 setback. But he has become increasingly involved in prepping the ground games of other top MMA fighters, such as New Jersey's "Batman," Kurt Pellegrino, for fights in the UFC and elsewhere. It remains to be seen whether the world's greatest pound-for-pound submission grappler will return to the mixed martial arts cage.