Diogo ‘Baby Shark’ Reis and Marcelo Garcia have grappling matches booked on the same ONE FC card, an event scheduled for December 5 in Bangkok, Thailand. The presence of the two Jiu-Jitsu stars, idols from different generations, boosted the card for the 38th edition of ONE Fight Night even further, as the Asian promotion keeps investing more and more in its no-gi roster.
Diogo ‘Baby Shark’ Reis’ scheduled match will have a belt on the line. The Manaus native and Japanese athlete Daiki Yonekura will battle for the vacant flyweight title, a division whose champion was Mikey Musumeci. With the American’s departure to UFC BJJ, the belt was left open for the next champion.
Marcelinho Garcia’s match is at lightweight, a division ruled by champion Kade Ruotolo, who has recent wins at ONE FC, all by submission, but in MMA. Australian Lachlan Giles, known for a decorated grappling career with gold medals won at ADCC trials, was booked to face the Brazilian legend in December.
MARCELINHO AND ‘BABY SHARK’ ARRIVE AT ONE FC ON THE BACK OF COMMANDING WINS AT ONE
Both athletes, Diogo and Marcelinho, are coming off wins at ONE, and the matchups scheduled for the end of the season are their second appearances at the event after successful debuts. Mica Galvão’s teammate and two-time ADCC champion competed at ONE for the first time at Fight Night 29, in January of this year, when he faced Japanese star Shoya Ishiguro and got a quick win, finishing with a kimura.
Marcelo Garcia’s first appearance inside the ONE cage was awaited with huge anticipation in the fight community, since his return meant coming out of retirement after a hiatus of more than 10 years, and confirmation that he was free of the stomach cancer diagnosed in 2023.
In January of this year, at ONE 170, the four-time ADCC champion went face to face with Masakazu Imanari and showed he was in top form, impressing younger fans who had admired him through old videos of his past achievements. Marcelo’s win, live and in full color, came through dominance that culminated in a choke from north-south.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
