FC Gym Stories: Sara McMann Meets BJJ Jedi Marcelo Garcia
FC Gym Stories: Sara McMann Meets BJJ Jedi Marcelo Garcia
In 2004, Sara McMann secured her place in combat sports history by becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic silver medal in wrestling.But McMann'
In 2004, Sara McMann secured her place in combat sports history by becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic silver medal in wrestling.
But McMann's pursuit of greatness did not stop there. She successfully transitioned to mixed martial arts, and is now a top contender in the UFC women's bantamweight division. Her only losses have from two former UFC champions—Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate—and the current champion, Amanda Nunes.
For our latest installment of FloCombat Gym Stories, McMann recounted one of her most memorable Brazilian jiu-jitsu sessions with the incomparable Marcelo Garcia.
"One person that I completely admire, and a person that I would coin as my hero, is Marcelo Garcia. He has that reverence with a lot of people in the MMA and jiu-jitsu communities," McMann said. "I do go up there (New York) and train. The first time I went to train, I went to some of the gi and the no gi classes. I can count on one hand how many times I have put a gi on in my life. I go to the gi practice, and Marcelo asked if I wanted to roll.
"I really didn't belong in the advanced class, but I wanted to get in as many workouts as I could. He honestly swept me, I'm not even joking, 30 times in a row. It got to the point where it got so bad, I was just laughing. It was completely hopeless. He wasn't even breathing heavy. He could have had a phone conversation. It was ridiculous. It's amazing that someone can be that good at what they do."
But McMann's pursuit of greatness did not stop there. She successfully transitioned to mixed martial arts, and is now a top contender in the UFC women's bantamweight division. Her only losses have from two former UFC champions—Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate—and the current champion, Amanda Nunes.
For our latest installment of FloCombat Gym Stories, McMann recounted one of her most memorable Brazilian jiu-jitsu sessions with the incomparable Marcelo Garcia.
"One person that I completely admire, and a person that I would coin as my hero, is Marcelo Garcia. He has that reverence with a lot of people in the MMA and jiu-jitsu communities," McMann said. "I do go up there (New York) and train. The first time I went to train, I went to some of the gi and the no gi classes. I can count on one hand how many times I have put a gi on in my life. I go to the gi practice, and Marcelo asked if I wanted to roll.
"I really didn't belong in the advanced class, but I wanted to get in as many workouts as I could. He honestly swept me, I'm not even joking, 30 times in a row. It got to the point where it got so bad, I was just laughing. It was completely hopeless. He wasn't even breathing heavy. He could have had a phone conversation. It was ridiculous. It's amazing that someone can be that good at what they do."