"He's such an idol of mine" - Lachlan Giles says he almost felt bad for beating Marcelo Garcia at ONE Fight Night 38

Australian BJJ wizard Lachlan Giles may have earned one of the most memorable victories of his career against one of the best to ever do it, but the victory came with complicated emotions.

The 39-year-old went to war with Brazilian legend Marcelo Garcia, widely considered a BJJ GOAT by fans and analysts, in a lightweight submission grappling tiff at ONE Fight Night 38 inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium last Friday, Dec. 5.

Despite squaring off against someone he's looked up to for most of his career, Giles impressed fight fans and stunned 'Marcelinho' with a kneebar that drew an instant tap around the seven-minute mark of their contest.

During his post-fight interview with Nick Atkin, 'Giant Killer' revealed the conflicted feelings that came with defeating his idol.

"Yeah, it's fun, but it's also nervous. Usually before a tournament, I'm like, why do I do this? I could be sitting on my couch. But yeah, that was incredible. I just want to thank Marcelo again for the match. He's incredible. He's such an idol of mine. There's some part of this I'm not happy with just because I like Marcelo so much," Lachlan Giles told Atkin.

He continued:

"Obviously, he's been through a lot as well. We're both certainly past our prime performances. I think he's 42 or maybe even 43 now. I'm not sure. I'm 39. But I still see him as the best."

Watch the Australian martial artist's full post-fight exchange with Atkin here:

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Lachlan Giles says he'd be down for another fight "in the future"

Shortly after overcoming arguably the sport's greatest competitor inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium, Lachlan Giles confirmed that he'd bid farewell to the sport.

However, the Melbourne native told Atkin in the same interview that another opportunity like this could well tempt him to don his rashguard again for a competitive matchup.

"Yeah, that's the—at least, I mean who knows in the future—but that's my mindset right now. I'm retired. How can you get a better match than against the best in the world?" Giles shared, seemingly suggesting his retirement might not be as permanent as it seems.

North American fans who missed any of the action from ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu, the promotion's final American primetime spectacle of 2025, can watch the full event replay on Amazon Prime Video.