"That's the plan" - Lachlan Giles looking to head into leg lock battle with Marcelo Garcia at ONE Fight Night 38

Brazilian jiu-jitsu icons Lachlan Giles and Marcelo Garcia collide in one of the most hotly anticipated showdowns of the year, and the former has a plan on how he plans to wrap things up come Friday, December 5.

The BJJ black belts meet in a single-round lightweight submission grappling tilt, which will be part of ONE Fight Night 38 inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium.

Ahead of fight night, ONE Championship caught up with the 39-year-old Australian, and he had this to say on a possible path to victory against the fellow multi-time world champion.

“I’ll try to find a way to get to his legs, get a finish from that. If not, I’ll try to come on top, look to pass, go for the back, and look to choke from the back. That’s the plan," Lachlan Giles told the promotion.

This will mark his debut under the ONE banner and his first fight since retirement more than three years ago. However, the chance to collide with 'Marcelinho' was an offer he couldn't turn down.

Meanwhile, the 42-year-old Garcia returns for his sophomore promotional outing.

The Marcelo Garcia Academy head honcho debuted at ONE 170 with a north-south choke just seconds shy of the five-minute mark against Japanese grappling legend Masakazu Imanari.

Their submission grappling tiff will be one of two ground game battles at ONE Fight Night 38, which will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers for free this Friday.

Just before the co-main event, Diogo Reis and Daiki Yonekura collide for the vacant ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship.

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Lachlan Giles speaks highly of Marcelo Garcia ahead of ONE Fight Night 38 meet

When legends collide, respect is almost guaranteed. The same can be said as Lachlan Giles faces one of jiu-jitsu's most respected competitors at ONE Fight Night 38.

Before the pair go to war, the Australian BJJ veteran told the promotion that Garcia's character on and off the mats has served as an inspiration throughout his career.

"He always seems very happy, [always] smiling. I've trained at his gym before, he's very welcoming. I haven't heard him ever do any trash talk or anything like that. I look up to him a lot from that side too, and I think he's been a great ambassador for the sport," Giles shared.