The leader of Curitiba-based CM System team announced his decision to compete 4.5 years after hanging up his gloves in the UFC, signing with Brave Combat Federation, and was expected to make his debut in December.
However, old injuries in both of Marcello’s knees required surgery.
The 40-year-old fighter, who competed for promotions like UFC and PRIDE since his professional debut in 1997, underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon in Curitiba, Brazil. Marcello fixed both of his lateral collateral ligament and meniscus.
“The doctor said surgery was a success,” Marcello told MMA Fighting. “Despite the fact that I’ve been competing in sports for 30 years, he liked the result of the surgery and called it a success.