Gabi Garcia, a decorated jiu-jitsu champion, is set to face male grappler Craig Jones in an intergender match at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas, driven by significant financial incentives and charitable motivations.
One of the greatest jiu-jitsu competitors of all time is attempting a unique challenge. Gabi Garcia will battle Craig Jones in an intergender grappling match this Saturday at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas.
Garcia, a four-time ADCC gold medalist and six-time IBJJF world champion, has teased this idea for years. But until now, the reward was never worth the risk. Now, she’s banking good money to enter the match against a male competitor for the first time.
“He’s revolutionizing the game with this idea,” Garcia told MMA Fighting about Jones. “And for me, it’s good marketing. It’s more than fighting a man.”
Garcia added, “The American audience has never really liked me, you know? I’ve always dealt with hate. And for the first time in my career, I feel 99 percent of the people are on my side. [Laughs.] This is entertainment.”
She continued, “If my mom, my grandmother, my aunt sits down to watch a jiu-jitsu tournament, they won’t understand the rules. But if you put Gabi against a man, people want to watch that.”
Garcia expects to be lighter than Jones on Saturday. She said she was standing on a chair during their face-to-face interview that recently went viral in the grappling community.
Despite having a great relationship with Jones, she won’t go easy on him. “I’ve trained with Craig a few times and he hasn’t submitted me,” Garcia said.
“I’m lighter now because I was cutting weight for an MMA fight [in May], so he’s probably heavier than me. But I’m strong.”
She told him already, “Craig, I have no responsibilities here. I’m going there to beat you and shock the world.” But she acknowledged reality: “Men are stronger.”
The “superfight” will be contested over three five-minute rounds. Garcia feels this format favors her opponent.
She would’ve preferred a 15-minute contest with no breaks but is ready for whatever on Saturday.
“The truth is, I don’t think I’ll submit him because he’s really good,” Garcia said. “But don’t expect me to go easy on him.”
She added with frustration, “It’s been a long time… He’s pissing me off for so long I want to smash him. He calls me all the time; he posts about me all the time. Give me a break, Craig! [Laughs.]”
Garcia plans to control the match if she gets into a good position rather than exposing herself unnecessarily. “I’ll fight as I was taught by my master,” she continued.
Unlike Americans who grapple differently, jiu-jitsu was made for domination. “We pass the guard; we sweep; we get to side control and mount.”
With confidence, she stated, “There’s nothing an opponent can do with me on the mount; he’s completely dominated.”
She plans to move like a snake, slowly securing her position without letting Jones escape.
“He’s saying he’ll secure the submission and let me go. That won’t happen, honey,” Garcia declared. “I’ll try my best, and we’ll fight for real.”
Garcia mentioned that both she and Jones received offers from Asia and the United States to face off before. She only truly considered it when Jones explained his intentions behind CJI.
On top of financial compensation — during the same weekend as ADCC’s traditional show in Las Vegas — Craig will make donations to Rio Grande do Sul, her home state in Brazil suffering from floods.
“Craig is one of the most genuine people I know,” Garcia said. “He texted me saying he would donate out of his pocket to Rio Grande do Sul.”
She agreed as soon as she heard profits would go to charity.
Garcia said she’d give her entire purse to her parents and family members affected by the floods.
Considering rumors surrounding her purse amount, that’s quite significant.
“I’ve seen people post all kinds of numbers, from $100,000 to $1 million,” Garcia laughed.
Although she can’t disclose exact figures due to contract restrictions, it’s more than $200,000.
She added that she’s already doubled or even tripled that amount with sponsors.
“This match is going beyond the grappling bubble,” Garcia noted. All her sponsors are unrelated to jiu-jitsu except Nate Diaz’s Represent.
Her clothing line almost sold out in two days despite initial fears it wouldn’t do well.
Choosing CJI over competing at ADCC in 2024 cost Garcia an induction into their Hall of Fame.
Already a member of IBJJF Hall of Fame, she still plans on competing on ADCC mats again but stands by her decision.
“It wasn’t an easy decision because this is the first time ADCC has an absolute division for women,” Garcia said. “That was a dream of mine.”