After weeks of hinting about it on social media, Craig Jones and Gabi Garcia have confirmed that it’s not a joke: they will grapple each other in a no-time limit, submission-only match. The match is set to take place on Sunday, March 28 at Garcia’s gym in southern California, and will be streamed for free.
“If I lose, I’ll retire,” Jones told FloGrappling. “Obviously a lot of people think it’s a joke, but, like, just because of the interest, we thought why not?”
A four-time ADCC champion, Garcia started calling out Jones’ teammate Gordon Ryan in February. Gradually, her focus shifted to a potential match-up between Jones, which quickly gained interest on social media. Now, what seemed to have started as a joke is a reality.
Garcia is the most accomplished female grappler ever. In addition to her ADCC dominance, the 35-year old heavyweight competitor three-times won her weight and absolute division at the IBJJF worlds (and was stripped of those titles for a fourth year of weight and absolute championships). She most recently competed at a Who’s Number One event headlined by Jones in which she lost a decision to Nathiely De Jesus.
Jones is a no-gi and submission-only specialist representing the Danaher Death Squad. Widely known for his leg locking prowess, Jones is coming off a heel hook win over Ronaldo Junior at Who’s Number One.
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