- Craig Jones forcefully kissed his opponent Gabi Garcia in the face-to-face before their fight.
- The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match was billed as the first intergender fight in history.
- Jones won the match with relative ease in the second round.
The controversial first intergender Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fight ended in just two rounds.
The match between Craig Jones and Gabi Garcia had originally been “called off” when chaos broke out during a confrontation.
During the pair’s pre-fight encounter ahead of the Craig Jones Invitational, Jones grabbed Garcia’s face before kissing her on the lips.
Jones, 33, came into the fight with a career record of 55 wins, but was considered by some to be an underdog to Brazilian Garcia, who has a career total of 71 wins, including five in MMA competition.
But everything would turn out very different on the canvas, as the Australian fighter added another victory to his resume, this time by rear-naked choke.
It was a fight that almost never came to fruition due to Jones’ antics in the fight.
In a video of the incident, shared on Jones’ Instagram account, Garcia can once again be seen towering over his shirtless opponent as they stared into each other’s eyes.
However, almost instantly, Jones appeared to grab Garcia’s head and kiss her lips.
Garcia, 38, let out a scream in response and could be seen chasing Jones as he fled the scene.
Jones then took to social media to proclaim that “Brazilians can’t take a joke” and that the fight was off, before declaring that the fight would resume.
Craig Jones won the fight against Gabi Garcia by rear-naked choke in the second round.
Despite Garcia’s obvious size advantage, it would be Jones who would have the advantage.
In the video, the 33-year-old is able to maintain control of his larger opponent’s back, while Garcia struggles to prevent him from achieving a submission.
But his efforts would be in vain, as he gave the referee a thumbs-up just a second or two before having to give up.
Jones’ victory was met with some boos when he broke out of the submission hold.
In a perhaps surprising twist, the two shared a moment of respect after the fight concluded.
Before the video ends, Garcia can be seen on his knees, bowing his head towards the canvas as a sign of respect for his opponent.
And the 38-year-old even took to social media to express her gratitude to Jones following her defeat.
In an Instagram story, Garcia said: ‘I really want to express my gratitude and love for you @craigjonesbjj!
‘You’ve worked hard these past few months and changed the sport! I hope that one day people will get the chance to meet you!
‘You are an amazing person! Authentic! Funny and now one of my best friends! I’m proud of you! You did it!’
‘Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make another dream come true!
I wait a lifetime for this moment and it only happened because of you! You love and respect me from my heart!
It was an ending to the saga that not many could have seen coming after their showdown during the showdown.
But it seems Jones certainly has Garcia’s love and respect after their close fight.
