This article on the submission win that Craig Jones had in the superfight with Gabi Garcia is part of our Craig Jones Invitational 2024 coverage. To get live results, play by play, and commentary, we’ll have a live updates article running all weekend.
The legendary intergender match between Craig Jones and Gabi Garcia has now taken place, and Jones has won by submission. The superfight has been years in the making at this point and the majority of people thought it might not ever take place, but Jones and Garcia managed to make it happen at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational on August 17th, 2024. It was a historic moment for the sport as it marked the first time that a major promotion has hosted a match between a man and woman, and it garnered a ton of attention despite the fact that the main attraction at CJI was the two million-dollar tournaments.
The build-up to the match has been fantastic and although Jones is known for his sense of humour, Garcia was able to show her own sense of humor as well. It was a relatively light-hearted match and Jones made that clear from the start, as he entered the CJI alley directly from the crowd after downing his drink and taking a swig from a bottle of whisky. He then ripped off his trousers to reveal that he was wearing brightly-colored underwear, before putting on a pair of no gi shorts. The antics didn’t stop when the match began either though, as Jones reached out for a handshake and immediately shot for a takedown when Garcia went to reciprocate.
Jones was in control of the match from start to finish and he attacked a variety of different submissions, including a very deep heel hook that Garcia didn’t tap to. It took Craig Jones until the second round to get the submission win but he eventually did, as it was a rear-naked choke that eventually forced Gabi Garcia to tap. Garcia gave an emotional speech afterward and Jones revealed that she gave up a place in the ADCC Hall of Fame in order to take the match with him, further demonstrating her commitment to the cause.
The full Craig Jones Invitational event replay, including Craig Jones getting the submission win over Gabi Garcia, was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of B-Team Jiu-Jitsu:
