Craig Jones finally settled his years-long feud with Gabi Garcia as the pair squared off in a grappling match last night.
The cocky Australian has been goading the gigantic Hall Of Fame grappler for years amid a tongue-in-cheek rivalry. But they managed to settle it as one of two ‘superfights’ at the new Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas.
A crowd believed to number over 16,000 packed into the Thomas and Mack Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. They were treated to an exciting night of action, topped off in many eyes by a rare intergender grudge match, which Jones won by way of a second round submission.
Craig Jones refuses to break Gabi Garcia’s leg as he earns choke submission in grudge match
The much-anticipated ‘superfight’ between Craig Jones and Gabi Garcia came just after a thrilling contest between UFC contender Mackenzie Dern and renowned black belt Ffion Davies. The Welsh grappler won her fight by submission, before the comedy began with Garcia and Jones.
The Australian emerged from a seat in the crowd where he could be seen drinking alcohol, before stripping down to a speedo for competition. From there, he proceeded to dominate proceedings after the opening bell.
The pair had agreed to a crude bet if Jones was able to land a submission with a leg lock, although when he found himself in those positions Garcia refused to tap. That meant that he had to also refuse to break her limbs, and resort to looking for a choke.
In the second, Jones had a leg lock in deep, but chose to reverse his way into a choke and go for the submission that way. Eventually, he got the tap from Garcia before the pair showed respect for one another.
Gabi Garcia pays tribute to massive crowd at Craig Jones Invitational after losing intergender fight
In the immediate aftermath, Garcia was emotional not about the result, but about seeing how far the sport had come. She had given up a spot in the ADCC Hall of Fame in order to face Jones in this competing event, and was delighted to be rewarded with a large, adoring crowd.
“I want to cry because I see all this [crowd],” Garcia said in an emotional post-match interview on the broadcast, before being greeted with cheers of ‘Gabi, Gabi, Gabi’ from the packed attendance. “Guys, thank you everybody for coming here.
“Thank you Craig for what he did for the sport, it’s amazing. The thing for me is you guys because when we die the medal and the plates don’t go with me, but I will be alive in all of you guys and I think, never fight for a medal, fight for what you love and what you believe.
“I believe our sport can be bigger than ever and today I win this match because everybody, people can say ‘it’s a joke’ or they don’t agree. I call it self-respect because I do what I want and I don’t give a f*** about nothing.
“For everyone who thought that the show wouldn’t happen and made jokes about us, motherf***ers! I compete in ADCC for 18 years and today was the day that my brother died and this was for you brother, for my mum, my dad, my family and for you guys… Look at this here, this is my other family.”
Craig Jones heaps praise on Gabi Garcia as pair settle lengthy feud
For his part, Jones kept up his comical shtick for most of the evening before saying a few kind words about his rival.
“Gabi sacrificed her Hall of Fame in the ADCC to do this match,” Jones told the crowd in a moment of humility after a series of jokes. “Which I think is kind of crazy.
“I was going to come here today and announce I was going to take over ADCC. But I think we do a better job.”
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