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CRAIG JONES made light work of Gabi Garcia in their controversial intergender grappling match.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom took on the MMA fighter in the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas early on Sunday morning.
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The booking of the bout raised eyebrows, with several fight fans fiercely debating whether it should go ahead.
IBJJF Hall of Famer Garcia had all the physical advantages going into the Sin City showdown.
The 38-year-old is a muscle-bound bruiser who stands at 6’2 and weighs a whopping 107kg
Jones, meanwhile, stands at 6’0 and weighs 93kg.
Garcia’s physical advantages mattered little as Jones dominated her from the get-go, dictating the pace of the first round before becoming more aggressive in the second.
He briefly caught Garcia in a twister and a heel hook but his reluctance to break Garcia’s leg saw the former ADCC champ escape.
And just moments later, Jones went in to close the show, locking in a rear-naked choke.
Garcia tried her best to fight her way out of the submission but tapped seconds before appearing to briefly lose consciousness.
Footage of the finish went viral and sparked even more debate, with one viewer fan saying: “Wait, this was a real fight?”
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Another said: “Still can’t believe this actually took place.”
And another said: “Everyone knew Craig would win.”
One remarked: “As expected. No s**t.”
Another chimed in: “Craig had opportunities to shred her knees. Great he didn’t and went for RNC instead. Was entertaining, Gabi is a good sport.
Jones and Garcia’s intergender clash came in the wake of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting’s respective participations at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The duo – who were born biological women – competed at the Gems after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
The tests – which were conducted by the Russian-backed IBA – are said to have detected XY chromosomes in both boxers
Despite the social media frenzy and misinformation about her, Khelif, 25, boxed masterfullyto win welterweight gold.
