Craig Jones made easy work of Gabi Garcia earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 17, 2024) at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational from inside Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, stopping the Brazilian grappler with a second-round rear-naked choke to win the intergender jiu-jitsu match.
This bizarre grappling match almost didn’t take place after Jones forcefully kissed Garcia during a staredown earlier this week. Garcia was rightfully upset and it was reported that the fight was off. I guess cooler heads prevailed because the fight was back on as of this morning.
Jones, who is one of the best grapplers in the world, put this entire event together and went head-to-head with the ADCC World Championships (results HERE). He was able to put together two divisions that competed for a chance to win $1 million each. There were some great submissions and memorable performances along the way, but part of the entire attraction was Jones’ battle with the hulking Garcia.
Jones dominated this match from the opening second. He dictated everything in the first round before getting more aggressive in the second. Not only did he lock up a nice twister attempt, but Jones caught Garcia in a nasty heel hook. It didn’t look like Jones wanted to snap the Brazilian’s leg so Garcia was able to escape. That’s when Jones went in for the kill and locked up a rear-naked choke, forcing Garcia to tap.
Check out the video highlights below:
Craig Jones taps Gabi Garcia#CJI pic.twitter.com/3Z9KSngM4H
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 18, 2024
For official CJI: Day 2 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.