It’s True: Craig Jones Will Face Gabi Garcia in Submission-Only Match

After weeks of hinting about it on social media, Craig Jones and Gabi Garcia have confirmed that it’s not a joke: they will grapple each other in a no-time limit, submission-only match. The match is set to take place on Sunday, March 28 at Garcia’s gym in southern California, and will be streamed for free.

“If I lose, I’ll retire,” Jones told FloGrappling. “Obviously a lot of people think it’s a joke, but, like, just because of the interest, we thought why not?”

A four-time ADCC champion, Garcia started calling out Jones’ teammate Gordon Ryan in February. Gradually, her focus shifted to a potential match-up between Jones, which quickly gained interest on social media. Now, what seemed to have started as a joke is a reality.

Garcia is the most accomplished female grappler ever. In addition to her ADCC dominance, the 35-year old heavyweight competitor three-times won her weight and absolute division at the IBJJF worlds (and was stripped of those titles for a fourth year of weight and absolute championships). She most recently competed at a Who’s Number One event headlined by Jones in which she lost a decision to Nathiely De Jesus.

Jones is a no-gi and submission-only specialist representing the Danaher Death Squad. Widely known for his leg locking prowess, Jones is coming off a heel hook win over Ronaldo Junior at Who’s Number One.

Check back with Grappling Insider for any updates on how to watch this match.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and currently holds the rank of brown belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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