From Hated to Hero: The Gabi Garcia Story

How did Gabi Garcia go from controversial to crowd favourite after fighting Craig Jones at the first ever Craig Jones Invitational (CJI)? This educational documentary dives in.
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Gabi Garcia is one of the most dominant – and most controversial – athletes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. From winning multiple ADCC and IBJJF world titles to stepping into the Rizin ring in Japan, her career has been filled with both triumphs and criticism.

This educational, informational documentary video dives into the real story of Gabi Garcia:

👊🏼 How she rose to the top of women’s BJJ and grappling
👊🏼 Why she was accused of relying only on size and strength
👊🏼 The backlash she faced from the martial arts community
👊🏼 Cases of sexism, body shaming, and cultural double standards
👊🏼 Her MMA career in Rizin Fighting Federation and the challenges outside the mats

Whether you see her as a pioneer, a villain, or a misunderstood figure, Gabi Garcia’s journey reveals a lot about the state of women’s martial arts and how the community treats dominant female athletes.

If you’re interested in BJJ history, grappling legends, MMA fighters, or the hidden struggles behind success, this breakdown is for you.

Craig Jones is a submission grappling superstar and jiujitsu super troll founder of B-team Jiu Jitsu. He was supposed to take on Gable Steveson, wrestling superstar who is an Olympic Gold medalist, as well as a multiple time NCAA and Dan Hodge Trophy winner who unfortunately had to pull out of CJI 2 due to injured camel toe.

Other participants at CJI 2 include 10th Planet (Geo Martinez, Alan Sanchez, PJ Barch, Ryan Aitken, Kyle Boehm, Coach Eddie Bravo), Kingsway Jiu-Jitsu (Dorian Olivarez, Mica Galvão, Giancarlo Bodoni, Luke Griffith, Dan Manasoiu, Coach John Danaher), B-Team Jiu-Jitsu (Ethan Crelinsten, Jozef Chen, Chris Wojcik, Nick Rodriguez, Victor Hugo, Coach: Dima Murovanni), Team Australia/Asia (Fabricio Andrey, Kenta Iwamoto, Lucas Kanard, Declan Moody, Belal Etiabari, Coach: Lachlan Giles), Team Americas (Gavin Corbe, Deandre Corbe, Elijah Dorsey, Taylor Pearman, Pat Downey, Coach Greg Souders), Team Europe (Owen Jones, Pawel Jaworski, Paul Ardilla, Charles Negromonte, Marcin Maciulewicz, Coach: Faris Benlamkadem), Team Atos (Diego Pato, Ronaldo Junior, Lucas Barbosa, Kaynan Duarte, Felipe Pena, Coach: Andre Galvão), Pedigo Submission Fighting (Max Hanson, Dante Leon, Jacob Couch, Michael Pixley, Brandon Reed, Coach: Heath Pedigo), Women's $100k Bracket (Adele Fornarino, Helena Crevar, Ana Carolina Vieira, Sarah Galvão).

00:00 Intro
00:32 Early Steroid Accusations
02:23 Gabi's Hot Girl Summer
03:05 Gabi Smashes Japan (MMA)
05:08 Gabi's Super Viral "Fight"
06:50 Gabi's Controversial Matches
08:59 Gabi Gets Married??
10:27 Gabi's Shocking Accusations
12:24 Gabi's Unexpected Redemption Begins
13:32 Gabi's CJI Contract
14:53 Gabi & The Witches
15:54 Meeting Gabi (Wild House Party)
17:09 Gabi's Face Off (1M Views)
19:14 Kissing Gabi Garcia
20:38 Gabi Gets Her Flowers
21:25 Gabi's Secret Gifts

👳🏽‍♂️ ABOUT:
My name is Rohit, I'm a videographer and editor who makes vlogs/documentaries in the world of combat sports. I've filmed a bunch with Craig Jones, "Platinum" Mike Perry, and Jozef Chen.

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► Camera: iPhone 14, Sony A7sMII (My Vlogs), Sony FX3 (Craig's Vlogs)
► Audio: Shure MV7+
► Edit: Adobe Premiere, MacBook Pro 14'', Artlist Music Library