Gabi Garcia
Gabrielle "Gabi" Lemos Garcia is a Brazilian professional martial artist, multiple times Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and grappling world champion, and a member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame. In December 2021, during the 2021 IBJJF World Championship, Garcia announced that she was officially retiring from IBJJF compe*ion.
Contents
- 1 Early life and education
- 2 Jiu Jitsu and grappling
- 3 Mixed martial arts
- 4 Shoot boxing
- 5 Mixed martial arts record
- 6 Shoot boxing record
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Early life and education
Gabi Garcia was born on November 17, 1985 in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She is related to several notable Brazilian combat sports athletes including Mitsuyo Maeda, Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie, Rolls Gracie, Romero Cavalcanti and Fábio Gurgel. Garcia's early and mid-teens were spent playing sports including volleyball, team handball, and field hockey. At age 13, Garcia and her family moved to São Paulo. Around this age, Garcia's uncle helped begin her training in Jiu-Jitsu. Before eventually committing herself full-time to a Jiu-Jitsu career, Garcia was in her final year of a university course study in advertising.
Jiu Jitsu and grappling
Garcia trains in São Paulo with Fabio Gurgel, at the Alliance team, where she has achieved four Abu Dhabi Combat Club championships and six World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
Garcia's results from the 2013 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships were automatically disqualified when she tested positive for the fertility drug Clomiphene, which is on the USADA banned list. After a case review, Garcia was found not at fault, and no suspension was given.
In 2019, Garcia became the first woman to win four ADCC gold medals with a submission in the finals against Carina Santi.
In 2021, after losing a professional Jiu-jitsu match to American, Amanda Leve, for the first time in two years, Garcia began to call for matches to be made between her and several high-profile male grapplers, including Gordon Ryan. After a matter of days, she managed to get ADCC medalist Craig Jones to verbally agree to compete against her in an intergender match, although the match has not been officially booked for any promotion as yet.
At the 2021 IBJJF World Championships, Garcia was submitted for the first time in the history of her compe*ive career at black belt by Yara Soares and she retired from IBJJF compe*ion at the conclusion of the compe*ion.
Mixed martial arts
Garcia appeared as a guest coach for Wanderlei Silva on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3.
Garcia was at one point scheduled to face Megumi Yabu*a for the *anese promotion Real Fight Championship. This bout, however, fell through.
Garcia was then scheduled to make her MMA debut with Jungle Fight in March 2015. However, this bout also didn't happen.
On November 6, 2015, it was announced during Bellator 145 that Garcia would face Lei'D Tapa for Rizin Fighting Federation on December 31, 2015. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.
In her second fight for the promotion, Garcia faced Anna Malyukova at Rizin Fighting Federation 1 on April 17, 2016. She won the fight via armbar submission in the second round.
For her third fight with Rizin, Garcia faced Destanie Yarbrough at Rizin World Grand-Prix 2016: 1st Round on September 25, 2016. She won the fight via americana submission in the first round.
Garcia was scheduled to face Shinobu Kandori at Rizin 4: Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2016: Final Round on December 31, 2016. However, Kandori pulled out of the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Yumiko Hotta. Garcia won the bout via TKO in the first round.
Garcia next faced Russian boxer Oksana Gagloeva on July 30, 2017 at Rizin 6. The bout ended in a No Contest due to an eye poke that occurred just fourteen seconds into the first round.
Garcia was scheduled to face Shinobu Kandori on December 29 at Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round, but the fight was canceled when Garcia missed weight by 28 pounds.
Garcia faced Barbara Nepomuceno at Rizin 14 on December 31, 2018 in a 226 lb catchweight bout. She won the fight via submission in the first round.
Shoot boxing
Garcia made her shoot boxing debut on July 7, 2017 when she faced Megumi Yabu*a at Shoot Boxing Girl's S-Cup 2017. The bout was declared a No Contest after twice hitting Yabu*a with illegal soccer kicks when her opponent fell to the ground.
Mixed martial arts record
Shoot boxing record
References
External links
- Ibjjf.com
- Bjjheroes.com
- MARanking (GI) profile
- FloGrappling.com