VIDEO | Craig Jones kisses Gabi Garcia in weigh-in faceoff: “You crossed the line!”
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Craig Jones took an unusual approach to his faceoff with Gabi Garcia ahead of their intergender grappling match.
Jones and Garcia will compete at The Craig Jones Invitational this week, a tournament in direct competition with the 2024 ADCC World Championship. The grand prize for each winner is $1 million, a stark figure he showed off during a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.
Ahead of their tournament matchup, Jones kissed Garcia during their final pre-event faceoff, prompting an angry reaction from his opponent.
Craig Jones angers Gabi Garcia with weigh-in kiss
Watch the incident between Jones and Garcia below.
😳 💋 Craig Jones kissed Gabi Garcia at the weigh ins and pissed her off:
"You crossed the line!" pic.twitter.com/m2WzURIevQ
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 15, 2024
In a recent Instagram post, Jones opened up on the awkward moment.
View this post on Instagram
“Fights cancelled. I guess Brazilians can’t take a joke,” Jones posted.
As of this writing, it’s uncertain if Jones’s match with Garcia is canceled or if the post was part of his trolling.
Garcia didn’t take Jones’s joke lightly and tried to attack him after the gesture. She also slapped the cameraman who filmed the entire incident.
Jones is one of the most prolific grapplers today and has coached top names like Alexander Volkanovski, Dan Hooker, and Israel Adesanya. Adesanya faces Dricus du Plessis this weekend at UFC 305.
Jones has submitted current and former MMA standouts Phil Rowe, Rafael Lovato Jr., and Rinat Fakhretdinov so far in 2024. He’s also defeated the likes of Donald Cerrone and Gerald Meerschaert during his submission grappling career.
The 38-year-old Garcia last competed in MMA at Rizin 14 in 2018. Like Jones, she’s a submission grappling standout, earning four gold medals at the ADCC World Championships.
Jones and Garcia will walk onto the grappling mats with some extra heat ahead of their match. If Thursday’s incident is any indication of how things could play out, expect the unexpected from both competitors.
