Craig Jones‘ weigh-in kiss might be a tactic other fighters should pick up … ’cause he took down Gabi Garcia after planting the smooch on her pre-match.
The Australian grappler dominated his 6’2″ opponent from the opening bell … though she drew out the fight a little before finally tapping out in the second round of the intergender bout.
GG — who’s mulled over an intergender battle like this for years — has multiple gold medals and world championships in the sport … but, she just couldn’t handle Jones who’s also one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes of all time.
Garcia was clearly emotional after the fight … and, fans in attendance showed a ton of love for the intrepid fighter — cheering her on as she became visibly emotional in the fight’s aftermath.
Of course, the emotion on Garcia’s face came from far more than the loss … starting with Jones kissing her during the weigh-in — a move she felt went way over the line.
If you haven’t seen the clip … Jones and Garcia approach each other — before CJ reaches up, pulls Garcia’s face down to his and kisses her full on the lips.
Garcia’s immediately pissed and starts chasing him around the room — before screaming out Jones crossed the line. Gabi nearly called the fight off but ultimately agreed to go through with it after multiple prodding messages Jones posted online.
Bottom line … Jones may have won the fight — but, Garcia certainly seemed like the people’s champ post-match.