- Mackenzie Dern lost to Ffion Davies in their grappling match at the Craig Jones Invitational
- Jones submitted Gabi Garcia in their intergender match
MMA stars Mackenzie Dern and Gabi Garcia failed to secure the victory at the Craig Jones Invitational this past Saturday.
Craig choked Gabi
Garcia and Jones already made headlines prior to their bizarre yet highly-entertaining intergender grappling match after Craig kissed the Brazilian MMA star during their epic faceoff. Come fight night, Garcia’s rage and size did not get the job done as Jones managed to outpower her on the ground.
Jones masterfully controlled the fight en route to a stunning second-round rear-naked choke submission
Watch the highlights below:
Craig Jones taps Gabi Garcia#CJI pic.twitter.com/3Z9KSngM4H
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 18, 2024
As expected, online fight fans had something to say about the outrageous intergender grappling showdown.
“Wait this fight was real 💀”
“Still can’t believe this actually took place 😂😂”
“Craig put on the best BJJ event ever in the same town on the same weekend as ADCC 😂”
Dern was dominated
The inaugural Craig Jones Invitational was a success with two huge matches starring the grappling event. In one of them, Dern made her return to grappling after seven years and took on grappling champion Ffion Davies.
Unfortunately for Dern, her comeback was met with disappointment as Davies dominated her from start to finish. The fight did not last long as Dern was never able to match Davies’ skill and power, ultimately leading to a sensational reverse triangle armbar submission early in the second round.
Check out the highlights below:
Ffion Davies taps Mackenzie Dern in the second round! #CJI pic.twitter.com/TRrnKYjGoQ
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) August 18, 2024
Dern was just over two weeks away from her last UFC fight. She came off a decision win over Lupita Godinez at UFC on ABC 7 earlier this month. Garcia, meanwhile, last fought in 2022 in which she to Amy Campo via decision at the ADCC World Championships.