Gabi Garcia
The dominant heavyweight of women's jiu-jitsu
- Born
- November 17, 1985, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Nationality
Brazil- Height
- 187 cm (6′2″)
- Style
- Top-pressure heavyweight
- Weight
- Heavyweight, Open class, ADCC +60 kg
- Active
- 2008–present
- Status
- Active · age 40
The record
BJJ Heroes record in major events, 2008-2024: wins by 37 submissions, 25 on points, 5 on advantages, 3 by referee decision; 3 of 11 losses by submission. Professional MMA record 6-0 with one no contest (Wikipedia).
6× IBJJF World Champion (2013 results voided), 4× ADCC
The story
abi Garcia grew up in Porto Alegre playing volleyball, handball and field hockey, and started jiu-jitsu after her family moved to São Paulo when she was 13, later training under Fabio Gurgel at Alliance. Standing about 1.87 m, she won IBJJF world titles in the heavyweight and open divisions in 2008 and from 2010 to 2012, and in 2019 she became the first woman to win four ADCC gold medals. Her 2013 world results were voided after a positive test for clomiphene; USADA found she was not at fault and she was not suspended. She also built an unbeaten professional MMA record, mostly in Japan's Rizin promotion. At the 2021 Worlds she was submitted for the first time as a black belt, after which she retired from IBJJF events, though she went on to take ADCC bronze in 2022.
- IBJJF World champion (heavyweight 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012; open class 2011, 2012)
- ADCC champion (2011, 2013, 2017, 2019; +60 kg), the first woman with four ADCC golds
- IBJJF No-Gi World absolute champion (2014)
- IBJJF Hall of Fame
Defining matches
- 2011WINvs Hannette Staack (2-0 on points, ADCC +60 kg final)
- 2012WINvs Luiza Monteiro (americana, IBJJF Worlds open-class final)
- 2014WINvs Mackenzie Dern (americana, IBJJF No-Gi Worlds absolute final)
- 2019WINvs Carina Santi (kimura, ADCC +60 kg final)
- 2021LOSSvs Yara Soares (choke, first submission loss at black belt, IBJJF Worlds)
Use Gabi's americana from side control: trap the opponent's bent arm at the wrist, thread your other arm under their elbow to grab your own wrist, and slide their hand toward their hip while lifting the elbow.
