Gabi Garcia, a four-time ADCC champion, stands tall at 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) and weighs over 209 lb (95 kg). Her size and accomplishments made it difficult for her to find opponents in MMA for quite a while.
Garcia struggled to find suitable opponents in MMA, leading to unconventional matchups with elderly former pro wrestlers from Japan. This cast a significant shadow over her professional career, with many of the plus-size female MMA stars not taking her seriously. Notably, Kayla Harrison ignored Garcia’s callouts even when she was competing in the 155 lbs division due to the size difference.
Gabi Garcia has been absent from the competition scene for a while. Although Garcia retired from IBJJF competition some time ago, she made a couple of attempts to compete in BJJ in the last few years. However, personal issues and stress took their toll, and Garcia didn’t manage to secure the ADCC title in 2022.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Garcia expressed her commitment to returning to the ring and opening up opportunities for women in MMA divisions. She asserted her determination to continue training and shining in her career. This was back in February of 2023.
But a year later, there’s finally an update. According to Garcia herself, she has inked a contract to compete for the heavyweight title in an unnamed promotion.
Garcia last went viral when she went public with a dispute with her former husband, Bruno Almeida. Gabi Garcia accused her estranged husband, Bruno Almeida, of abusing her during their marriage, detailing the trauma she endured over the past two years. She highlighted instances of her husband’s demands for money, property, and control over her life. Bruno Almeida released a statement claiming that all evidence provided by Garcia was ‘fabricated.’
He also took Garcia to court to demand she stop making public statements about them. Garcia scaled down her social media presence since, but it looks like she’ll be ramping up her online presence once again with the publication of a new development in her MMA career.
