As one of the most respected female grapplers in the sport, Mackenzie Dern offers unique insights into the highly anticipated super fight between Craig Jones and Gabi Garcia at the upcoming CJJ event.
Mackenzie Dern is one of the only female competitors to defeat Gabi Garcia at her peak in a star making performance. At the time, Dern weighed roughly half what Garcia did and was refusing to concede despite the huge weight difference.
Dern acknowledges the significant size difference between the two competitors, with the massive Gabi Garcia potentially using her weight and strength to her advantage. “I’m interested to see how that will be,” Dern comments. “I think obviously if [Craig] doesn’t take care, she can just like hug his head and put her weight on him, and it will be really hard for him.”
However, Dern also recognizes the technical prowess of Craig Jones, suggesting that if Gabi makes any mistakes, Jones could capitalize and secure a submission. “Of course, he’s a guy, so I’m interested to see how that will be. I think obviously if she messes up some position, he can catch her back or submit her.”
Ultimately, Dern believes the matchup is not an easy one for Jones, praising Gabi’s forward-moving, courageous style. “Gabi’s really forward out, you know, she’s out there and she’s courageous and stuff like that. We train and we spar with people, we spar with the guys in training, but it’s totally different when it’s like, you know, in the fighting competition.”
Dern’s insights shed light on the nuances of this highly anticipated grappling super fight, highlighting the unique challenges faced by both competitors and the potential for an action-packed clash of styles.
While Dern is the perpetual nice girl it’s not hard to read between the lines, she sees a path to victory for Gabi if Jones doesn’t take the match seriously enough and lets an experienced World champion black belt like Gabi advance too far positiionally on him despite the gender difference. Naturally Jones is the hands down favorite, however consider the massive stature of Garcia it’s not infathomable to see her take a dominant position on Jones at some point during their match.
