Kendall Reusing has issued a public apology and retracted her earlier criticism of the Craig Jones Invitational‘s prize structure after facing intense backlash from fellow competitors, most notably from Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Gabi Garcia.
The controversy began when Reusing questioned the disparity between men’s and women’s divisions at CJI 2, which saw over $2.5 million distributed in prize money but featured only four female competitors compared to 40 male grapplers. Her initial posts called for transparency about the reasoning behind the limited women’s divisions and questioned why substantial funds could be instantly mobilized for male competitors while women’s opportunities remained restricted.
Reusing‘s comments drew sharp criticism from Gabi Garcia, who took to social media with a passionate video response defending the tournament organizers and criticizing what she viewed as ungrateful complaints from female competitors.
“I’m so tired of people complain all time… 100k only?? U kidding me???”
Garcia wrote in her Instagram post.
“Let’s be real okay here I complete for more than 19 years and I complete for a medal I complete even for like one bag of supplements okay,” Garcia stated, reflecting on her own competitive journey. She emphasized how pioneering female grapplers like herself, along with others such as Bia Mesquita, worked tirelessly to create the current opportunities that younger competitors now enjoy.
“Nobody pay 100k in jiu jitsu for girls. Maybe next year we have more divisions and better prizes. But complaining??? I keep my eyes on who is complaining!!”
In her video response, Garcia emphasized her 19-year competitive career and the struggles earlier generations of female grapplers faced to create opportunities for today’s athletes. She stressed that progress comes
“step-by-step”
and criticized competitors who don’t provide entertainment value while demanding higher compensation.
“If you don’t give a good show don’t have nothing free no free lunch here be more grateful,”
Garcia said in the video.
“You girls don’t know how hard it is for us to open the doors for like what’s happened this weekend more grateful.”
Garcia also made it clear that continued criticism could jeopardize future opportunities:
“If you think 100k is not good don’t compete easy… if they decide never like this yet again you know who will lose not the haters like online talking [explicit] it’s you who lose the chance.”
Faced with mounting criticism from Garcia and others in the community, Reusing quickly backtracked on her initial statements. She deleted her original posts and issued a comprehensive apology acknowledging that she had
“spoke too soon, with urgency and emotion.”
“First off — I’m genuinely grateful for the attention and athlete pay that CJI has created for our sport. What they’ve done is exciting and meaningful for jiu jitsu as a whole,”
Reusing wrote in her follow-up post.
She specifically apologized to the CJI team, stating:
“I also want to sincerely apologize to anyone on the CJI team who felt hurt by the way I asked my questions. I have so much respect for the people who poured themselves into building this event.”
While apologizing for her approach, Reusing attempted to clarify that her concerns were primarily about transparency rather than demanding equal pay. She emphasized that she doesn’t believe pay should be automatically equal across genders but should
“reflect the value brought to an organization.”
“My questions have never been about why women weren’t simply paid ‘more.’ They’ve been about transparency of motive,”
she explained, noting that when the event initially appeared to lack a women’s division until community pressure emerged, it naturally raised questions about the decision-making process.
Reusing also stressed her support for mixed-gender events, stating she believes
“jiu jitsu thrives when women and men are alongside one another”
and that she hopes to compete in future CJI events herself.
