The final round of the Rizin World Grand Prix 2017 took place earlier in Saitama Japan as part of their annual New Years Eve Tradition. These year end Japanese events go decades back and have played host to some of the most memorable fights. Much of the time these have been “freak show fights” pitting a real fighter versus an actor or pro wrestler, and that carries onto to this year at Rizin MMA with Gabi Garcia vs Shinobu Kandori.
Garcia came in with 26 pounds over her contracted weight, giving he a 75 pound advantage over Shinobi. The Japanese promotion at the final hour decided to not let the fight continue. However, they did allow the Brazilian to address the Japanese crowd for her failure, in an emotional statement.
That replay is above.
Gabi Garcia
Garcia is in the beginning stages of her mixed martial arts career after a very successful run as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor. Garcia is a multiple time BJJ world champion. She’s also been one of the most imposing forces on the grappling scene, often the much bigger and stronger fighter. However, her transition to MMA has seen her against some very questionable opposition. That said, her upcoming opponent is not only much smaller, but she’s 53 years old.
Shinobu Kandori
Shinobu Kandori does have a legit fight pedigree and a strong base in Judo. The only issue is that Kandori’s competitive Judo experience was way back in 1984, and she hasn’t fought MMA since November, 2000. She’s also giving up over 70lbs against Garcia, who missed weight earlier by a staggering 26lbs. Both Kandori and Rizin President Nobuyuki Sakakibara weren’t happy with Garcia’s unprofessional behavior, but he had originally allowed the fight to go on.
