Gabi Garcia: I chose to live
Gabi Garcia: “For those who have lost a brother, dying for a cut of weight would not be my choice… I chose to live.”
In the debacle of the year, psychopaths at RIZIN matched undefeated monster Gabi Garcia, 32, with 53-year-old Japanese Judoka/pro wrestler-turned-politician and grandmother Shinobu Kandori. There was a 50-pound difference between Kandori and the contracted 209 lbs. that Garcia was to hit.
Then Garcia missed weight by 27 pounds, weighing in at 236.9 lbs to Kandori’s 162.25 lbs. The despicable fight that never, ever, ever should have been made was canceled.
Garcia’s social network offers a timeline. Over a month before the “fight” Garcia was healthy.
A month later, Garcia had reduced fat.
On December 27, she began to cut water.
https://twitter.com/gabijiu/status/946141826116808704
Then something went horribly wrong.
After failing to make weight, Garcia offered a tearful apology to the fans.
https://twitter.com/FancyCombat/status/946661089588187136
It’s first time this happened in my life,” she said, with another apology for speaking quickly. “But three weeks before the fight and I think I recover and my first training here, my nose is with blood and my blood pressure, I know. I respect her, I respect my opponent, she’s a legend here. I need to say sorry for all my fans in Japan, I love you guys and sorry Sakakibara-san, Takada, sorry and I challenge you for next year… I hope you accept fight with me next year, I’m so sorry Japan, I love you guys and I’m back more strong than ever.
The culture of extreme weight cutting in MMA has to end before there is a high-profile death. There are only two choices, wait for a high-profile death and realize collectively that extreme weight cutting is deadly, unnecessary, and irrational, or realize the truth now.
“Unfortunately I still do not control my body, but I control my decisions,” wrote Garcia on her social network. “For those who have lost a brother, dying for a cut of weight would not be my choice. All together, menstrual period, high blood pressure, it was necessary to cut 17 pounds. I chose to live.”
If there is a God of fighting, the bout between Garcia and the grandma never happens. And there’s no need to wait for God to explain that cutting massive amounts of weight before the most intense physical competition imaginable is a safety measure.
