Gabi Garcia's Shootboxing Debut Ends with Controversial Soccer Kick Knockout

Gabi Garcia has been generally successful in her transition from Brazilian jiu-jitsu to MMA. On Friday morning, however, she took a decidedly different plunge by making her shoot boxing debut opposite women's MMA pioneer Megumi Yabushita.

It did not end as expected.

After being repeatedly drilled with body shots, Yabushita was tripped up along the ropes and then hit with an illegal soccer kick. Garcia was issued a warning from the referee and the action was reset, but less than a minute later, Yabushita was turned and dropped to a knee by a punch and received yet another soccer kick. This one, however, landed cleanly and put Yabushita down on the canvas for good, and the fight was ruled a no-contest.

While many were expecting the bout to end with Yabushita laid out, the on-paper result was supposed to be a clean victory for Garcia.

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Though Yabushita is actually an enduring veteran in women's mixed martial arts with a career dating back to 1997, she hasn't been regarded as a high-level competitor in over a decade. The difference in age (45 years old vs. 31), size (134 pounds vs. 209) and recent success (seven-fight losing streak vs. four-fight winning streak) all suggested this to be a squash match, and the bout played out as such until the final exchange.

Garcia is yet to issue a statement regarding the fight, though it is worth noting that she has been competing in MMA under the Rizin FF banner over the last two years, where soccer kicks are legal.

Though controversially knocking out her 45-year-old opponent is certainly a bad look for Garcia, she already has her next bout lined up. She returns to Rizin later this month to face debuting Russian strongwoman Oksana Gagloeva.