The Five Reactions To Watching Gabi Garcia Fight

Gabi Garcia is the subject of much discussion on the internet. It seems that people are equal parts impressed by and scared of the way she dominates her opponents.

In the world of jiu-jitsu, her size has often overshadowed discussion of her technical skill — perhaps as a response to a resume that shows Garcia has won just about every major accolade in the gentle art there is to win.

So it was no surprise that she would opt to make her way into the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

And much in the same way it was difficult to find opponents in BJJ that would pose a similar size challenge to Garcia, the world of MMA (here seen through the eyes of one RIZIN Fighting Federation, the sort of re-imagined PRIDE Organization) hasn't quite found an opponent that can take Garcia farther than 2 minutes in fight time.

So when it was announced that Garcia would take on American fighter, Destanie Yarbrough, many people sent in their early condolences.

Which may sound rough, until you look at the following photo.

Of course, that photo only tells one side of the story.

On paper it reads Yarbrough is 225 and Garcia is 245, but you can't help but notice the major incongruities between the fighters when you watch the video below.

Fighting Arts, YouTube

And while I tuned in to watch the fight early this morning on RIZIN, I couldn't help but have a few reactions to a fight result that seemed utterly inevitable.

Please allow you to walk you through my own Five Reactions To Watching Gabi Garcia Fight.

1) Holy Shit, This Is Actually Happening

Look at how different they look on camera. I know Mixed Martial Arts is designed to find out the answer to "what happens if," but are we supposed to ignore the OBVIOUS advantage in reach, strength, and athleticism here?

This is actually going to happen!

2) Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Why Are You Trying To Take Down Gabi Garcia!!!

I mean, I don't think anyone has a sound strategy for taking out Gabi Garcia, and Yarbrough certainly was able to pepper in some shots here and there. But THAT's a world class jiu-jitsu competitor with a great advantage in base.

You not only have to be proficient with your shot, you've got to pray to all of the Gods (Buddha, Jesus, Oprah, the Scientology aliens -- ALL OF THEM!) and hope they help you fight off gravity and logic.

3) Please Don't Die

When Yarbrough is underneath an unforgiving side control and isn't really moving to get out of it, you are right to feel concerned for her well-being.

There was a lot of talk about Garcia's striking ability (or lack thereof) in her MMA debut about a year ago, but when you have all the time in the world to work from a dominant position, it really doesn't matter how accurate you might be.

You're probably going to connect, and if you don't, you can probably put a ton of pressure to maintain the position.

4) Okay, It's Pretty Much Over, Right?

You know it's bad when the production team has already declared Garcia as the winner before the fight has even come to a conclusion.

Garcia literally started working to take Yarbrough's back and the broadcast was like, "yeah it's just a matter of time."

That's right, a full minute before the fight was even over, the production team goofed and accidentally showed that they were getting the placard that read "WINNER: GABI GARCIA" ready for the inevitable.

To her credit, Yarbrough kept fighting as long as she could, but there was no way to fight off what came next.

5) For The Love Of God, Tap Out Now!

So if mistakes 1-3 were trying to take Garcia down, giving up your back, and then letting her take mount.

There's really not much you can do when a multiple time jiu-jitsu champion like Gabi Garcia is going to take that Americana (because, let's be honest, you don't get much of a choice when Garcia grabs that arm from the mount).

So all you can do is sit and hope that Yarbrough has the good sense to tap.

And then she does. And you feel a great sense of relief.

No one died.

BONUS: The Post-Fight Feels

Garcia graciously thanks everyone and then takes a moment to dedicate her performance to her dad.

And the crowd is completely on her side. It's a wonderfully classy moment.

However, just before leaving, she declares herself the Queen of Japan, screaming into the crowd.

Ever-so-polite, the Japanese audience applauds, unsure if they should be terrified or not.

Anyway folks, that's just me. Perhaps you had a different way of viewing it all. Sound off in the comment section below with how you saw it all go down!

And just in case you wanted to watch the finish to the fight, check it out right here.