# Gabi Garcia

> Alliance black belt, IBJJF Hall of Fame member, four-time ADCC World Champion, and one of the most decorated heavyweight women in grappling history.

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- **Source site:** Ossmeta (https://ossmeta.com)
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-18

## Identity

- **Name:** Gabi Garcia
- **Full name:** Gabrielle Lemos Garcia
- **Nickname:** Gabi
- **Belt:** black belt
- **Team:** Alliance Jiu Jitsu
- **Nationality:** Brazil
- **Born:** 1985-11-17
- **Birthplace:** Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- **Weight class:** Heavyweight / super-heavyweight (IBJJF +74 kg / +80 kg; ADCC +60 kg)
- **Height:** 6'2" (187 cm)

## Biography

Gabrielle Lemos Garcia, universally known as Gabi Garcia, was born on November 17, 1985, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Before jiu-jitsu she was a multisport athlete, playing volleyball, team handball, and field hockey during her early and mid-teens. At 13 she moved with her family to São Paulo, where an uncle who trained jiu-jitsu encouraged her to try the art. Her first classes came with a coach known as Johnny, and she later committed to Alliance under Fábio Gurgel while balancing training with university studies in advertising.

Garcia became the defining heavyweight force of women's Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the late 2000s and early 2010s. As a brown belt she won the 2008 IBJJF World Championship and the 2008 and 2009 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships. In 2010 she swept through the Pan, Brazilian Nationals, Abu Dhabi World Pro, and IBJJF World Championship campaigns, then received her black belt from Gurgel on the World Championship podium. Her size, pressure, and shoulder-lock attacks made her a difficult stylistic puzzle even for elite absolute-division opponents.

At black belt, Garcia's major-title résumé put her in the IBJJF Hall of Fame conversation and then the Hall itself. She won IBJJF World Championship golds across weight and absolute brackets, added Pan Championship doubles, Brazilian Nationals gold, European Open titles, and Abu Dhabi World Pro titles. Her 2013 IBJJF Pan and World titles were later stripped after a USADA test for clomiphene; both BJJ Heroes and Wikipedia note that the review found no fault and no suspension was imposed, but the disqualifications remain part of her official competitive history.

No-gi is where Garcia made one of the sport's clearest records. She won ADCC World Championship gold in the women's +60 kg division in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2019, becoming the first woman to reach four ADCC titles after submitting Carina Santi by kimura in the 2019 final. She also medaled in 2015 and 2022, and FloGrappling's record database lists a long run of wins by americana, kimura, armbar, choke, and points across ADCC, IBJJF, WNO, Fight to Win, and BJJ Stars. Her losses late in the 2021-2024 period, including Amanda Leve at WNO, Yara Soares at IBJJF Worlds, Amy Campo at ADCC 2022, and Craig Jones at CJI, marked the closing chapters of an era rather than erasing the scale of her earlier dominance.

Garcia also crossed into combat sports outside pure grappling. She worked as a guest coach on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, fought for Rizin with a professional MMA record of 6 wins and 1 no contest, and was promoted to judo black belt in 2023. Her grappling identity remains tied to Alliance and Gurgel's lineage: a pressure-heavy top game, americana and kimura finishes, and an absolute-division mindset that made her a benchmark for every heavyweight woman who followed.

## Lineage

Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Cavalcanti > Fábio Gurgel > Gabrielle Garcia

## Instructors

- Fábio Gurgel
- Johnny

## Signature techniques / game

- Americana
- Kimura
- Armbar
- Shoulder pressure
- Choke
- Clock choke
- Toe hold
- Pressure passing and top control

## Major achievements

- IBJJF Hall of Fame member
- 1st Place ADCC World Championship — +60 kg (2011, 2013, 2017, 2019)
- First woman to win four ADCC World Championship gold medals (2019)
- 3rd Place ADCC World Championship — +60 kg (2015, 2022)
- IBJJF World Championship gold — black belt weight / absolute titles (2010, 2011, 2012; 2013 titles stripped after USADA disqualification)
- IBJJF Pan Championship gold — black belt weight / absolute titles (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019; 2013 titles stripped after USADA disqualification)
- 1st Place UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro (2010, 2011)
- 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2010)
- 1st Place IBJJF European Open (2011, 2015)
- Rizin MMA competitor with professional record of 6 wins, 0 losses, and 1 no contest
- Judo black belt promotion (2023)
- Guinness World Records recognition for multiple grappling achievements (2024)

## Colored belt highlights

- 1st Place IBJJF World Championship (2008, brown belt)
- 1st Place IBJJF World No-Gi Championship (2008, 2009, brown belt)
- 1st Place CBJJ Brazilian Nationals (2009, brown belt)
- Major 2010 season sweep before black belt promotion: Pan Championship, Brazilian Nationals, Abu Dhabi World Pro, and IBJJF Worlds

## Official / social links

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabigarciaofficial/

## Sources

- [BJJ Heroes — Gabrielle Garcia](https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/gabrielle-garcia-bjj)
- [Wikipedia — Gabi Garcia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabi_Garcia)
- [FloGrappling — Gabi Garcia profile](https://www.flograppling.com/people/5951121-gabi-garcia)
- [Instagram — @gabigarciaofficial](https://www.instagram.com/gabigarciaofficial/)
- [Wikimedia Commons — Gabi Garcia photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gabi_Garcia)

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