A male jiu-jitsu fighter choked and defeated a female opponent in the sport’s first mixed-gender fight – after controversially kissing her first.

Australian fighter Craig Jones grabbed his 6’2″ rival Gabi Garcia by the face and kissed her on the lips before the fight, shocking spectators.

That led to a confrontation at the face-off, when Brazilian Garcia was heard saying: “Man. You’re a loser, man. Craig, seriously? F*** you – you crossed the line, crossed the line, crossed the line.”

She let out a scream in response and could be seen chasing Jones as he fled the scene last Thursday.

Jones later took to social media to announce that “Brazilians don’t take jokes” and that the fight had been canceled – before declaring it “resumed.”

Garcia, 38, is actually taller at 1.88 m than her 1.88 m tall opponent and he is reportedly the heavier of the two at 107 kg compared to 93 kg.

But Jones, 33, was able to maintain control of his opponent as the fight began last night, while Garcia struggled to stop him from forcing him to submit.

His victory was met with a few boos as he released the submission hold.

After footage of the altercation went viral online, one shocked viewer posted: “Wait, that was a real fight?”, while another wrote: “I still can’t believe that actually happened.”

Nevertheless, the fighters showed a moment of respect for each other in the ring – Garcia, for example, was seen on her knees, bowing her head to the mat to show her respect for her opponent.

And she took to social media to thank Jones after her loss.

In an Instagram story, Garcia said: “I really want to express my gratitude and love to you @craigjonesbjj!”

“During these months you have worked hard and changed the sport! I hope that one day people will have the chance to meet you!”

“You are an incredible person! Genuine! Funny and now one of my best friends! I am proud of you! You did it!!

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make another dream come true!”

“I have waited a lifetime for this moment and it only happened because of you! Love and respect from the bottom of my heart!”

The conflict arose following controversy at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games over the participation of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting in the women’s boxing gold medals.

25-year-old Algerian boxer Khelif, who is not a transgender woman, reportedly possesses male “XY chromosomes,” which led to her disqualification from the 2023 World Championships.

At the time, she and Lin failed an unspecified gender aptitude test administered by the now-banned International Boxing Federation. Instead, the International Olympic Committee took over the management of the boxing competitions in Paris 2024.

Some sports have limited the testosterone levels of athletes in women’s competitions, while others prohibit all athletes after puberty from participating.

Sexual dysfunction is a group of rare disorders involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs.

Some people with DSD are raised as girls but have XY sex chromosomes and blood testosterone levels that are in the male range.

The IOC said its conditions of participation were based on those of the 2021 Tokyo Games and could not be changed during a competition.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Harry Potter author JK Rowling were among the prominent figures leading the outcry over Khelif’s participation in this summer’s Olympics, where the Algerian fighter won gold.

Now, Khelif has filed a complaint with the French authorities for “serious online harassment.” The possible penalties have now been announced, as well as the prospect of even more famous names being targeted.