Gabi Garcia’s bout with 53-year-old Shinobu Kandori has reportedly been cancelled following the Brazilian missing weight badly for their bout, which was scheduled for Rizin’s card Friday.
The decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu star came in 26 pounds over weight after agreeing to a 95 kg fight (209.4 lbs). After Garcia hit the scales well over the agreed weight, Kandori was visibly upset and voiced her discontent before leaving the room that hosted the weigh-in.
WMMARankings.com as well as several other online sources reported that Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara confirmed that the fight had been cancelled in the hours leading up to the event.
Garcia and Kandori were not presented during the event’s grand opening on the broadcast.
On Thursday, Kandori weighed in at 162.25 pounds, which would have given Garcia a 75-pound advantage had the fight gone ahead.
The Japanese veteran has not competed in MMA for 17 years and was initially slated to meet the towering Brazilian last December before an injury forced her from the bout. Yumiko Hottastepped in to replace Kandori and suffered a 41-second TKO at the hands of Garcia.
