Over the last few years, unfortunately, fake news has gained a lot of space on social media. Most of these fake news, it is worth noting, are made and disseminated “with the aim of legitimizing a point of view or harming a person or group”. In addition, fake news has great viral power, that is, it spreads quickly on the internet, causing people to consume the published material without confirming whether it is true or false.

A Jiu-Jitsu legend, an IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) Hall of Fame, nine-time black belt world champion, four-time ADCC champion, among many other titles, Gabi Garcia was yet another victim of fake news . On Twitter, a profile known as “@Ozzinformados” shared a video with an excerpt from Gabi’s fight against Anna Malyukova, held in 2016, by the Japanese MMA event RIZIN Fighting Federation.

In the fight in question, Gabi Garcia defeated Malyukova by submission (armbar) in the second round and scored another victory in mixed martial arts, where she currently has six wins and one No Contest (fight without result). The shared video, however, has the caption as the title: “Woman fights trans man who never won a fight with men now fights with women”.

The title, in addition to being a false, is prejudiced. Gabi Garcia is seen by many as the biggest name in the history of women’s Jiu-Jitsu, with countless titles in the main gentle art tournaments and also in the ADCC, the biggest grappling competition in the world. For boasting a strong and large physique, the athlete, unfortunately, has always been the victim of “evil” comments on the internet.

It should also be noted that the person who spreads fake news can be held responsible for a crime against honor. When the author uses social networks to spread false news, with the aim of harming a certain person, creating a fantasy news, telling a criminal fact and/or attributing authorship to an enemy, it can be characterized as a crime of slander. If the fact is offensive to a person’s reputation, the crime can be defamation.