What Is The Craig Jones Invitational (CJI)?

The world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is by far one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet. No-Gi grappling, in particular, has evolved so much in the past decade that many events and tournaments have emerged to showcase the best grapplers worldwide. One new and exciting event that has popped up is the CJI or Craig Jones Invitational. Today, we’ll discuss this unique event and its impact on BJJ as a whole. 

Who Is Craig Jones?

Before we go over the event itself, it is crucial to know who the man behind the idea is. Craig Jones is an Australian grappler and BJJ black belt under Lachlan Giles, currently training out of the infamous B-Team Jiu-Jitsu in Austin, Texas. He is one of the co-founders of the gym, along with other big names like Nick Rodriguez, Nicky Ryan, and Ethan Crelinsten. 

Craig Jones is one of the best No-Gi grapplers of this generation and is known for his tricky style of Jiu-Jitsu. Always a threat in almost all positions, he is a two-time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist and a three-time Polaris Pro Grappling champion. Jones is a well-respected athlete and is now pushing the sport further by putting together a massive tournament that rivals even the most established events like ADCC.

The Craig Jones Invitational (CJI)

The Craig Jones Invitational is a non-profit grappling event presented by the Fair Fight Foundation. It is a high-profile submission grappling show composed of super fights and a tournament consisting of 2 divisions — men’s −80 kg and men’s 80+ kg. All the athletes were invited and will receive a minimum payout of $10,001, with the tournament winners getting $1 million each. The CJI will be held on August 16 – 17, 2024, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. 

Essentially, the idea of creating the CJI came from the belief that athletes should be paid more, especially those at the very top of the sport. While a fast-growing martial art, becoming a competitor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is still not as financially viable for most people. Training like a professional athlete is undoubtedly expensive, and unfortunately, becoming a BJJ competitor simply does not pay well, even in high-stakes tournaments like the IBJJF Worlds or ADCC. The Craig Jones Invitational seeks to fix this issue by allowing deserving athletes to compete for $1 million. 

The Competitors

As mentioned above, the CJI will have 2 divisions — men’s −80 kg and men’s 80+ kg. The competitors are as follows:

Men’s Under 80kg

• Andrew Tackett from (USA) – ADCC West Coast Trials Winner
• Nicky Ryan (USA) – Polaris Champion and ADCC West Coast Trials Winner
• Jozef Chen (Taiwan/ Germany) – ADCC European Trials Winner
• Lucas’ Hulk’ Barbosa (Brazil) – 3x IBJJF No-Gi World Champion
• Renato Canuto (Brazil) – IBJJF No-Gi World Champion
• Matheus Diniz (Brazil) – ADCC World Champion
• Eoghan O’Flanagan (UK) – ADCC European Trials Winner
• Tommy Langaker (Norway) – IBJJF No-Gi World Champion
• Levi Jones-Leary (Australia) – ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials Winner
• Jason Nolf (USA) – 3x NCAA Wrestling Champion
• Andy Varela (USA) – PGF World Champion
• Kade Ruotolo (USA) – ADCC World Champion
• Tye Ruotolo (USA) – IBJJF World Champion
• Roberto Jimenez (Ecuador/ USA) – IBJJF Absolute No-Gi World Champion
• Magid Hage (Brazil/ USA) – ADCC Brazil Trials Runner-Up 
• Kenta Iwamoto (Japan) – 3x ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials Winner

Men’s Over 80kg

• William Tackett (USA) – ADCC West Coast Trials Winner
• Luke Rockhold (USA) – UFC and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion
• Nick Rodriguez (USA) – 2x ADCC Silver Medalist
• Lucas Kanard – ADCC Asia & Oceania Trials Winner
• Joao Gabriel Rocha (Brazil) – IBJJF Pans Champion
• Victor Hugo (Brazil) – 5x IBJJF World Champion
• Owen Livesey (UK) – Catch Wrestling World Champion 
• Fellipe Andrew (Brazil) – IBJJF World Champion
• Max Gimenis (Brazil) – IBJJF Pans Champion
• Adam Bradley (USA) – ADCC West Coast Trials Runner-Up
• Inacio Santos (Brazil) – ADCC Brazil Trials Winner
• Pat Downey (USA) – US National Wrestling Champion
• Pedro Alex (Brazil) – IBJJF South American Champion
• Kyle Boehm (USA) – BJJ Fanatics Grand Prix Champion
• Mahamed Aly (Brazil) – IBJJF World Champion
• Daniel Greg Kerkvliet (USA) – NCAA Champion

Superfight

• Ffion Davies vs Mackenzie Dern
• Craig Jones vs Gabi Garcia

Rules And Other Specifics

The CJI will use a Karate Combat-style pit, complete with angled walls, to ensure matches are kept action-packed and dynamic. Karate Combat has introduced grappling matches using the pit, producing many exciting bouts, especially when competitors use the pit creatively. It is guaranteed that we will see more of the same come August 16 – 17. 

The rules of this competition are unique and offer a fresh perspective on grappling in general. The CJI will use a 10-point must system with three 5-minute rounds, similar to scoring in mixed martial arts. The focus is on action and effective use of the grappling arena. Stalling and passivity penalties are put in place to encourage a more aggressive style of grappling from all competitors. 

Conclusion

All in all, the Craig Jones Invitational is sure to turn a lot of heads worldwide. With its impressive format, innovative rules, and world-class competitors, the CJI is guaranteed to become an instant classic and a much-needed boost to the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. 

As the CJI continues to grow and evolve, it promises to remain a key fixture in grappling and aims to become one of the premier grappling competitions out there. Everyone knows that competition is always a good thing. While IBJJF and ADCC tournaments have helped build the sport grow for decades, the CJI can only make things better for everyone as it promotes healthy competition, which in turn will force Jiu-Jitsu to develop further. 

Whether you are a fan of Craig Jones or not, you have to admire his vision because creating something as groundbreaking as the Craig Jones Invitational is not an easy task. We are definitely excited about the event, and we hope you are, too!

You may also like: 

The History And Significance Of The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship