In a series of social media posts, grappling star Craig Jones has announced plans for a massive new jiu-jitsu competition with a $1,000,000 prize for first place. The event would feature 2 divisions of 16 competitors each.
Jones has been outspoken about his frustrations with the lack of substantial prize money at major BJJ competitions like ADCC, despite the growth of the sport over the past couple decades. He has even stated he won’t compete at ADCC due to the organization not guaranteeing money for athletes who are eliminated early.
To address this, Jones revealed he is organizing a seminar in Las Vegas the Thursday before the ADCC weekend in September 2024. All profits from the seminar will go towards compensating ADCC competitors who lose their first matches.
However, Jones is taking it a step further by putting out an open call for the 32 best black belt competitors to participate in his own $1 million prizefighter-style tournament seemingly separate from ADCC. In his posts, he listed names like Gordon Ryan, Mikey Musumeci, and Giancarlo Bodoni as potential participants branded under “BDCC.”
If realized, this event would offer an unprecedented prize purse that could revolutionize the financial incentives for elite BJJ athletes who often struggle to earn a living solely through competition winnings and have relied on income like instructional sales. It remains to be seen what format the competition would follow and how Jones plans to fund such a massive prize pool.
