In a recent interview, top grappler Nicky Ryan confirmed that Craig Jones’ ambitious $1 million submission-only jiu-jitsu tournament, dubbed the “Craig Jones Invitational” or “BDCC”, is very much a real event that Jones is actively organizing.
Ryan, who is invited to compete at the upcoming ADCC World Championships, provided several details lending credibility to Jones’ plans for the unprecedented high-stakes event.
“Craig has booked the venue and everything like that,” Ryan stated. “And yeah, those screenshots he posted of the money in an account, those are very real. He has the money.”
While an official date has not been announced by Jones, Ryan appeared to leak a potential time frame for when the BDCC could take place, indicating it may conflict with his participation at the ADCC tournament in September.
“I just wish that it was, like, a different date,” Ryan said. “This scumbag is making this choose [between the two events].”
Ryan acknowledged he has not yet made a final decision about which event he will prioritize if the dates overlap.
Despite the apparent scheduling conflict for some athletes, Ryan praised the BDCC as “a great thing for the sport” that has never before seen a $1 million prize for an individual winner in jiu-jitsu competition.
Ryan’s comments all but cofnirm that BDCC is on and it will be counter programmed to ADCC.
Previously ADCC organizer begrudgingly commented on Craig Jones’ efforts to bring BJJ competitions to a whole new level. Mo Jassim told fans:
“But to just do it to counterprogram us or spite us, that’s just not the right reasons. And when you don’t do stuff for the right reasons, I think it becomes apparent.”
Hopefully the two will settle their differences on a podcast episode.
As a reminder, ADCC prizes pale in comparison. Winners of ADCC divisions receive $10,000, while Craig Jones might be offering $10,001 just to show up and have a chance to vie for the $1 million prize in one of the two divisions he’s organizing.
