Craig Jones has responded strongly to comments made by his former teammate Gordon Ryan regarding the reasons behind the dissolution of the Danaher Death Squad (DDS) and the formation of the B-Team.
Ryan, widely regarded as one of the top competitors in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, recently appeared on Jake Shields’ podcast where he shared his perspective on the team’s split. According to Ryan, the departure of several members to form the B-Team was primarily due to their desire for a more relaxed training environment and a lack of work ethic.
According to Ryan, Jones’ jovial Instagram persona is the “exact opposite” of how he behaves in person. While Jones is known for his lighthearted social media presence and comedic antics online, Ryan suggests this is far from Jones’ true personality away from the cameras.
Ryan went on to describe Jones as “vindictive,” stating that if Jones can’t beat something or win at something, he’ll try to destroy it instead. As an example, Ryan claimed that when Jones couldn’t beat him in competition, he joined Ryan’s team only to later break it up from within.
However, Jones took to social media to refute these claims. In a passionate post, Jones expressed his frustration with Ryan’s portrayal of events, stating, “Guys, Jake Shields’ podcast with Gordon 22 is f***ing rock solid. Obviously, nothing but the truth. We left the gym, and the B Team forms because really they were just training us too hard—not because he was slapping the s*it out of people, not because of the abuse Gordon was doing to people along with his partner. All those things went straight over their heads. Me and Jake Shields had a f**king long conversation about this when the team broke up, and he came and trained at B Team.”
“No, I’m not gonna do Jake Shields’ f**king podcast if he can’t even remember that”
Jones went on to reveal that he had previously discussed the circumstances of the team’s breakup with Jake Shields, suggesting that there may be more to the story than Ryan’s account indicates.
The Australian grappler also hinted at plans to address the situation more comprehensively in the future, stating, “I’ll probably explain these things in my own podcast.”
This public disagreement has reignited interest in the circumstances surrounding the DDS split, which sent ripples through the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community when it occurred. The formation of the B-Team, featuring prominent grapplers such as Jones, Nicky Ryan, and Nicky Rodriguez, was seen as a significant shift in the competitive landscape of the sport.
