Craig Jones has unveiled plans for Combat Jiu-Jitsu Invitational (CJI) 2, featuring an ambitious team-based format with eight elite squads competing for a $1 million prize.
Following the success of the inaugural CJI event, Jones announced the second installment will shift from individual competition to team warfare, with prominent academies like Atos, New Wave, B-Team, Checkmat, Gracie Barra, and 10th Planet expected to participate in a quintet-style, last-man-standing format.
“For CJI 2 we’re mixing this up. We’re going to do eight teams battling for a Million,” Jones revealed. “Last time we found out who the two best athletes in the world were… now we’re going to find out who is the best team in the world.”
The event will maintain its commitment to entertainment value, with Jones emphasizing that “quintet style Last Man Standing team vers team is the most exciting form of grappling.” In addition to the team competition, the event will feature select superfight matchups yet to be announced.
This announcement comes after CJI’s first event, which garnered attention for its unprecedented prize money and made waves in the competitive grappling community. Jones indicated the event will return to the Thomas & Mack Center, the same venue that hosted ADCC 2022.
Grappling superstar Gordon Ryan recently criticized Craig Jones and the Craig Jones Invitational in a heated Instagram post, challenging Jones’s claims about athlete compensation as the motive for scheduling CJI to clash with ADCC.
Ryan disputed Jones’s statements on The Joe Rogan Experience about ADCC’s prize money, accusing him of never communicating conditions for changing the event date. Ryan also highlighted the absence of women’s divisions in the first CJI and questioned why Jones didn’t target other major events like the IBJJF Gi Worlds.
Ryan defended ADCC’s financial practices, revealing decades of losses while maintaining athlete compensation, in contrast to the profit-driven IBJJF. This critique follows a year-long feud where Jones criticized ADCC for stagnant payouts, launched CJI with unprecedented financial promises, and sparked broader debates about athlete compensation. This means it will be a major question if New Wave is even open to participating in CJI 2.
Despite backlash against Ryan, Jones has been credited with pressuring ADCC to provide show money, with athletes like Brandon Reed expressing gratitude for the shift. The rivalry underscores evolving tensions in professional grappling over financial equity and organizational motives.
The focus remains on providing substantial compensation for athletes while delivering an engaging product for fans. As competitive jiu-jitsu continues to evolve, CJI 2’s team format represents another innovative step in the sport’s development.
