In a recent interview after a training session at ROCA, Professor John Danaher shed light on New Wave’s participation in the upcoming Craig Jones Invitational 2 and revealed his team selection strategy for the event.
Craig Jones personally reached out to Danaher to invite New Wave to participate in what will be a significantly restructured team competition format. According to Danaher, the event will feature a variation of the quintet style format but with notable improvements.
“Craig Jones has done a very good job of modifying the rules and the structure of the event to remove some of the rather obvious weaknesses of the original quintet,” Danaher explained. “They’ve put a lot of thought into it, and it should be a very exciting event.”
The competition will feature both gym-based teams like New Wave, B-Team, Athos, and Gracie Barra, alongside “conglomerate teams” representing nations or regions like Australia, Brazil, and Europe. The latter potentially having an advantage as they can draw talent from multiple gyms across different countries.
A notable innovation this year is the introduction of a draft system, allowing teams to bring in outside competitors as “wild cards,” adding an unpredictable element to the competition.
When discussing New Wave’s team selection, Danaher revealed that some choices were straightforward due to circumstances within the team.
“Gordon Ryan is very sick at this point, so I don’t believe he’ll be competing again. Nicholas Meregali is very badly injured and had to do a second shoulder surgery, so he definitely won’t be ready in time,” Danaher stated.
With these key athletes unavailable, Danaher outlined his likely selections:
- Heavyweight: Daniel Manasoiu (“Big Dan”) as the team’s only remaining heavyweight
- 99kg division: Luke Griffith as the team’s sole competitor at this weight class
- Middle weight: Giancarlo Bodoni as a “prime choice”
- 66kg division: Dorian Oliveres, whose style Danaher believes is “extremely well suited to the CJI event”
The most competitive spot appears to be in the 77kg division, where Danaher has multiple options including Oliver Taza, Isaac Michel, and Jason Nolf, plus the potential draft pick.
“For 77 kilos, it’s not an obvious choice,” Danaher explained. “We’d probably have to do some kind of internal trial and see who qualifies.”
The professor also highlighted how the team format differentiates this event from most major competitions, which typically focus on individual matchups. This approach has helped CJI carve out a unique position in the competitive jiu-jitsu landscape.
The Craig Jones Invitational 2 will be an important testing ground for New Wave’s evolving roster as_
