In a wide-ranging and candid conversation on “A Quick Razz” podcast hosted by his brother Adam Jones, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu superstar Craig Jones revealed his vision for the future of the sport, his reconciliation with legendary coach John Danaher, and his unique perspective on building a sustainable career in combat sports. The Australian submission specialist, known for his irreverent humor and business acumen, offered rare insights into the dynamics of elite grappling and his evolving approach to promotion and competition.
Mending Fences with John Danaher and Potential Gordon Ryan Reconciliation
Perhaps most surprising was Jones’ revelation about reconciling with John Danaher following their high-profile split when Jones left the Danaher Death Squad to form B Team. The meeting represents a significant pivot in one of jiu-jitsu’s most talked-about feuds.
“The meeting was basically him being like, ‘You took things too far.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, of course. I’m like, John, I’d take things too far in the gym, too,'” Jones explained. “We talked it out. Obviously, we will always have our differences of opinion, but at the end of the day, that bridge is mended.”
Jones described how their shared cultural background facilitated the reconnection: “Me and Danaher got along so well in the gym because culturally Danaher is a Kiwi, and part of the reason he loves when Aussies and stuff visit is like on a comedic banter sort of thing. He gets involved in that.”
The Australian grappler noted their communication has returned to normal: “I even messaged him yesterday about something that came up and the chat immediately goes back to joking around.”
This reconciliation opens the door to a potential future where Jones’ ongoing feud with Gordon Ryan might also be resolved. When asked about this possibility, Jones was cautiously optimistic:
“Do I think me and Gordon could ever hit that point? I think it’s possible for sure. I think I care much less. I still don’t think he’s great. I’m still sick of his Fox News political memes, but I’d be for sure willing to look past that. It’d be up to him, though, because I’ve said much more heinous things about him than he said about me.”
Gordon Ryan: Respect for the Athlete, Criticism of the Persona
Throughout the interview, Jones showed a nuanced view of Gordon Ryan, acknowledging his competitive greatness while questioning his approach outside competition.
“Gordon is unquestionably the best grappler in the world,” Jones acknowledged. “From a historical perspective, I think Gary Tonon is one of the most exciting—probably the most exciting grappler we’ve ever had.”
However, Jones made a distinction between Ryan’s athletic accomplishments and his polarizing personality:
“I think he has his following in spite of his persona, not because of it. I think just his five, six year run, that alone is what draws in the viewers. Not necessarily his personality.”
“He is the best grappler ever. But like if that’s if that’s the life it gives you, like brother, have you tried having a friend?”
Despite these criticisms, Jones maintained a pragmatic view about working with Ryan in the future:
“Do I think he’s going to come to CJI and watch and support his team? Hell yeah. Do I think he’s going to enjoy the show? Yeah. Do I care that there’s a chance that New Wave will win and he will on our event, me as a human being? Uh, do I care? No.”
The Floyd Mayweather Business Model
One of the most revealing aspects of the interview was Jones’ discussion of his business approach to jiu-jitsu, particularly his decision to focus on promoting his own events rather than competing for other organizations.
“I am like the Floyd Mayweather. I’ve gone with the Floyd Mayweather approach,” Jones explained. “Floyd Mayweather bought out his contract and he basically became his own promoter and he’s one of the reasons why boxers get paid so much money. I will only compete for my own promotion now.”
Jones emphasized his commitment to growing the sport rather than focusing solely on his competitive career:
“I’m only competing in matches that will grow the sport of jiu-jitsu. I want to use the attention I have that I don’t deserve and sort of push that in a direction of other athletes.”
Craig Jones Invitational 2
For his next event, CJI 2, Jones revealed a significant shift in approach from the inaugural competition:
“The first one was about disrupting the industry which we did so effectively. For the next one, we’re more about bringing everyone together. We want to work with all the organizations. We want to work with all the athletes. We want to mend bridges.”
Jones elaborated on the evolution of his promotional strategy:
“The first one was about proving a point and that was that we we deserve fair compensation.”
For CJI 2, he now aims to:
“prove that we can put on an event that’s not just it doesn’t just break even, but it’s profitable.”
The Australian grappler compared his vision to iconic combat sports events of the past:
“We’re trying to approach it like when we’re battling rival organizations… is that what we’re trying to do is be the Super Bowl of grappling. It’d be like a K1 dynamite. It’d be we’re trying to capture the glory days of when like K1 and Pride would put on a joint show.”
The Power of Storytelling in Combat Sports
Jones offered valuable insights about the importance of narrative in combat sports, arguing that storytelling is often more valuable than perfect records.
“Everything’s about story,” he explained. “When we use real teams for the team event, they have a history, they have a legacy. We can build a narrative around those teams.”
Jones referenced judo Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro‘s philosophy about growing combat sports:
“All you need to do is create a story. You turn on TV and you watch MMA fight. You don’t know either of the guys. MMA’s intrinsically exciting but if you don’t care… but if you know the story, it’s why the Olympics are so special.”
This storytelling element is what Jones believes is missing from many jiu-jitsu competitions:
“You’re going to find a team you want to support throughout the event. The team’s going to have a narrative. As the event progresses, you’re gonna be thinking back and forth.”
Entertainment Value vs. Technical Perfection
In discussing the future of jiu-jitsu as a spectator sport, Jones advocated for focusing on excitement over perfection, contrasting his approach with Ryan’s more methodical style.
“From a spectator point of view… for outside viewers, to be like Gordon and be unbeaten, to not have a blip in his record, to not have a f***-up is really very rare in combat sports, which is what draws viewers in to him,” Jones noted.
He explained the dichotomy between styles:
“If you’re a regular guy that’s going to win some, lose some, the way you create a cult following is by competing like a Gary Tonon… like a J-Rod, like an Andrew Tackett. You’re going to have wins and losses, but those matches are going to be so exciting and memorable.”
Jones described Ryan’s approach to competition:
“Gordon’s style is perfection. I would say it’s perfection. It’s low risk.”
He added that this methodical style works well for instructional sales, as it provides:
“proof in the pudding that what he’s teaching works.”
However, when discussing the future of jiu-jitsu as a spectator sport, Jones advocated for focusing on excitement:
“I’d rather have an organization full of Andrew Tackett/Kade Ruotolo style matches than this unstoppable champ like Gordon because… if Gordon does lose, that magic vanishes, whereas if you have an organization built on guys that are exciting to watch win or lose—like a Charles Oliveira style—the organization itself is always guaranteed to deliver entertainment.”
Marketing
Jones shared his unconventional approach to building a career in jiu-jitsu despite not having an undefeated record like Ryan’s.
“Most of the time I only work with products or something if I can see some good fun to be had with it,” Jones explained. “I think part of the longevity of my career and making a career off of not winning – because I never have – is that we can provide value through social media and videos and stuff and push the sport forward that way.”
Jones delivered perhaps his most pointed advice about the reality of success in combat sports:
“Doesn’t matter how good a grappler you are, if you’re not playing the game, those fight offers aren’t going to come in. If you’re undefeated and have 300 Instagram followers, like no person’s going to invest in you, even from a sponsorship point of view, because it’s like, why? What’s the point? Your accomplishments in jiu-jitsu don’t matter as much as you think they do.”
Jones detailed how he and B Team innovated by creating their own YouTube channel:
“We didn’t want to rely on Fight Pass or FloGrappling or anything to use their digital media guys to create hype for our team because we felt that we’re now just giving them all the control over who’s famous and who’s not famous in the sport of grappling.”
This approach has paid dividends:
“It’s way easier for a B Team guy to get a super fight on a show because we can say ‘hey, you’ve got 400,000 subscribers, we’re going to heavily feature this guy in a YouTube video, give him an opportunity, you’re going to get attention from our YouTube.'”
Unified Future for Jiu-Jitsu
With his trademark humor intact throughout the interview, Jones has clearly moved past the acrimony of the DDS split and is looking toward building a more unified future for the sport of jiu-jitsu.
“That’s why CJI 2 will be better than CJI 1,” he concluded, suggesting that his vision for the future of grappling competitions continues to evolve.
By prioritizing entertainment value, storytelling, and strategic marketing over traditional competitive metrics, Jones is charting a path that could potentially transform how grappling athletes build sustainable careers.
Whether this path leads to eventual reconciliation with Gordon Ryan remains to be seen, but Jones’ willingness to mend bridges with John Danaher suggests that in the evolving world of professional jiu-jitsu, today’s rivals might be tomorrow’s business partners. For a sport still finding its footing as a mainstream attraction, this evolution toward professionalism and cooperation could signal a new and promising chapter.
