Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Felipe Pena has expressed his enthusiasm about potentially competing at the Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2) event scheduled for August this year.
In a recent episode of The Grapplers Perspective Podcast, the decorated grappler shared his thoughts on the upcoming team-based tournament.
“I definitely want to compete,” Pena stated. “It’s probably the biggest event of the year. There’s no ADCC this year.”
The two-time ADCC champion explained that he’s looking forward to participating in what promises to be an action-packed event featuring many of the sport’s elite athletes. According to Pena, the tournament’s team format makes it particularly special, as it will bring together approximately 40 of the world’s best grapplers.
“CJI is in this format where they can bring together eight teams with five athletes each team. So imagine that’s 40 athletes—like the best 40 athletes in the world,” Pena explained. “It’s a different format. When you do UFC Invitational or Who’s Number One, these types of events have around six to eight fights, maybe five top fights. That’s like 10 guys, 10 top fights. On the CJI, it will be like 40, so that definitely brings a lot of attention.”
While Pena is eager to compete, he mentioned that he still needs to determine team arrangements, as the event features a team-based format rather than individual competition.
“I just need to figure out how it’s going to be about the teams, if Gracie Barra is going to have a team or not, and how that’s going to play out,” he said.
The 33-year-old Brazilian competitor remains active despite his numerous achievements in the sport. He mentioned that he’s currently training regularly to keep improving his skills, with potential competitions lined up for May and June as well, though nothing has been confirmed yet.
With Gordon Ryan having publicly stated he won’t participate in the event, Pena believes this year’s CJI will feature a mix of established teams like New Wave along with mixed teams comprising various athletes from different affiliations.
As one of jiu-jitsu’s most accomplished competitors with multiple world championships to his name, Pena’s participation would add significant prestige to the CJI 2 event, potentially making it one of the most anticipated grappling tournaments of 2024.
