Craig Jones has announced a new partnership with FloGrappling, signaling what appears to be the end of his contentious relationship with the former ADCC promoter.
During the latest episode of “On Borrowed Time with Craig Jones,” the B-Team leader revealed details about his new working relationship with FloGrappling, despite a recent incident where he was allegedly “arrested” at their offices.
“We do have an announcement and there will be a more formal announcement about my partnership with FloGrappling,” Jones stated. “The enemy of my enemy becomes my friend here.”
The collaboration comes after FloGrappling experienced a change in leadership with Ben Kovacs taking over as general manager. Kovacs co-founded with Guardian, which is partnered with Jones for CJI.
“I do have to apologize to absolutely no one cuz it’s still going to be free on YouTube and I’m going to be working with FloGrappling.”
The Australian grappler acknowledged the unexpected nature of this partnership, noting, “What a massive liability it is for me to sign a contract to work with them. I think their lawyers and HR department are aware of what a liability it is.”
According to Jones, the collaboration is aimed at growing the sport of jiu-jitsu and combating exclusive contracts that limit athlete participation across different promotions.
“My goal is to really grow the sport,” Jones explained. “So, that’s really where all this comes from is I want to blow it up. And now I can blow it up even further on a massive company’s budget.”
Perhaps most surprisingly, Jones also revealed he has reconciled with Mo Jassim, the ADCC promoter with whom he had a very public feud during the lead-up to the competing events of ADCC 2024 and the inaugural CJI.
“We’ve united again. The brothership’s on again. We have come together for a common good here,” Jones said. “Obviously, I put him through a hell of a year last year. I do apologize for that. Occasionally I take things too far, but it’s nothing we can’t move beyond.”
The newfound alliance appears to be part of Jones’s strategy to try and compete with the behemoth that is the UFC.
That’s not just about money—it’s about leverage. The UFC has started locking top grapplers into exclusive contracts to prop up its own content ambitions, enlisting names like Gordon Ryan and Mikey Musumeci. But Ryan’s health issues seem career-ending, and Musumeci weighs about half of a healthy Gordon—making the prospect of their showdown little more than marketing fiction.
The second CJI event is scheduled for August, featuring a team-based Quintet format and headlined by Jones facing Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson.
