In a characteristically humorous interview with Chris Williamson, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star Craig Jones shared his unfiltered views on the ongoing rivalry between wrestling and BJJ, delivering a provocative analysis of why he believes jiu-jitsu practitioners have the upper hand.
Jones, who has made waves in the grappling community for both his technical prowess and irreverent personality, didn’t hold back when describing the fundamental differences between wrestlers and BJJ practitioners.
“You’re not going to have the most intelligent human being in the sport of wrestling, like some of us, articulate, high social skills, people in jiu-jitsu,” Jones quipped. “It’s basically jocks versus autistic people. We’re going to win the war.”
The Australian grappling sensation explained that while wrestlers excel at takedowns and initiating action, they often lack follow-through once the match hits the ground.
“They have the takedown. They have the initiation, but they have no follow-up. They’re confused. It’s like a dog chasing a car. They don’t know what to do once they get it,” Jones said.
This gap in skill sets, according to Jones, creates the perfect opening for BJJ practitioners to capitalize.
“In wrestling, they get the pin. It’s over. The referee saves them. They stand back up. That’s where jiu-jitsu takes us.”
When discussing his potential match with Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson, Jones maintained his trademark confidence, suggesting his strategy would be simple:
“I’m just going to come out, sit down. He’s going to come forward… and gets leg locked straight away.”
Beyond individual matchups, Jones also discussed his vision for elevating the sport of grappling through entertainment value. Drawing inspiration from professional wrestling, Jones aims to incorporate more theatrical elements and compelling storylines to engage audiences.
“If fake grappling is one of the most entertaining things in the world, WWE, why can real grappling not be that?”
He emphasized the importance of investing in narratives and athlete personalities to make the sport more accessible and exciting to viewers.
Jones playfully suggested that the UFC reached out to him specifically to help Jack Della beat wrestling-oriented stars like Belal Muhammad.
“UFC basically called me. They said, ‘Can you help us out? Can you help Jack Della beat Belal Muhammad?’ And we just fixed this wrestling overnight. So now we’ve got exciting strikers taking the belts,” Jones remarked.
Jones pointed out that in traditional wrestling, scoring a pin ends the match, but in MMA,the action continues on the ground – which is where jiu-jitsu practitioners excel.
“In wrestling, they get the pin. It’s over. The referee saves them. They stand back up. That’s where jiu-jitsu takes over,” he explained.
For Jones, the solution can be surprisingly straightforward:
“Get taken down. That’s what we take over.”
Jones extended his commentary to the business of grappling competitions, revealing his new partnership with FloGrappling that he described as “the most lucrative contract in grappling history.”
Jones expressed concern about monopolization in the sport and emphasized the importance of maintaining competitive marketplaces for athletes’ leverage in negotiations. He’s passionate about making grappling more exciting for audiences, drawing inspiration from professional wrestling’s theatrical elements while maintaining the sport’s competitive integrity.
“Anything’s exciting if there’s a storyline,” Jones said, highlighting the importance of narrative in combat sports. “The more we invest in the story, whether it’s fake or real, the more we get people invested in each of the individual athletes or the teams, the more excited you are going to be to watch it take place.”
Whether his predictions about BJJ’s dominance over wrestling prove accurate remains to be seen, but his colorful commentary ensures the conversation remains anything but boring.
CJI 2 happens Aug. 30–31, 2025, inside Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
