In what appears to be a calculated move laden with symbolism, Craig Jones has announced Helena Crevar as the first female athlete for Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2) while filming from Wales – the home country of his vocal detractor Ffion Davies.
Jones made the announcement via social media on Thursday, where he stood against the backdrop of the Welsh countryside, stating:
“It might look like I have some regrets of this women’s division highest paid person history as I admire the beauty of the ledge in this Welsh countryside but athlete number one in the highest paid women’s division in history is Helena Crevar at a team new wave August 30, 31st free on YouTube.”
The timing and location of the announcement appear to be a direct response to recent criticism from Welsh grappling star Ffion Davies, who called out Jones and CJI for not including women’s divisions in their events. Following her victory at UFC FP Invitational 11, Davies had stated emphatically,
“My stance is going to come as a female athlete and if you look at CJI, they don’t have a women’s division. I think they’re now being bullied into putting a women’s division on.”
The feud between Davies and Jones has intensified in recent weeks, with Jones indirectly criticizing Davies on his podcast “On Borrowed Time” for signing an exclusive contract with the UFC, which he suggested was self-serving rather than beneficial for women’s BJJ as a whole.
“We do have things in the works for women’s. We are being held back by competitors in the field that might potentially be blocking certain athletes from participating in our event,” Jones said, in what many interpreted as a reference to Davies.
“Especially certain athletes that do have quite a powerful woman’s agenda in the sport that might have simply thought about themselves and their contract, not what’s better for the female athlete population as a whole.”
Jones had previously hinted at plans for a women’s division with a $100,000 prize for a four-woman tournament. The selection of Helena Crevar as the first participant appears to be the initial step in fulfilling that promise.
Davies, who has established herself as one of the premier female grapplers globally, made her position clear:
“I wish CJI the best. I think it was a great show. I was really glad to be part of it. I think it made huge waves and there’s no questioning it was an amazing event,” she said. “But unless it’s a women’s division, I’m not interested.”
The announcement of Crevar for CJI 2, scheduled for August 30-31 and streamed free on YouTube, marks a significant development in what has become a public debate about opportunities for women in high-level grappling competitions.
What makes this especially interesting is that it appears that 18 year old Crevar was one of the only stars to not sign an UFC exclusive contract despite appearing on their show and marketing their latest product.
UPDATE: Craig Jones has since clarified that this wasn’t intentional writing: “I wish this was intentional but I’m here for a seminar. I filmed this in Bristol and pretended it was in wales to troll the welsh”
