“When Craig reached out about this, I had no recollection of who he was. I just figured he was a promoter,” Steveson candidly revealed during the interview.
Olympic wrestling champion Gable Steveson made a surprising revelation during a recent appearance on the FloGrappling Show that has added another layer of intrigue to his upcoming Craig Jones Invitational 2 match. When asked about his initial communication with Craig Jones regarding their highly anticipated superfight, Steveson admitted he had absolutely no idea who the Australian grappler was.
“I didn’t know the backstory and I didn’t know Gordon Ryan was a guy that was beating him before,” Steveson said, referencing the well-documented rivalry between Jones and Gordon Ryan.
Steveson’s unfamiliarity with Jones extended beyond just not knowing his name. The Olympic gold medalist explained that he wasn’t aware of Jones’ reputation in the jiu-jitsu world or his history with other top grapplers.
The revelation becomes even more interesting when considering Steveson’s connection to the grappling world through his training with Gordon Ryan and Jon Jones‘ fight camp. Despite being around elite grapplers, Steveson’s focus remained primarily on wrestling and MMA preparation, leaving him unaware of jiu-jitsu’s biggest personalities and storylines.
“I was with Gordon Ryan and preferably I think that’s the best grappler on the planet,” Steveson explained. “So when Craig reached out about this I had no recollection of who he was.”
This statement highlights how even within the grappling community, there can be distinct bubbles where elite athletes operate without crossing paths or awareness.
Steveson’s honesty about his initial ignorance regarding Jones adds an authentic element to what many might have assumed was a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign. Rather than pretending to be familiar with his opponent’s accomplishments, the Olympic champion was refreshingly direct about his perspective entering the matchup.
The lack of familiarity hasn’t diminished Steveson’s confidence however. Throughout the interview, he maintained his characteristic swagger, suggesting that Jones sought him out because he “wanted to face one of the best wrestlers on the planet.” Steveson positioned himself as doing Craig “the favor of being in a ring with someone legitimate.”
Rather than being the result of long-standing rivalry or mutual respect between competitors, it appears to have been more of a business proposition that Steveson agreed to without fully understanding his opponent’s stature in the jiu-jitsu world.
The dynamic creates an interesting narrative heading into CJI 2. On one side, there’s Craig Jones, a veteran of the jiu-jitsu scene with a massive following and deep knowledge of the sport’s personalities and politics. On the other side, there’s Gable Steveson, an Olympic champion who initially viewed his opponent as simply “a promoter” rather than a legitimate threat or respected competitor.
Despite their shared foundation in grappling, the wrestling and jiu-jitsu communities can operate as separate entities with their own stars, storylines and hierarchies that don’t always intersect until moments like these force them together.
