The Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) was supposed to be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s answer to stagnant prize money and outdated promotional models. After the rousing success of CJI 1 which directly challenged the ADCC World Championships and captured the imagination of the grappling community, expectations were sky-high for the sequel. However as CJI 2 approaches its August 30-31 dates at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, the event appears to be heading toward a financial disaster.
Craig Jones himself has admitted the event is on track to lose $800,000 due to underwhelming ticket sales with only 5,100 tickets sold when organizers had hoped for 6,500 by this point. The Google Trends data tells an even starker story—while CJI 1 generated massive search interest that peaked dramatically during its competition dates CJI 2 barely registers as a blip on the radar. So what went wrong?
The UFC Miscalculation
The most significant misstep appears to be Jones’ decision to pick a clash with the UFC‘s media machine—a battle he was never equipped to win. Following CJI 1’s success Jones was approached to coach on UFC’s BJJ reality series but allegedly played hardball in negotiations demanding more money. The result was swift and harsh: Jones was blacklisted and competitors who had previously been allowed to compete at CJI became exclusive to UFC programming.
Unlike his bold stance against ADCC Jones appeared notably timid when dealing with UFC seemingly afraid of being completely shut out from coaching opportunities and mentions. The UFC has a well-documented history of erasing MMA stars from their narrative when relationships sour—Randy Couture and Francis Ngannou being prime examples of stars who found themselves persona non grata despite their contributions to the sport.
Jones’ reluctance to publicly confirm UFC’s threats speaks volumes about the power imbalance. Instead he aired his grievances through his alternative Reddit account posting cryptically about being threatened with being banned from cornering UFC stars. This passive-aggressive approach stands in stark contrast to the direct confrontation that made CJI 1 such compelling viewing.
The Flograppling Partnership Fumble
In what appears to be a panic move following the UFC negotiations breakdown Jones signed a co-promotional deal with Flograppling. This partnership represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what made CJI 1 successful. Flograppling carries significant baggage within the BJJ community known for poor event promotion and a track record of disappointing productions.
Their flagship promotion BJJ Stars primarily serves a Brazilian audience and didn’t even originate on their platform. The awkwardness of this partnership was highlighted in a semi-recent clip where a “Who’s Number One” competitor when asked what the promotion’s belt means to him essentially responded that it means nothing.
Flograppling’s promotional power pales in comparison to the organic buzz Jones generated for CJI 1 and their preference for controlled sanitized interviews strips away the irreverent humor and authentic personality that made Jones a compelling figure in the first place.
A Protagonist Problem
Last year’s main event featured Jones facing Gabi Garcia—a matchup that captured imaginations far beyond the BJJ community due to its surreal David vs Goliath nature. The build-up was authentic funny and accessible to casual fans who might stumble across the story through Joe Rogan‘s podcast More Plates More Dates or Sean O’Malley‘s show.
This year’s opponent Olympic wrestling champion Gable Steveson presents multiple problems. Steveson lacks marketing appeal as evidenced by his status as one of WWE’s most significant flops regularly drawing boos from wrestling audiences. He appears uncommitted to promotional obligations and his MMA debut scheduled just two weeks after CJI suggests he may not even be seriously preparing for a jiu-jitsu-specific contest.
The promotional interviews Steveson has participated in through Flograppling have been toothless affairs that generated minimal buzz—a far cry from the organic viral moments that propelled CJI 1 into mainstream consciousness.
Internal Drama Overshadows the Event
Perhaps most damaging of all CJI 2’s promotional cycle has been overshadowed by the B-Team scandal. In May news broke that Jay Rodriguez was expelled from the team after allegedly keeping a folder of adult entertainers who resembled female B-Team members. As the team leader who reportedly made the decision to remove Rodriguez Jones found himself at the center of one of the biggest BJJ stories of the year—but unable to leverage it for promotional purposes.
This internal drama consumed much of the community’s attention and discussion that might otherwise have focused on building excitement for CJI 2. Instead of controlling the narrative around his event Jones became a reluctant participant in someone else’s controversy.
The Shrinking Echo Chamber
The promotional content that has been produced—primarily Jones’ Instagram reels—suffers from a fundamental problem: it’s reaching the same audience repeatedly. The content resonates within the existing BJJ community but fails to break through to new audiences. The wrestling community hasn’t rallied behind Steveson and without the crossover appeal that made CJI 1 special the event has struggled to expand beyond its core demographic.
The Bottom Line
CJI 2’s struggles illuminate the difference between disrupting an established but vulnerable target (ADCC) versus taking on a media juggernaut (UFC) without proper preparation or leverage. Jones’ decision to keep the event free through declining streaming deals shows admirable principles but principles don’t pay for venues flights and prize money.
The $800,000 loss Jones anticipates may be the price of learning that in the match game picking your battles isn’t just strategy—it’s survival.
Whether CJI can recover from this setback remains to be seen, but the contrast between the two events serves as a reminder that in combat sports, promotion, timing, matchmaking, and messaging are everything. Sometimes the most important clash isn’t the one that happens in the arena—it’s the one that happens in the court of public opinion, and that’s a battle CJI 2 is struggling to get ahead of.
