The recent drama surrounding Gordon Ryan‘s extensive criticism of Craig Jones Invitational 2 has brought renewed attention to various grievances against the tournament organizers. However one particular claim that has been treated as breaking news by some outlets – that Izaak Michell was banned from competing at CJI 2 – is anything but revelatory.
In fact Craig Jones was completely transparent about Michell’s exclusion from his events months before CJI 2 took place. When questioned directly about the situation on Reddit three months ago Jones provided a straightforward explanation:
“Izaak threatened to sue me over his visa I sponsored. I gave him time to find a new sponsor. I will never sign a contract with him again for any entity I own. It ain’t that deep.”
This candid response came after speculation about Michell’s absence from the tournament roster with Jones clarifying that the ban stemmed from business disputes rather than personal animosity. The visa sponsorship issue appears to have created legal complications that Jones was unwilling to navigate again.
Michell himself recently addressed his absence from CJI 2 on social media stating:
“For all those asking why I didn’t compete on cji. Danaher and Gordon invited me to compete on Team New Wave. (I wasn’t invited to be on Team Australia) but I was blocked from competing in these cji events.”
The Australian BJJ acknowledged the situation while maintaining a professional tone adding that he believes he
“will be competing soon representing @kingsway_hq and Australian Jiu jitsu.”
What makes the recent coverage of this “revelation” particularly puzzling is how openly Jones discussed the matter months ago. His explanation on Reddit was direct and unambiguous leaving little room for speculation about the circumstances. A follow-up comment from another user even suggested Jones could include contractual clauses to prevent future legal complications similar to liability waivers.
The Michell situation adds another layer to Gordon Ryan‘s extensive list of grievances against CJI 2 though it’s worth noting that Jones had already addressed this particular issue with complete transparency. Ryan‘s claim that New Wave was
“the only team denied the
