Craig Jones addressed his Craig Jones Invitational event directly during a Q&A session for The B-Team channel, touching on the tournament’s future, its charitable legacy, and what fans can expect when it returns.
On the subject of prize money, Jones confirmed that CJI 3 will be operating in pesos given his current base in Tulum, Mexico. “We are down here in Mexico now, so we’re operating in pesos,” he said. “We’re going to give out $60,000.”
He framed the shift as a practical one, noting that handing out a million US dollars to athletes who would, in his words, “waste it on a truck or an ATV” was not the direction he wanted to go. He did leave open the possibility of the event taking on a different creative direction, saying it “could have been CJI 3 record label vibe, maybe,” though he left that idea deliberately vague.
Jones was more forthcoming when reflecting on the charitable work tied to the previous two tournaments. He outlined how each event contributed differently to the Fair Five Foundation and its partnership with Guardian.
“CJI 1 threw a lot of donations out in terms of lump sums,” he explained. “CJI 2, we partnered with Guardian. We still partner with Guardian and we’re building schools all around the world for the sort of impoverished, jiu-jitsu teachers in a good environment, discipline, respect, humility.”
That partnership is ongoing, with Jones confirming the Foundation is currently building schools across multiple countries, including three in Africa.
As for the return of CJI itself, Jones confirmed it is coming back in 2027, though he managed expectations around the financial side of things.
“Obviously I’m not good with finances, so don’t expect a million dollars again, but expect something exciting to happen,” he said.
He then added, with characteristic bluntness, “CJI’s back… If it ain’t in the pit, it ain’t s**t.”
Jones also addressed broader feelings about the tournament’s history, specifically whether he felt taken advantage of by athletes who built their profiles through CJI. He said he did not feel used, acknowledging that everyone operates in their own self-interest in individual sports, but he did note that the platform and the format were largely his creation.
“I created the platform and created a tournament of which they won,” he said. “In hindsight, sure, I wish I had embezzled $7 million into my bank account, but I didn’t. And I’m happy for them to have it.”
