In a candid and amusing revelation during “On Borrowed Time with Craig Jones,” the notorious jiu-jitsu star shared the comical tale of his first experience with PEDs, which came courtesy of his local d*ug dealer.
Jones recounted the story while discussing his competitive history and relationship with fellow Australian grappling standout Lachlan Giles. After deciding he needed to gain weight for the 2017 ADCC Championships, Jones made the fateful decision to seek assistance.
“I remember the d*ug dealer gave me the first injection of ster*ids because he thought he knew how to do it,” Jones recounted with his characteristic humor. “He completely missed the mark and I swear he hit a bone in there or something, and I was hobbling around like I’d had a bad night at a gay bar for a while. Couldn’t pull guard for a while.”
The story emerged as part of a larger narrative about Jones’ competitive journey alongside Lachlan Giles. Jones explained that after competing at 80 kilos in the 88-kilo division at ADCC 2015, he realized he needed to actually be at the weight class to be competitive.
“I remember just being like, there’s no way I’m showing up to ADCC 2017 at 80 kilos again, giving up an 18 pound weight advantage here,” Jones explained. “I already was a s*itty Australian grappler facing the elite guys in the world. I’m not coming in light.”
According to Jones, the decision to use PEDs created some tension with his training partner Giles, who remained natural. “Lachlan being the clean athlete he is, I got to just take ster*ids and grow bigger. And we’d have scraps in the gym, but the size advantage helped me a lot,” Jones admitted. “And it would cause him great displeasure. And I got to have the revenge of just being a bit bigger, ster*ided up dude.”
Jones joked that his newfound size and strength baffled Giles: “He’d be like, ‘How did you get so much stronger and bigger overnight?’ You know, but I wouldn’t tell him. I told him it was the fruits and vegetables.”
The gamble apparently paid off, as 2017 would be Jones’ breakout ADCC performance, where he scored high-profile submissions over Leandro Lo and Murilo Santana.
Despite the irreverent tone of his story, Jones reflected on the circumstances with his typical self-deprecating humor, calling those physical transformations “the sacrifices you make for the sport.”
