Few figures are as innovative and outspoken as submission grappling superstar Craig Jones. The Australian black belt is revolutionizing how jiu-jitsu is presented to mainstream audiences, and his latest comments reflect his mission to broaden the sport’s appeal.
“I’m a WWE fan, and again, I always emphasize this enough – if people will watch fake wrestling, surely we can convince them to watch real wrestling,”
Jones remarked during a recent discussion about his upcoming Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2) event.
Jones, who has been making waves with his entertaining approach to competition, believes jiu-jitsu can learn valuable lessons from professional wrestling’s mass appeal.
“I believe wrestling, professional wrestling, originated where they would have real matches and people found it boring,” Jones explained. “So then they’d say, ‘Let’s… we want the winner to win, so let’s have a secret scrap before.’ And then whoever wins, they would coordinate a fake wrestling match for the fans that would be exciting.”
This philosophy of prioritizing entertainment while maintaining competitive integrity is at the heart of CJI 2, which promises several innovations to make submission grappling more accessible to casual viewers.
The event will feature a hybrid Quintet format inspired by Kazushi Sakuraba‘s team grappling concept but with significant modifications – including legal heel hooks. Most notably, CJI 2 will incorporate a “Royal Rumble” style team selection process where coaches must make split-second decisions about which athlete to send out next.
“It’s going to be crazy to submit a guy and just be looking at a 10-second timer of being like, who the f*** are they sending out next? And I think that aspect of it will be really, really exciting,”
said Jones.
The second edition follows the wildly successful inaugural event that raised $750,000 for charity through the Fairfight Foundation. CJI 2 continues this philanthropic mission by partnering with the Guardian Project to build an academy in Manora, Peru that will serve over 300 children.
Among the biggest announcements for CJI 2 is the appointment of Standard Jiu-Jitsu Academy’s Greg Souders as coach for the America’s Misfits team, while Coach Faris will lead the European Misfits team.
Perhaps most intriguing is Jones’ own super fight against Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson. Jones compared Steveson to his previous opponent Gabi Garcia, describing him as “the male equivalent of Gabby, but just a hell of a lot more athletic.”
The event is strategically scheduled to follow Masters Worlds weekend in Las Vegas, potentially capturing an audience of jiu-jitsu enthusiasts already in town. As Jones humorously put it:
“Remember what our sport is. Our sport is a bunch of white, blue, and purple belt, recently divorced guys trying to get back in shape… fighting to the death. And they do that in Vegas every year at the Masters Worlds. Those people be wanting to watch CJI.”
With his trademark blend of competitive excellence and entertainment savvy, Jones continues pushing the boundaries of how jiu-jitsu is presented and consumed. If his vision succeeds, the days of submission grappling being considered too technical or boring for mainstream audiences may soon be tapped out.
