Giancarlo Bodoni, the two-time ADCC gold medalist in the 88kg division, recently shared his insights on the upcoming Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) format compared to ADCC’s ruleset during an appearance on The Grapplers Perspective Podcast.
Bodoni‘s next major competition will be CJI, but he’s no stranger to team-based events. He previously competed in the AIGA tournament last year and will return to that event in late June before CJI.
“This would be like the biggest team event for sure,” Bodoni said about CJI2. He expressed enthusiasm for team formats, comparing the energy to collegiate wrestling duels he witnessed at the University of Iowa.
“I really like the dual format,” Bodoni explained. “You like get behind each other and everybody’s screaming in the corner… it just brings the intensity up and it makes it interesting for the audience. It also gets you emotionally invested as an athlete and as an audience member.”
The Pit
“Now you have to deal with the fact that you’re being pinned up against the pit wall or the cage. That makes a huge difference. Makes it hard to stand up. Makes it really hard to sweep people.”
Strategic Adjustments
“I’ve been doing more and more rounds up against the wall in the training room. That changes the whole takedown game. It changes the ability to hold people down in top position.”
Round Structure
While ADCC features longer rounds with protected scoring periods, CJI uses shorter rounds with breaks between them.
Despite these differences, Bodoni believes fundamental jiu-jitsu principles remain effective across all formats: “If your game is focused around pinning somebody and taking somebody’s back… independent of the rule set, you’re always going to be solid.”
Challenge Comparison
“I don’t think it’s necessarily that one style is more challenging than the other. You’re obviously going to have people that are more suited to certain rule sets based around their attributes, their styles, and their personalities.”
Rather than viewing one format as inherently more difficult, Bodoni sees it as a tactical challenge: “How do I get to the positions that I know I’m good at within that framework that’s allowed?”
He explained how his ADCC strategy was built around 30-minute matches and managing his opponent’s energy expenditure: “I wear them out and by the end of the match, they’re just exhausted and I’m kind of just starting to reach my peak.”
With CJI’s shorter rounds, Bodoni acknowledges he’ll need to adjust: “When I’m going in and I’m training, I know that I have to make things happen quickly.”
Bodoni remains confident in his ability to adapt, stating: “At least for me, I want to be able to compete in all different rule sets and still perform at a high level, still be able to beat guys.”
Bodoni‘s methodical approach to adapting his elite skills to the new format demonstrates why he remains one of the sport’s most formidable competitors across any ruleset.
