In a recent episode of “On Borrowed Time,” grappling superstar Craig Jones addressed the growing demand for women’s divisions in his Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) events, while indirectly criticizing a ‘prominent female athlete’ for what he perceives as hypocrisy.
During the interview, Jones responded to fans asking about the absence of women’s divisions in his tournaments. He explained the financial realities of organizing such events, noting that he personally takes on the financial risk.
“It’s very difficult. Like, if we’re taking loans, you take a loan from a bank, they want to know what you’re going to do with that money. They want to know it’s basically a solid business plan,” Jones explained. “I’m not getting government grants for this. Where they want to know we’re going to be able to pay back that loan or it’s on my head.”
Jones then suggested that if women feel strongly about having their own division, they should be willing to invest their own money.
“I would suggest that if there’s a woman out there that feels confident that she can take a loan against her personal assets and put on a 16-woman division and is confident that she can through the sale of tickets and sponsorships, make that money back. Then maybe we can talk and you can put your money where your mouth is.”
In a more pointed comment, Jones appeared to reference Ffion Davies without naming her directly, suggesting that certain athletes are prioritizing personal gain over the advancement of women’s BJJ as a whole.
“We do have things in the works for women’s. We are being held back by competitors in the field that might potentially be blocking certain athletes from participating in our event. Especially certain athletes that do have quite a powerful woman’s agenda in the sport that might have simply thought about themselves and their contract, not what’s better for the female athlete population as a whole.”
This apparent criticism comes after Davies, a vocal advocate for women’s equality in jiu-jitsu, reportedly signed an exclusive deal with the UFC, which will prevent her and other female athletes signed with the UFC from participating in competing events like CJI.
Despite the criticism, Jones did hint that there are plans for women’s divisions in future CJI events, though he didn’t provide specific details during the interview.
Later in the show, a note was added mentioning that Jones had posted about a women’s division with a $100,000 prize for a four-woman tournament, indicating that despite his criticisms, he is working toward including women in his event this year as well.
