In a reversal, the anonymous benefactor who pledged $1 million to New Wave Jiu-Jitsu following their controversial Craig Jones Invitational 2 loss has officially withdrawn the offer, admitting he was “misled” about the circumstances surrounding the team tournament finale.
The dramatic about-face comes just days after the mysterious donor initially announced plans to compensate New Wave for what appeared to be an unjust defeat to B-Team in the tournament’s climactic team competition. However, after reviewing additional evidence and contractual details that were previously withheld, the benefactor has concluded that B-Team’s victory was legitimate.
“I was wrong. B-Team won,”
declared the donor in a detailed social media post that outlined the key factors behind his changed perspective. The reversal centers on previously undisclosed information about the tournament’s rules structure and athlete contracts that fundamentally altered his understanding of the controversial decision.
The crux of the confusion lay in what appeared to be contradictory tiebreaking rules. While one provision stated that
“the team with more individual wins by judges’ decision wins”
in cases of multiple double eliminations—which would have favored New Wave’s 3-2 match advantage—another rule specified that tied scorecards should be resolved by awarding victory to
“the team whose athlete won the final bout.”
The critical revelation came in the form of a contractual clause that the donor had not previously seen. Section 4.2 of the athlete contracts explicitly states that
“any inconsistencies or matters not specifically addressed in the CJI Rules, will be resolved, determined and/or nominated at the sole discretion of CJI.”
This, combined with access to recordings of pre-tournament rules meetings and evidence of how New Wave argued their case immediately following the event, convinced the donor that his initial assessment was flawed. He noted that on the night of the competition, New Wave’s protests focused solely on scoring decisions rather than tiebreaker rule interpretations, suggesting even they understood the
“last bout wins”
principle at the time.
“I jumped the gun before knowing all of the facts (in some ways I feel actively misled), and now that I know them, I think B-Team won, the judges made the right decision, and New Wave do not deserve $1m nor do they have any claim to overturn the decision,”
the benefactor explained.
The donor emphasized that his reversal was based on principle rather than financial considerations.
“It’s not about the money, it’s about doing what’s right/fair. I’m not gonna let a bunch of loud people complaining or threatening get rewarded for that behavior.”
Craig Jones himself confirmed the development with characteristic brevity, posting simply
“Offer rescinded. Ya lost. No prizes for second place.”
He later added that the withdrawal actually benefits his promotion, noting
“CJI 3 funded”
in reference to the million dollars remaining available for future events.
The news has left New Wave’s athletes in a particularly difficult position, having spent days believing they would receive substantial compensation for their tournament performance. The team’s members, including Giancarlo Bodoni, Luke Griffith and Dorian Olivarez, now find themselves empty-handed despite their impressive showing at the event.
Gordon Ryan, who had been the most vocal critic of the tournament’s judging and organization, responded to the announcement with characteristic defiance, posting
“Crooked jones invitational full breakdown coming soon. New wave isnt getting paid.. surprise”
on social media.
While the donor acknowledged that his initial reaction was based on incomplete information, the public nature of both his original offer and its withdrawal has created an unprecedented situation in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
For New Wave, the roller coaster of emotions—from devastating loss to promised redemption to final disappointment—represents one of the most dramatic chapters in recent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu history.
