Craig Jones appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and offered an assessment of the upcoming ADCC, suggesting the event may not carry the weight it once did in the grappling world.
Speaking from Tulum, Mexico, where he is in the process of launching a new B Team training facility, Jones told Helwani that several notable names are expected to sit out this year’s event, which is set to take place in Poland. He pointed to tight UFC BJJ contracts as one barrier, but suggested a broader issue is also at play.
“A lot of the guys aren’t doing it,” Jones said. “UFC BJJ, their contracts are pretty tight. But also, I think people know it’s not going to be as big this year. So some of the competitors just aren’t going to do it.”
For Jones, the development is a difficult one to accept.
“It’s sad because ADCC has been our Olympics for so long and now I think this year’s not going to do as well,” he said.
Jones also addressed a controversial roster situation involving competitor Izaak Michell, who remained on the ADCC competitor list for an extended period despite reportedly being the subject of an active arrest warrant in the United States in connection with alleged s3xual assault cases. Michell has allegedly been avoiding a return to the US to face those charges. Jones said he had been pressuring ADCC organizers to act.
“I kept asking him, can we just pull him from the list? Can we just set a precedent here that if you’re avoiding facing up to cri*inal accusations with an active arrest warrant, you should not be allowed in the event, even though it’s in another country and it’s not going to extradite you?” Jones said.
“We got there in the end, but it took a very, very long time. Obviously innocent until proven guilty, but if you evade jurisdiction in which you could prove your innocence… just remove him from the list.”
With top names making calculated decisions about where to compete, the 2026 edition in Poland faces a field that may fall short of past years.
