In a major shakeup, Matheus Diniz has become the latest elite grappler to reject his invitation to ADCC 2024 and instead opt to compete at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (CJI). Diniz, the ADCC 2019 -88kg champion, was expected to be one of the top contenders in his weight class at ADCC this year. However, he has decided to drop down and join the stacked -80kg bracket at CJI instead.
The Brazilian star’s move highlights the massive prizes on offer at CJI, with $1 million going to the winners of both the under and over 80kg divisions. Diniz will face an extremely tough weight cut to make -80kg, but the lucrative potential payout has made it worthwhile for him and several other elite grapplers to change divisions.
Diniz isn’t the only former ADCC competitor dropping to -80kg for CJI. His longtime rival Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa, whom he has faced six times dating back to 2015, has also announced he will be competing at that weight.
Renato Canuto, Jozef Chen, Nicky Ryan are several of the names confirmed for the upto -80kg division.
Thus far the competition announced invites were handed out to Tackett brothers, Nicky Ryan, Nick Rodriguez, Jozef Chen, Luke Rockhold, Victor Hugo, Mason Fowler, Lucas Hulk Barbosa, Owen Livesay, Renato Canuto.
In making his decision, Diniz posted to Instagram about leaving ADCC 2024 for the CJI opportunity. His move is part of a larger shift, as top grapplers flock to CJI lured by the unprecedented eight-figure paydays on offer. While risky for promoter Craig Jones to go head-to-head with ADCC, it reflects his bold vision to disrupt the sport and force better athlete compensation.
