Grappling superstar Craig Jones has revealed that the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) did not actually terminate Seth Daniels’ employment following the controversial death threat incident surrounding the ADCC World Championships. Instead, the organization opted to relegate Daniels to a behind-the-scenes role.
Jones, who has been at the center of a heated dispute with ADCC organizers over athlete compensation, disclosed this information during a recent conversation. “Seth Daniels, the guy who threatened to kill me, he’s not even fired. He’s still working for ADCC, just not allowed to be at the event itself,” Jones stated on the latest episode of El Segundo.
This revelation comes as a surprise to many in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community who had assumed Daniels had been removed from his position entirely. The incident in question occurred after Jones announced his new tournament, the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI), which offers a grand prize of $1 million – a sum that dwarfs the ADCC’s prize money.
According to Jones, ADCC’s response to the threat was to alter Daniels’ role rather than terminate his employment. “They’ve basically just moved him behind the scenes. He’s still coordinating everything, still talking to the athletes, he’s just not allowed to be there at the event,” Jones explained. He added, “It’s crazy, right? You’d think they’d fire someone for sending death threats, but nope, ADCC just put him in a different role.”
This decision by ADCC raises questions about the organization’s handling of serious misconduct and its commitment to athlete safety. It also adds another layer to the ongoing controversy surrounding pay and treatment in the world of competitive grappling.
With Jones’s CJI offering unprecedented prize money and challenging the status quo, the pressure is mounting on established tournaments like ADCC to address these concerns.
