This article is part of our Craig Jones Invitational 2024 coverage. To get live results, play by play, and commentary, we’ll have a live updates article running all weekend.
Both of the Ruotolo brothers, Kade and Tye, have just made the decision to leave ADCC 2024 in order to compete at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational instead. This is the latest in a series of huge announcements that CJI have made since their inception, as Craig Jones has successfully encouraged dozens of elite grapplers to join his tournament. Not all of it is down to Jones’ negotiation skills though of course, as the main attraction for any prospective competitors is undoubtedly the million-dollar grand prize on the line for whoever wins one of the two brackets.
Kade Ruotolo was supposed to be competing in the under 77kg division at ADCC, where he was one of the favorites to win the entire division. Not only is he an incredible grappler in general but he was also the returning champion after winning the division back at ADCC 2022. Now he’ll be moving up in weight slightly for the Craig Jones Invitational, as he will be competing in their under 80kg division and he should be considered one of the top contenders to take home the title there as well even though the lineup is incredible.
Tye Ruotolo was supposed to be competing in the under 88kg division at ADCC 2024 and even though he went out in the opening round of that division back in 2022, he proved that he belonged among the best regardless. That’s because he returned in the absolute division and had three incredible performances in a row to take home the bronze medal. Tye will actually be moving down in weight, as he will be entering the same division as his brother Kade at the Craig Jones Invitational. This means they might end up facing one another in the tournament but that wouldn’t be a big deal for them, as they’ve actually gone to war with one another on the mats before.
The Craig Jones Invitational announced the news that both of the Ruotolo brothers had left ADCC 2024 to join their tournament instead in a recent post to their official Instagram account:
