Craig Jones has just announced that CJI 2 will feature a change of format, as the second edition of event will be a team grappling tournament instead. The Craig Jones Invitational was a ground-breaking event that quite literally changed the course of Jiu-Jitsu history. In a sport that is famous for not having very much money involved, Jones managed to pay two champions a million dollars each. It was the biggest prize money in the history of the sport and it set the bar so high, that it’s unlikely that another promotion is going to be able to match that amount any time soon.
Jones made the prediction that a million-dollar prize would bring out the very best grappling on the mats and the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational proved that to be true. It was an incredible event with non-stop action over the course of two days, as a ton of elite grapplers from all around the world laid it all on the line for a chance at the grand prize. Although it was very clearly a huge success with the fans, one of the biggest questions around the event was whether or not it would be returning again. Jones said that he would be bringing it back in 2025 as soon as the first event had ended, but many people were still skeptical.
After a few months of silence, Jones confirmed just a few weeks ago that he had secured the funding his second event and that it would take place in August 2025. Now the first real piece of information about CJI 2 has been announced, and it’s the fact that Jones is switching things up. Instead of two brackets of 16 competitors, CJI 2 will feature 8 teams competing in a Quintet-style tournament. This means that each team will field 5 competitors weighing in under a total weight-limit and they will battle it out until all five members of one team have been eliminated, and the other team progresses in the tournament.
Jones made the announcement himself:
”Guys, grappling is boring. Stalling is boring. People being afraid to be submitted is boring. For CJI 2 we’re mixing this up. We’re gonna do 8 teams battling for a million dollars. Last time we found out who the two best athletes in the world were. That was Kade Ruotolo and Nicky (Rodriguez), and we paid them both a million. Now we’re gonna find out who is the best team in the world. ATOS, New Wave, B-Team, Checkmat, Gracie Barra, 10th Planet, whatever teams and lets see who truly is the best team in the world. Quintet-style, last man standing, team vs team is the most exciting form of grappling and that’s what is gonna be the bulk of this show. But we’re also gonna have a few crazy superfights…”
Craig Jones announced the news that CJI 2 will be a team grappling tournament in 2025 in a recent video uploaded to the official YouTube channel of B-Team Jiu-Jitsu:
