The Craig Jones Invitational 2025 (CJI 2) is scheduled to take place across August 30th and 31st, 2025 and we’ve put together a full preview of the team tournament. The lineup for CJI 2 is very impressive, as the 40 men competing are all among the very best grapplers in the world. The team format marks a big change from the inaugural CJI last year and it will lead to wildly different storylines too. There will be plenty more crazy and unique matchups this time around too, as the battles between competitors of different weight classes will be something that you’ll rarely see in other events.
Click here to see our full preview of the CJI 2 women’s $100,000 tournament.
Craig Jones Invitational 2025 (CJI 2) Team Tournament Full Preview
There are 8 teams competing at CJI 2 and each one has had to select one competitor to represent them in each of the five traditional ADCC weight classes. They won’t stay within those weight classes though, as each team’s coach will choose who to send out for each match. Not only does that mean that there will be some unusual matchups, but it also means that there will be an additional layer of tactics involved. Sending out the right competitor at the right time could be the difference between winning and losing, but some of these teams simply have better options available to them and have a higher chance of success.
The Favorites
ATOS
There’s no doubt about, ATOS are going to be incredibly tough to deal with. They have strong competitors in every weight class but their biggest strength is at either end of the scale. Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira is their under 66kg competitor and he can submit pretty much anyone in the world, no matter the size difference. Then at under and over 99kg they have the twin threats of Kaynan Duarte and Felipe Pena, who are the last two ADCC absolute world champions. Their final two representatives are the weaker links by comparison, but Ronaldo Junior at under 77kg and Lucas ‘Hulk’ Barbosa at under 88kg are both very tough to submit. Their first matchup is against Team Misfits Europe too, so they have a very favorable opening round and the talent pool to go much further than that.
New Wave Jiu-Jitsu
New Wave Jiu-Jitsu have put together an excellent team but much like ATOS, one of their biggest threats is their wildcard. Mica Galvao is in at under 77kg and he rarely loses any matches at all, while two-time ADCC world champion Giancarlo Bodoni is in a similar situation as their under 99kg representative. Then at over 99kg they have Luke Griffith, who is coming off a silver medal at ADCC 2024 and very nearly beat Pena in the final. Dorian Olivarez is New Wave’s lightest competitor and the young star’s aggressive style is enough to break seasoned competitors, while Vagner Rocha is their late addition at under 88kg who can turn any match into a gritty battle. New Wave have solid options to choose from and what should be one of the easier stylistic matchups in the opening round against Team Misfits Americas.
The Contenders
B-Team Jiu-Jitsu
B-Team Jiu-Jitsu are definitely one of the top teams in the bracket but they also have the toughest opening round match against Pedigo Submission Fighting. What makes them the slight favorites there are their two biggest competitors, as they have returning champion Nicky Rodriguez at under 99kg and Victor Hugo as a wildcard at over 99kg. Chris Wojcik is a strong option at under 88kg as not only is he one of the best leglockers in the world, but he’s also beaten bigger opponents before. They also have Jozef Chen and Ethan Crelinsten at under 77kg and under 66kg respectively and although they will both do well within those weight classes, they may not fare as well against some of the bigger opponents.
Pedigo Submission Fighting
The Daisy Fresh team are packing some serious firepower and there’s multiple teams that they would be the favorite against, but their opening round match against B-Team is going to make their run very difficult. Dante Leon is probably their biggest asset, as he’s one of the best under 77kg competitors in the world and often beats bigger opponents. Jacob Couch is not far behind him though and he will also be a problem at under 88kg, while their lightest competitor Max Hanson might surprise some of the more experienced grapplers. Their under and over 99kg competitors, Michael Pixley and Brandon Reed, are not notorious finishers but they are both very tough to submit and could take out plenty of lighter opponents.
The Dark Horses
Team Misfits Australasia
The strongest member of the Australasian team is also their lightest, the wildcard entry Fabricio Andrey. He has some amazing performances in absolute divisions and doesn’t get submitted often, but the continent is lacking some of the firepower elsewhere that other teams have. Kenta Iwamoto and Declan Moody are their most established contenders at under 77kg and 99kg respectively, but there’s some seriously tough matches waiting for them. Lucas Kanard had a great submission win over Victor Hugo at the last CJI but is largely unproven otherwise, and Belal Etiabari is much the same. It’s not likely that Australasia take home the title, but their first round match is against 10th Planet and that’s a winnable one.
Team Misfits Europe
Europe’s strength lies in the lighter half of their competitors, as Owen Jones and Pawel Jaworski are both excellent submission-hunters at under 66kg and under 77kg. They have their own wildcard at under 88kg in Paul Ardila and he’s a multiple-time ADCC Trials winner, so he has what it takes to beat a lot of this lineup. Their heaviest competitors are where they might struggle, as both Charles Negromonte and Marcin Maciulewicz are elite grapplers but will likely struggle against most of the team put out by their first round opponents; ATOS.
The Underdogs
Team Misfits Americas
The Americas actually probably have the weakest lineup out of the whole event, but the team format can lead to plenty of surprises. They have Gavin Corbe and Deandre Corbe at under 66kg and under 77kg, but they also have New Wave in the first round and it’s tough to see them beating anyone in their lineup. Pat Downey is in a similar boat at over 99kg but his size and wrestling ability might be enough to give him a win if he comes up against smaller opponents. Their best chances probably lie in Elijah Dorsey at under 88kg and elite leglocker Taylor Pearman at under 99kg, but that probably won’t be enough to carry them to the final.
10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu
10th Planet do have the ability to beat some of the teams here but their first matchup with Australasia is a tough one stylistically, and it’s going to get tougher from there. Geo Martinez has excelled in team grappling events before but CJI 2 is a whole new level and some of the other 66kg competitors are among the best in the world. Alan Sanchez is pretty unproven at this level but he has had some good results on smaller stages and could do well, while Kyle Boehm has had mixed results at the highest level and is a little undersized as their heaviest competitor. The biggest problems for anyone to solve when facing 10th Planet will be PJ Barch at under 88kg and Ryan Aitken at under 99kg, but it remains to be seem if that’s enough for them to win.
The Craig Jones Invitational 2025 (CJI 2) including every team in the above preview, will be available to watch live on August 30th and 31st, 2025 on the official B-Team Jiu-Jitsu YouTube channel.
