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.
Levi Jones-Leary has just added his name to the list of elite grapplers who have decided to withdraw from ADCC 2024 in order to compete at the Craig Jones Invitational instead. He will no doubt be sorely missed from the under 77kg division at the tournament, as he is one of the most unique competitors around with a game that not many people can emulate at ADCC. Jones-Leary was primarily a gi grappler with a heavy focus on berimbolos and taking the back for quite a long time and when he started to compete in no gi more often, he was able to make that same approach work there too.
He made a huge impact at the welterweight grand prix at Polaris 27, making it all the way to the final of an incredibly tough bracket and showcasing his ability to take anyone’s back to the world. That performance allowed him to break into the top of the division’s rankings and establish himself as a serious threat, but the best was yet to come for the young Australian black belt. He then stormed through the ADCC Asia and Oceania Trials 2024, winning a packed under 77kg division with a string of excellent performances that included a win over ADCC veteran Jeremy Skinner in the final.
Although he might not have been seen as the favorite to win the under 77kg division at ADCC 2024, Levi Jones-Leary was undoubtedly going to be one to watch and now he’ll be taking that threat over to the Craig Jones Invitational instead. He will be entering a challenging under 80kg division where some of the best competitors in the world will be waiting for him, including Jozef Chen; who will no doubt be eager for a rematch after losing on points to him in the semi-final of the Polaris welterweight grand prix.
The Craig Jones Invitational announced the news that Levi Jones-Leary was leaving ADCC 2024 in order to enter CJI in a recent post to their official Instagram account:
