Craig Jones is widely regarded as an expert on leglocks and he shot to fame by specializing in applying them from 50/50 to begin with. That position is notorious for being one where both competitors have the exact same options available to them, as the name implies. For this reason, anyone who is going to work on attacking the legs from 50/50 must also learn to defend those same attacks and Jones recently sat down with Bernardo Faria to explain one of his secrets for shutting down his opponent in 50/50. The resulting video was then uploaded to the official YouTube channel for BJJ Fanatics founder Faria.
Craig Jones has demonstrated his proficiency for leglocks from 50/50 on several occasions over the years, including his most recent matchup against Ronaldo Junior at Who’s Number One. With any position, it’s always vital to learn the counters and attacks available to your opponent, but nowhere is this more obvious than in 50/50. Jones explains that the majority of his defensive prowess in the position actually stems from a simple, yet highly effective, grip that he takes in order to shut down his opponent’s attacks.
Jones has been in headlines quite a lot lately as he’s been preparing for the first major intergender BJJ match against multiple-time IBJJF and ADCC World Champion Gabi Garcia. While this was something the vast majority of BJJ fans were excited to witness, this blockbuster match was delayed at the very last minute as the pair received offers from major promotions to host it instead of having to do so in Garcia’s gym, and it remains to be seen when or where they will end up meeting for the match.