Some people in the BJJ world, athletes and fans alike, preferred the ADCC, while plenty flogged over to the new kid on the block, CJI to see if he was the cooler one to hang out with. Let’s go through the major lessons learned from last weekend, but don’t expect a verdict on CJI vs ADCC – that one is up for you to decide. Here’s all you need to know:

CJI vs ADCC – The Tale Of The Tape

ADCC a.k.a. the Abu Dhabi Combat Club started in 1998 as the premier No-Gi event often equated to the Olympics in terms of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It was the first (or one of the first) tournaments to invite only the best athletes in the world and give them a substantial sum for winning their division – $10.000.

The thing that sparked the formation of CJI as a response to the treatment that the ADCC has of athletes, was precisely the prize money. Fast forward to 2024, some 26 years later than the very first ADCC, and the prize money for the winning athletes never changed.

In a landscape of professional Jiu-Jitsu and god knows which inflation since the change of the century, simply put, 10K does not cut it any longer. Craig Jones called ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim on this multiple times and eventually opted to put together his own tournament creating the CJI vs ADCC rivalry.

The very first edition of the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) was held in Vegas last weekend (August 16 and 17, 2024) and it showed that it offered athletes a lot more than just a bigger cash prize compared to the ADCC.

CJI offered each athlete who opted to respond to the invitation a $10.001 sign-up prize, plus a staggering $1 million for the winner of each of the two divisions (-80 kg and +90 kg). After pouring out the cash at the JRE when he announced the tournament, everyone started asking where does the money come from?

Lots of rumors circulated, from Zuckerberg backing Craig to a crypto casino being behind the millions in cash prizes and all event-organizing expenses, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter.

I’ll leave the financing details to Chael to explain, but the undeniable truth is that Craig Jones just made a couple of high-level grapplers millionaires, changing BJJ forever.

What We Learned From the CJI vs ADCC Grappling Weekend in Vegas

The past weekend, apart from providing lots of material to break down and learn from for the BJJ nerds such as myself, even more entertainment for the casual BJJ fanatic watching, and a hope of reaching millionaire status for competitive grapplers worldwide, provided us with a lot to think about in terms of the state of the BJJ world after the CJI vs ADCC weekend:

Craig Took Professional Jiu-Jitsu to Anotaher Level

Like it or not, the CJI was just what we needed. Everyone that even thinks about becoming a professional grappler these days, has to consider the stark reality that BJJ is not a sport that pays well unless your first name is Gordon and last name is Ryan.

What Craig offered to the world is hope that grapplers can make lots of money doing what they love – performing on the mats. If the first CJI came out with a $1 million prize money, I expect future events to offer more and even host more divisions so that more athletes get a chance to really earn significantly from BJJ.

Ffion Davies is Scary Good!

The one thing I was incredibly impressed with was Ffion Davis‘ performance in her CJI super fight against Mackenzie Dern. I know that Dern’s focus is on MMA, but as a UFC fighter, and having won a UFC fight just 2 weeks prior, she is in great shape and has access to world-class training on a daily basis.

Ffion came out with an aggression that we used to associate with Dern, and relentlessly pushed until she not only took Mackenzie down and controlled her, but also got what was the best submission of the entire weekend for me – a Scorpion Death Lock!

Gordon Looks Tired

Let’s switch over to the ADCC for a bit. Gordon Ryan only had two fights scheduled this time, with each coming on a different night. While not at all easy, as he battled last time’s winners Felipe Pena and Yuri Simoes, both fights saw Gordon gas out and struggle significantly.

Of course, we all know his stomach is giving him lots of trouble, and he revealed a torn LCL after winning both fights, but the King we saw at the 2024 ADCC is a far cry from the version that scared everyone two years ago when he manhandled Galvao.

This leads us to the inevitable question: is the GOAt done? And I don’t mean a mock retirement like a few years ago, but for real this time. The CJI vs ADCC did suggest who could follow in his footsteps.

Belts Don’t Really Matter Anymore

Yeah, we knew this already, but it really did reach another level at the ADCC. Allow colored belts to match up with black belts, and you’ll likely see a better match than coupling two black belts together.

We saw the perfect example of this in Meregali’s performance at the ADCC. The Danaher protege lost his match to purple belt Michael Pixley by way of submission (Darce choke). Granted, it seemed that Meregali injured his shoulder or elbow as he posted awkwardly during the throw that preceded the Darce, but that should not take anything away from Pixley.

In case you missed it with UFC and CJI, this huge upset is the biggest thing that happened on Day 1 of ADCC 2024.

Nicholas Meregali, the tournament favorite (and Gordon Ryan’s teammate), was thrown and darced by Michael Pixley.

pic.twitter.com/Y8GHzSoCXg

— Anton Tabuena (@antontabuena) August 18, 2024

ADCC Will Have to Catch Up To CJI

Organization-wise, ADCC was a far cry from CJI. To begin with, the ADCC’s reluctance to deal with matches going out of bounds was hugely annoying, as opposed to CJI’s Karate Combat-like pit, which proved to be the best surface for professional grappling we’ve seen to date.

Also, we saw a lot of struggling with the ADCC announcement team, as they miscued matches, introduced athletes who weren’t on stage, and even ones who were competing at the CJI at the same time. There is more, but you get the winner in this CJI vs ADCC aspect.

CJI, on the other hand, had a great team led by commentator Brandon McCaghren that did the event justice, with the only real; remark being time management – day one went on for more than 10 hours, and it didn’t have to.

Unified Refereeing Rules

We saw a lot of chaos in terms of refereeing in the CJI vs ADCC weekend. While not leaving it in the hands of the judges sounds cool, it is a lot harder to put into practice than writing it on the wall of a gym.

This weekend felt like the early days of MMA when they attempted to apply a hybrid of the old boxing scoring system (which more or less is still in effect today). It is obvious that we need to unify the circumstances that lead to victory in submission-based events that end up going the distance.

Overtime always seemed like a good idea in EBI, but it didn’t turn out to be so great during the CJI vs ADCC weekend in Vegas.

You Can Make Millions From Jiu-Jitsu (Finally)

Yup, you can now decide to leave everything and dedicate yourself to grappling. of course, you’ll need to train your ass off, compete for a ton and hope that all those competitions end up rewarding you with some petty, ADCC-like prize money until you can reach the big stage.

Not for everyone, I know, but finally, we saw people win big by doing nothing except grapple and it is a dream come true for most people involved in BJJ, even though we didn’t win anything.  After the CJI vs ADCC weekend, the future seems very bright!

Rafel Lovato is a True Highlander

Rafel Lovato Jr. cannot retire. He tried it, but it didn’t work, and we’re glad it didn’t stick. The legendary grappler came back for the 2024 edition of the ADCC after announcing his retirement two years prior in the same event.

Not only did he feature again, but he dominated. At the young age of 41 cruised through the -99kg division, eventually running into a wall called Kaynan Duarte in the final of the division. The timeless Lovato took home the silver, and I’m sure we’ll see him again although it remains to see who he chooses between CJI vs ADCC.

We’re Taking BJJ Too Seriously

The whole CJI vs ADCC thing was really comical to witness from the stands. While you had the seriousness of the ADCC on one side, with everyone acting like it was a major UFC event or something, on the other side was Craig Jones, trolling everything and everyone in every way possible, blending in laughs with all the action.

It was a very welcomed refreshment in terms of the aura we associate with professional BJJ. Grappling should be fun over anything, and it can only be fun if we don’t take it seriously. CJI managed to dial it in perfectly, making it seem like it was a jiu-Jitsu Globetrotter Camp event. I can’t imagine what the afterparty looked like.

Nicky Rod is a Force to be Reckoned With

The winner of the +80 kg division in CJI was B-team’s own Nicky Rod. Saying it is a deserved victory is an understatement, as Nicky seemed scary on his way to the $1 million bucks. He dismantled  Owen Livesey and Max Gimenis quickly on day one, repeating the same with Adam Bradley and Fellipe Andrew on day 2 to win the coveted prize money.

Of course, he called out his nemesis Gordon Ryan at the end. To be honest, I’m not sure Gordon could’ve handled Nicky if they fought on the same event this time. Maybe in a CJI vs ADCC super fight someday.

What Happened to Nicky Ryan?

One worrying thing that stood out at CJI was the performance of Nicky Ryan. While most of the B-team performed well, even though some fan favorites like the up-and-coming Josef Chen didn’t get far, it was Nicky Ryan’s performance that stood out like a sore thumb.

Nicky looked like a guy who came over for a few rolls on the open mat and was surprised that a highly competitive wrestler wanted to go all out with him. Ryan lost to the highly impressive Andrew Tackett and left a huge question mark over his grappling future.

Who Will be The Next GOAT?

I firmly believe that if Gordon Ryan does not get healthy, the spot of the GOAT is going to be wide open, with many strong contenders coming out to claim it. The double gold (-99 kg and absolute division) winner of the ADCC, Kaynan Duarte is the leading name, of course, but Nicky Rod is not far behind.

We also have to mention Kade Ruotolo, the other millionaire after last weekend’s performance, as well as the emerging talents such as Andrew Tackett and Mica Galvao.

Best Match of the Weekend?

I’m going to go ahead and claim that the match between Kade Ruotolo and Andrew Tackett in the semi-final of the -80 kg divisions at CJI gets the match-of-the-weekend accolade. It was a grappling masterclass by two extremely talented athletes who, I’m in no doubt, will keep providing us with lots more grappling entertainment in times to come.

Full CJI 1 Results

The full Day 1 of the CJI event streamed live on YouTube and you can watch the full 10+ hours here, or go on to read the results:

Over 80kg First Round:

• Nicky Rod defeated Max Gimenis via submission (rear-naked choke).
• Owen Livesey defeated Mahamed Aly via unanimous decision.
• Adam Bradley defeated Kyle Boehm via split decision.
• Pat Downey defeated Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision.
• Lucas Kanard defeated Victor Hugo via submission.

Over 80kg Quarterfinals:

• Nicky Rod defeated Owen Livesey via submission (rear-naked choke).
• Adam Bradley defeated Pat Downey via split decision.
• Inacio Santos defeated Lucas Kanard via unanimous decision.
• Fellipe Andrew defeated Joao Gabriel Rocha via unanimous decision.

Over 80kg Semifinals:

• Nicky Rod defeated Adam Bradley via submission (rear-naked choke).
• Fellipe Andrew defeated Inacio Santos via submission (heel hook).

Over 80kg Finals:

• Nicky Rod defeated Fellipe Andrew by submission (RNC)

Under 80kg First round:

• Tye Ruotolo defeated Jason Nolf via submission (kneebar).
• Levi Jones-Leary defeated Roberto Jimenez via submission (inside heel hook).
• Lucas Barbosa defeated Kenta Iwamoto via unanimous decision.
• Jozef Chen defeated Andy Varela via unanimous decision.
• Kade Ruotolo defeated Matheus Diniz via submission (ankle lock).
• Tommy Langaker defeated Renato Canuto via unanimous decision.
• Eoghan O’Flanagan defeated Magid Hage via submission (outside heel hook).
• Andrew Tackett defeated Nicky Ryan via unanimous decision.

Under 80kg Quarterfinals:

• Levi Jones-Leary defeated Tye Ruotolo via unanimous decision.
• Lucas Barbosa defeated Jozef Chen via submission (knee crush).
• Kade Ruotolo defeated Tommy Langaker via unanimous decision.
• Andrew Tackett defeated Eoghan O’Flanagan via unanimous decision.

Under 80kg Semifinals

• Levi Jones-Leary defeated Lucas Barbosa via unanimous decision.
• Kade Ruotolo defeated Andrew Tackett via split decision.

Under 80kg Final

Kade Ruotolo defeated Levi Jones-Leary by unanimous decision.

Superfights

• Ffion Davies def. Mackenzie Dern via sub (armbar)
• Craig Jones def. Gabi Garcia via sub (rear-naked choke)

Full 2024 ADCC Absolute Divisions Results

During the CJI vs ADCC, things were busy at the ADCC, although the lineup was quite different from what people expected before Craig announced his own tournament:

Men’s Absolute Round 1

• Declan Moody defeated Diogo Reis by submission.
• Kaynan Duarte defeated Diego Pato by submission.
• Mica Galvao defeated Elder Cruz by submission.
• Dante Leon defeated Michael Perez by a referee’s decision.
• Giancarlo Bodoni defeated Davi Ramos by a decision.
• Fabricio Andrey defeated Vagner Rocha by a referee’s decision.
• Roberto Abreu defeated Luiz Paulo by a decision.
• Ryan Aitken defeated Izaak Michell by a decision.

Quarterfinals

• Kyanan Duarte defeated Declan Moody by submission.
• Dante Leon defeated Mica Galvao by submission.
• Giancarlo Bodoni defeated Vagner Rocha by submission.
• Cyborg Abreu defeated Izaak Michell by a decision.

Semifinals

• Kaynan Duarte defeated Dante Leon by decision.
  Cyborg Abreu defeated Giancarlo Bodoni by decision.

Final

• Kaynan Duarte defeated Cyborg Abreu by submission.

Women’s Absolute Quarterfinals:

• Adele Fornarino defeated Brianna Ste-marie by submission.
• Rafaela Guedes defeated Bianca Basilio by decision.
• Amy Campo defeated Amande Leve by decision.
• Bia Mesquita defeated Kendall Reusing by submission.

Semifinals

• Adele Fornarino defeated Rafaela Guedes by submission.
  Bia Mesquita defeated Amy Campo by a decesion.

Final

• Adele Fornarino defeated Bia Mesquita by a decision.

Full List Of ADCC 2024 Champions

Who won the ADCC in the 2024 edition? While there is a winner in the CJI vs ADCC debate, the athletes who fought their way to the top in this year’s ADCC are as follows:

Men’s Divisions:

-66kg

Diogo “Baby Shark” Reis – Gold
Diego Pato – Silver
Josh Cisneros – Bronze

-77kg

Mica Galvao – Gold
Vagner Rocha – Silver
PJ Barch – Bronze

-88kg

Giancarlo Bodoni – Gold
Jay Rodriguez – Silver
Felipe Costa – Bronze

-99kg

Kaynan Duarte – Gold
Rafael Lovato – Silver
Cyborg Abreu – Bronze

+99kg

Felipe Pena – Gold
Luke Griffith – Silver
Daniel Manasoiu – Bronze

Women’s Divisions:

-55kg

Adele Fornarino – Gold
Bianca Basilio – Silver
Jasmine Rocha – Bronze

-65kg

Ana Carolina Vieira – Gold
Helena Crevar – Silver
Bia Mesquita – Bronze

+65kg

Rafaela Guedes – Gold
Nathiely De Jesus – Silver
Kendall Reusing – Bronze

Super Fight Day 1

Gordon Ryan – Gold

Super Fight Day 2

Gordon Ryan – Gold

What’s Next?

As we conclude our analysis of the CJI vs ADCC weekend in Vegas, we are left switch lots of information to process. Professional Jiu-Jitsu just got a taste of what athletes earn in other sports, and I doubt those who took part will want to go back to how it was.

I understand allegiances and history, but in all honesty, the CJI vs ADCC weekend showed us that money talks, and that there are ways to turn professional grappling into a spectator sport. Whether it is going to take years of CJI vs ADCC rivalry, or they’re going to suddenly merge into the best platform ever, remains for the future to uncover.

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The post CJI vs ADCC 2024: Top Lessons From an Action-Packed Weekend appeared first on BJJ World.

He did this by withdrawing from the most prestigious grappling tournament, ADCC, and organizing his event in the same city, Las Vegas, at the same time. While ADCC 2024 will be held at the T-Mobile Arena, Craig’s event, CJI, will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center, where ADCC 2022 was held.

What stands out about the tournament organized by Craig Jones is that he significantly increased the prize money for fighters compared to what ADCC offers. ADCC awards $10,000 to fighters who win their category in the tournament, whereas CJI offers $10,001 just for participating. Furthermore, CJI promises category winners a prize of $1 million.

This move by Jones has not been well received by the leadership at ADCC, especially by Mo Jassim, who commented that it is not fair for Craig Jones to hold his event on the same day as ADCC.

“ADCC doesn’t treat its athletes fairly. To take a stand against the current state of grappling, I had to challenge ADCC,” Jones stated, adding, “What they are doing is ridiculous. Their fighters are competing for crumbs. It’s insane. That event isn’t even worth mentioning.”

Jones was driven to take this action due to his dissatisfaction with ADCC’s modest payouts. In a short time, he managed to raise several million dollars for his two-day CJI tournament. This was also fueled by the fact that ADCC’s prize money had not changed in years despite promises from their leadership, including Gordon Ryan after the 2022 competition.

“My goal is for this sport to be fairly compensated and to become mainstream,” Gordon Ryan wrote on Instagram in 2022. “It’s not ADCC’s job to pay more. We need bigger sponsors and a larger audience. At the next ADCC, I want the winners to earn $50-100k just for competing, and I want to earn $1 million for competing and $2 million for the weekend. This is just the beginning, and I’m happy to lead this fight for professionalism.”

The highest payout at this year’s ADCC is $40k, as stated on their official website. In contrast, Craig Jones has secured a $1 million prize for the winners of his tournament and has also sold out the entire Thomas & Mack arena.

What truly fascinates everyone is the fact that this was all planned for just three months.

“I honestly think it couldn’t have turned out better,” Jones said, continuing, “All the fights were exciting, the crowd was intense. We directly competed with an event that has been selling tickets for two years and did very well. We sold out Saturday night. I’m sure this will be the most-watched event in history,” Jones concluded.

It’s also worth noting that the CJI event was streamed for free on the B-Team YouTube channel, while ADCC charges for its streaming.

The post Craig Jones in his fight against ADCC: ‘I received death threats from the organizers’ appeared first on BJJ World.

From the start of the event and the list of competitors, it was clear that Nicky Rodriguez was the heavy favorite in this tournament. After 4 matches, Nicky secured 4 submissions. In the semifinal and final matches, he defeated Adam Bradley and Felipe Andrew by rear-naked choke (RNC), thus winning the grand prize of one million dollars.

After his victory, Rodriguez didn’t miss mentioning his biggest rival, Gordon Ryan.

“The only thing better than one million dollars is two million dollars,” – Nicky Rod said, continuing to call out Gordon Ryan.

“Since I know I’m the best grappler in the world, I want a match with Gordon Ryan. My million against your million, winner takes all. Let’s do the fight on the B-Team YouTube channel,” – Rodriguez declared.

What do you think, will Gordon Ryan accept Nick Rodriguez’s challenge for a million-dollar match?

Who would you like to see as the winner in a potential match between Nick Rodriguez and Gordon Ryan?

Do you think Nicky Rodriguez is currently the best grappler in the world, or is there someone better?

The post Nick Rodriguez Wins a Million Dollars at CJI Tournament, Then Calls Out Gordon for a New Match appeared first on BJJ World.

Namely, the Gracie University co-founder decided to submit a request to patent the Gift Wrap position, a staple of grappling and MMA, rebranding it as the SafeWrap, giving him sole proprietary rights over the use of the term. As expected, this move did not go unnoticed, nor did it go down well with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community.

The Gift Wrap Position in BJJ

For those who have been grappling for at least a while, the Gift Wrap position in BJJ is nothing new. It is a highly efficient position which is the perfect checkpoint between mount and back mount, allowing for a myriad of attacks through exceedingly uncomfortable control.

The Gift Wrap works when you can literally make the bottom person give themselves a hug with one of their arms. The goal is to get one arm into a position similar to the rear naked choke, just done with the opponent’s own arm around the neck, rather than yours.

In order to achieve that position, you should be either mounted on top of an opponent who is turning sideways or behind them in any way or form. As you wrap their arm around them (hence the name of the position) you aim to control the wrist of the arm with one of your arms, so that they can’t pull it out.

The end goal of the BJJ Gift Wrap is to control, as it does not deliver a direct choking threat to the opponent on the bottom. However, you can use it for certain punch chokes and wristlocks if you really want to, although I find it to be the most useful for rear triangle entries.

We witness the position a lot in MMA matches as well, as it is one of the staple ground-and-pound positions that once achieved, can determine the outcome of the match. As such, it is also highly useful in self-defense, which is most likely why Rener Gracie decided to patent the Gift Wrap as the SafeWrap in an attempt to further portray BJJ as the cream-of-the-crop martial art for self-defense.

Rener Gracie’s SafeWrap

The SafeWrap, a.k.a. Rener Gracie’s attempt to patent The Gift Wrap is sort of a mix between the Gift Erap position and Danaher’s Straight Jacket back control system. Actually, one of my students, now a brown belt, has been using this combination for a few years now, as he discovered it during his exploration of the Gift Wrap. Too bad he didn’t think about trademarking it.

The SafeWrap position that Rener Gracie is trying to “pioneer” is actually a modified Gift Wrap that has been created for specific use by law enforcement. It involves two officers handling and immobilizing a suspect, with one targeting the upper, and another one the lower body of the suspect.

The upper body control is literally the Gift Wrap position merged with Straight Jacket elements to provide control over the second arm, either placing it across the chest or across the back of the recipient.

Meanwhile, another officer controls the legs of the opponent. looking to cross them at knee level, reminiscent of most Honeyhole or 50/50 shoelace entanglements. Rener Gracie had NYPD officers try out the move on both sides of it, and provide their testimonials as he shamelessly tries to promote it:

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has been leaking into law enforcement curriculums lately, which is a move saluted by everyone who has spent even a day training in grappling. However, is there really a need to blemish the practical use of Jiu-Jitsu in law enforcement with such transparent cash-grabbing actions as trademarking a move that literally everyone should actually know and be able to use for free?

Can Someone Trademark a BJJ Technique?

By law, trademarking follows a very specific procedure that, when followed closely, technically allows anyone to protect a specific sports move as a trademark or patent. Three things are crucial for any innovation to be considered eligible for a patent:

1. Patentable subject matter – Defined by a specific code.
2. Novelty – A move/method that is new and not recognized by anyone else in the field.
3. Non-Obviousness – The move/method does not resemble an existing one in the field.
4. Utility – The invention has to be useful.
5. Enablement – Refers to a written description of the specification in the patent claim application.

Technical terms aside, Rener Gracie’s effort to rebrand and patent the Gift Wrap as the SafeWrap fails in two points (novelty and non-obviousness) to begin with, and might not even be recognized as a valid one.

Yoga guru Bikram Choudhury saw a similar application rebuffed by the Court of Appeals when he tried to trademark a Yoga sequence as his own. After all, the legal stand of the United States Copyright Office is that “a selection, coordination, or arrangement of functional physical movements such as sports movements, exercises, and other ordinary motor activities does not represent the type of authorship intended to be protected as choreographic works under the US Copyright Act.”

As per the above, trademarking a specific BJJ move or technique should be impossible, but I guess we’ll see whether Rener managed to squeeze his SafeWrap by somehow. It wouldn’t surprise anyone who is familiar with his business model.

Did Rener Gracie go Too Far (Again)?

I really think that there is absolutely no need to introduce trademarks and similar legal frameworks to the sport. The Gracie family already has the tightest financial grab on the sport, whether it is through Gracie Barra, the Gracie University, the IBJJF, or any individual Gracie gym, fighter, or other marketing effort around the world.

In the last decade, we’ve seen a shift in BJJ that sees more people adopt the term Jiu-Jitsu, not really caring about origins or founders. The sport has already undergone so many modifications and evolved so much past the original Gracie Jiu-Jitsu that there are folks who train now that barely even know about the Gracie family.

At the end of the day, we train Jiu-Jitsu because it is fun, and it might come in useful someday. Some of us, myself included have gyms and live from the sport by giving back to the community through classes. Imagine what would happen if we all tried to patent moves that have been around for millennia.

The attempt to rebrand and patent the Gift Wrap position as the SafeWrap is Rener Gracie’s most desperate move yet, making even less sense than giving people belts online. It is time it all stopped.

BJJ Gift Wrap – The Perfect Mount And Back Control Hybrid

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The post Rener Gracie Tries To Rebrand And Patent The Gift Wrap as SafeWrap appeared first on BJJ World.

The Craig Jones Invitational, formerly BDCC, will take place on August 16 and 17 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, the same venue that hosted ADCC 2022 two years ago.

The decision to launch this event stems from Jones’ dissatisfaction with ADCC’s prize payments. Jones is determined to pay fighters significantly more than ADCC, aiming to elevate the status of BJJ athletes worldwide.

“I’m organizing an event that pays athletes 100 times more than ADCC pays its winners, and I will donate all ticket sales proceeds to charity,” Jones wrote on Reddit.

Jones confirmed and provided a screenshot showing that the tournament funds are secured and the participants will be paid in full. Nicky Ryan also confirmed this, stating:

“The screenshots of Jones’ account for the tournament are real, and there’s no scam involved. This money is very real,” Nicky Ryan declared.

Jones has also included a women’s division in the tournament, emphasizing that it would be unfair for female grapplers like Ffion Davies to miss out on rewards and not be part of the event.

What has particularly intrigued the Jiu-Jitsu community and sparked controversy is the fact that the tournament is scheduled to take place simultaneously with ADCC 2024.

This timing is intentional, as Jones aims to directly compete with ADCC, encouraging everyone to reconsider the payment and status of fighters. He has called upon fighters and the community to support his event, which promises significant rewards.

“Reach out to the fighters for me. Push them in the right direction,” stated Craig Jones.

Unsurprisingly, this move has not been well received by everyone at ADCC, especially its president, Mo Jassim, who has sharply criticized Jones’ intentions and event.

“Craig Jones is doing this just to counterprogram us or out of spite, and those aren’t legitimate reasons to do anything at all,” Mo Jassim stated.

Given that Jones is offering unprecedented rewards of $1 million for a single tournament, free streaming on YouTube, and a timing that directly competes with ADCC, this event could be crucial in improving the situation in Jiu-Jitsu.

ADCC is already feeling the impact, as qualified fighters are leaving the ADCC event for the CJI (Craig Jones Invitational).

Whether Jones’ move will bear fruit remains to be seen, but it is certain that many will question what is right and could set new standards for future events and compensation for Jiu-Jitsu fighters.

Craig Jones announced that former UFC champ Luke Rockhold is coming to his tournament. Also, Ffion Davies and William Tackett have withdrawn from ADCC. Jones also stated that more fighters are expected to join.

Whose side are you on? Do you think Jones’ move is the right one?

The post Craig Jones Hosts $1 Million Tournament, Draws More Qualified ADCC Fighters appeared first on BJJ World.

ADCC 2024 Super Fight

• Gordon Ryan vs. Yuri Simoes

Men’s Divisions

-66 kg

• Diogo Reis (Reigning Champion)
• Owen Jones (1st European Trials winner)
• Dorian Olivarez (East Coast Trials winner)
• Ethan Thomas (1st Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Gairbeg Ibragimov (2nd European Trials winner)
• Kennedy Maciel (1st South American Trials winner)
• Fabricio Andrey (2nd South American Trials winner)
• Deandre Corbe (West Coast Trials winner)
• Huaiqing Xu (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Ethan Crelinsten (Invited)
• Kauã Gabriel (Invited)
• Ashley Williams (Invited)
• Keith Krikorian (Invited)
• Josh Cisneros (Invited)

-77 kg

• Kade Ruotolo (Reigning Champion)
• Jozef Chen (1st European Trials winner)
• Elijah Dorsey (East Coast Trials winner)
• Kenta Iwamoto (1st Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Tommy Langaker (2nd European Trials winner)
• Luiz Paolo (1st South American Trials winner)
• Alexandre de Jesus (2nd South American Trials winner)
• Andrew Tackett (West Coast Trials winner)
• Levi Jones-Leary (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• JT Torres (Invited)
• Nicky Ryan (Invited)
• Jonnatas Gracie (Invited)
• Mica Galvao (Invited)
• Dante Leon (Invited)
• PJ Barch (Invited)
• Oliver Taza (Invited)

-88 kg

• Giancarlo Bodoni (Reigning Champion – Not yet confirmed)
• Santeri Lilius (1st European Trials winner)
• Jacob Couch (East Coast Trials winner)
• Izaak Michell (1st Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Taylor Pearman (2nd European Trials winner)
• Charles Negromonte (1st South American Trials winner)
• Pedro Marinho (2nd South American Trials winner)
• William Tackett (West Coast Trials winner)
• Lucas Kanard (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Tye Ruotolo (Invited)
• Gabriel Almeida (Invited)
• Jacob Rodriguez (Invited)

-99 kg

• Kaynan Duarte (Reigning Champion)
• Luke Griffith (1st European Trials winner)
• Paul Ardila (East Coast Trials winner)
• Declan Moody (1st Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Marcin Maciulewicz (2nd European Trials winner)
• Cassio Felipe Costa (1st South American Trials winner)
• Henrique Ceconi (2nd South American Trials winner)
• Michael Pixley (West Coast Trials winner)
• Daniel Schuardt (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Mason Fowler (Invited)
• Cyborg Abreu (Invited)
• Roberto Jimenez (Invited)
• Rafael Lovato Jr. (Invited)
• Eli Braz (Invited)

+99 kg

• Gordon Ryan (Reigning Champion – Not yet confirmed)
• Heikki Jussila (1st European Trials winner)
• Daniel Manasoiu (East Coast Trials winner)
• Josh Saunders (1st Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Mark MacQueen (2nd European Trials winner)
• Jose Inacio (1st South American Trials winner)
• Victor Honorio (2nd South American Trials winner)
• Mike Perez (West Coast Trials winner)
• Mansur Makmakhanov (2nd Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Victor Hugo (Invited)
• Nick Rodriguez (Invited)
• Gutemberg Pereira (Invited)
• Felipe Pena (Invited)
• Josh Saunders (Invited)

Women’s Divisions

-55 kg

• Ffion Davies (Reigning Champion – at -60 kg from old weight divisions)
• Margot Ciccarelli (European Trials winner)
• Ana Rodrigues (South American Trials winner)
• Jasmine Rocha (West Coast Trials winner)
• Adele Fornarino (Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Mackenzie Dern (Invited)
• Mayssa Bastos (Invited)

-65 kg

• Aurelie Le Vern (European Trials winner)
• Ana Carolina Vieira (South American Trials winner)
• Helena Crevar (West Coast Trials winner)
• Sula-Mae Lowenthai (Asia & Oceania Trials winner)
• Bia Mesquita (Invited)
• Brianna Ste-Marie (Invited)
• Amanda Leve (Invited)
• Morgan Black (Invited)

+65 kg

• Nia Blackman (European Trials winner)
• Maria Ruffato (South American Trials winner)
• Elizabeth Mitrovic (West Coast Trials winner)
• Nikki Lloyd Griffiths (Asia & Oceania Trials winner)

Notes and Updates

• April 24: PJ Barch (-77 kg), Ffion Davies (-55 kg), and Bia Mesquita (-65 kg) confirmed.
• April 29: Brianna Ste-Marie (-65 kg) confirmed.
• May 6: Jay Rodriguez (-88 kg), Nick Rodriguez (+99 kg), Ashley Williams (-66 kg), Gabriel Almeida (-88 kg), and Gutemberg Pereira (+99 kg) confirmed.
• May 8: Keith Krikorian (-66 kg), Josh Cisneros (-66 kg), Amanda Leve (-65 kg), and Morgan Black (-65 kg) confirmed.
• May 11: Rafael Lovato Jr. (-99 kg) confirmed, eight winners from the ADCC Asia & Oceania Championships confirmed.
• May 15: Felipe Pena (+99 kg), Josh Saunders (+99 kg), Eli Braz (-99 kg), and Oliver Taza (-77 kg) confirmed.

How to Watch ADCC 2024

The 2024 ADCC World Championships will be streamed live on flograppling.com on August 17&18.

The post ADCC 2024 Competitors – Full List UPDATED appeared first on BJJ World.

Darth Rigatoni, Mikey Musumeci’s nickname in ONE Championship, has already notched up 6 consecutive victories against more or less elite opponents. But what Mikey is aiming for now are two belts in two weight classes that couldn’t be further apart. In this showdown, Mikey is prepared to move up three weight classes to challenge Kade Ruotolo for the ONE belt.

On the other hand, Kade Ruotolo is the current lightweight champion of ONE with an impressive score of 6-0 and at just 21 years old. Being the youngest ADCC champion ever, his skill is unquestionable at any given moment. Additionally, unlike Mikey, he’s accustomed to shaving weight to meet the challenge posed by Mikey.

Given that both fighters are at the pinnacle of the Jiu-Jitsu sport and practically untouchable in ONE, we can say that this matchup is a spectacle even before the fight itself. And it’s safe to predict that the fight itself will be one of the biggest spectacles in grappling history to date.

What’s certain is that fans eagerly anticipate this bout and the moment when Ruotolo and Musumeci will face each other on the big stage, thereby making history. For all updates regarding this fight, you can find them on onefc.com, the official website of ONE Championship.

The post Mikey Musumeci Challenges Kade Ruotolo in Historic Title Fight appeared first on BJJ World.

The president of NAGA (North American Grappling Association) formally announced an update to the policy regarding transgender athletes. He stated that NAGA’s policy now dictates that transgender individuals who have undergone male-to-female puberty are no longer allowed to compete in women’s categories at NAGA tournaments. This decision was made on October 21st in the state of Georgia. The reason for this decision was that when it was announced during the tournament that two competitors were transgender, all other female competitors withdrew from the category, leaving only the two transgender competitors.

Ovo je objavio predsjednik NAGA-e Kipp Kolar na svom instagram profilu:

“I am kipp Kollar, President of NAGA. I would like to address the controversial issue of transgender athletes competing in NAGA events. Decisions that involve conflicting rights and needs between different groups are inherently difficult; that said, maintaining fairness for female athletes is our paramount priority. Due to the legacy effects of being born male through puberty, in parallel with the policy of FINA(the world governing body for swimming), World Rugby, and numerous other global sports organizations, male-to-female transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty are excluded from competing in the female division at NAGA events. This position is of course even more important given the heightened potential for injury in grappling.

Implementing this policy poses challenges. The registration system used by most grappling events including NAGA, and Smoothcomp, unfortunately only allows users to choose between male and female genders when registering. It does not provide an option to register as transgender. Ideally, there should be an option in the registration process to declare yourself as transgender. We have requested that this change be made in short order.
We are adding additional text to the event and rules pages of our website, and our Smoothcomp event pages to help inform transgender females which division they need to enter. We feel these additional steps will help to make sure all competitors are in their correct division. If a competitor is discovered to be in an incorrect division, they will be contacted and provided the option to move to the correct division or receive a refund (just as we would do if we were notified that a D1 wrestler was in the beginner division).

Moving forward, we will be guided by the science around male advantage and physical performance, which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As further evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is of the most profound importance.” – Kipp Collar, NAGA president

 

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IBJJF even before NAGA announced that competitors must compete in the group they belong to at birth. The federation also has announced: “The federation retains the authority to ask for original identification documents if needed.”

From all of this, it is clear that Jiu-Jitsu and grappling associations have begun to implement strict policies regarding transgender competitors. These decisions are certainly controversial and reflect the sentiments and viewpoints of different sides. What they emphasize as most important is the significance of biological sex in determining categories.

While these decisions will undoubtedly encounter much controversy, they still aim to maintain competition as fair as possible, as women simply do not want to compete against transgender women.

At the same time, all organizations emphasize the need to respect the rights and dignity of all people and athletes regardless of their life choices and gender identification.

If you’re interested in understanding the perspective of some transgender competitors, you can read a message sent to the Jiu-Jitsu community by a transgender competitor here.

What is your opinion on this?

The post Policy Updates in Jiu-Jitsu Tournaments: Regulations Regarding Transgender Athletes appeared first on BJJ World.

Under 66kg division

We have a newcomer from Russia, Gairbek Ibragimov, who gained recognition for his victory over Fabricio Andre in the AIGE grappling promotion.

77kg Division

The ADCC 77kg division was filled with top-tier competitors like Oliver Taza, Davis Assari, Tarik Hopstock, and Natan Sap. However, it was Tommy Langaker, an ADCC Veteran from Norway, who emerged as the winner after securing 4 submissions in 6 matches. Langaker’s improved performance this year on the mats suggests that he could be a real threat in the ADCC 77kg division.

88kg Division

In first place, Taylor Pearman from England won all six of his matches, six of which were won by leg locks. Pearman had an outstanding performance throughout the tournament, which included a submission against the favorite Adam Wardzinski in the semi-final round.

+99kg Division

The champion here came out to be the Scottish BJJ brown belt and world champion in powerlifting Mark Macquen.

Womens Divisions

At under 55 kilos, Margot Ciccarelli from Italy showcased her improved No-Gi skills with a dominant performance, defeating ADCC veteran Julia Maele in the Semi-Finals.

Aurélie Le Vern, weighing below 65 kilos, became the first person to represent French Guiana at the World Championships. This was just three weeks after she won gold at the IBJJF European Championships.

At the trials, Nia Blackman from the UK won gold in the over 65 kilos category. She is a brown belt but already one of Europe’s rising stars.

The confirmed invitees for the ADCC 2024 World Championship

66kg Division:

Diogo Reis(Brazil), Owen Jones(England), Dorian Olivarez(USA), Ethan Thomas(Australia) and Gairbek Ibragimov(Russia)

77kg Division:

Kade Ruotolo(USA), Jozef Chen(South Africa), Elijah Dorsey(USA), Kenta Iwamoto(Japan) and Tommy Langaker(Norway)

88kg Division:

Giancarlo Bodoni(USA), Santeri Lilius(Finland), Jacob Couch(USA), Izaak Michelle(Australia) and Taylor Pearman(England)

99kg Division:

Kaynan Duarte(Brazil), Luke Griffith(South Africa), Paul Ardilla(USA), Declan Moody(Australia) and Marcin Maciulewicz(Poland)

+99kg Division:

Gordon Ryan(USA), Heikki Jussila, Dan Manasoiu(USA), Josh Saunders(Australia) and Mark Macqueen(Scotland)

Absolute:

Yuri Simões(Brazil)

Female Athletes:

Ffion Davies(Wales) under 60kg, Amy Campo(USA) over 60kg, Margot Ciccarelli(Italy) for 55kg, Aurélie Le Vern(French Guiana) for below 65kg and Nia Blackman(UK) over 65kg.

Except for athletes, it is worth mentioning the name Dima Murovanni, BJJ coach of 4 ADDC 2024 trial medalists:Margot Ciccarelli, Marcin Maciulewicz, Taylor Pearman and Jozef Chen.

The post The current ADCC 2024 Line-up! Contenders and Invitees Post European Trials. appeared first on BJJ World.

In the video below where Galvao’s Euros highlights are shown, he shares his experience and strategies which were changing frequently during the matches. He shares how he managed to adapt his mid-fight strategies to turn the tide. At one point he decided to transition from attacking the opponent’s back to targeting the arm cause he figured out that his opponent was “hard on the neck”. Galvao Emphasized the importance of adaptability in matches and the need to swiftly change strategies to win against his opponents.

In the semifinals, Galvao described how he managed to respond very quickly to the opponent’s tactic while evading several submission attempts. At the same time, he explains how he managed to counter the attacks with the submission of his own for the win.

In the finals, Mica faced Andy whom he never fought before. Galvao expressed excitement about his opponent while stating he knew the fight was going to end in a quick submission from any side. He said he knew they were all just going fo attack and there was no way the fight would go to distance.

After a short but intense match, Galvao was the one to earn the victory via armbar submission earned him the title of European Champion.

Check out the highlights in the video below:

The post Highlights: Watch Mica Galvao’s Stellar Fashion Return At Europeans 2024 appeared first on BJJ World.