Who is Competing in CJI? And Why?
One of the main purposes of the Craig Jones Invitational is to “hijack” the ADCC of competitors who were originally set to take part in it. With that in mind, it is interesting to take a closer look at some of the big names who are in favor of CJI over ADCC, and why.
The most obvious, and biggest possible driving factor for athletes making the switch to CJI is for the $1,000,000 cash prize if they were to win.
Brothers William and Andrew Tackett released Instagram posts recognizing just how important the prize money was to them, both calling it a “life-changing” amount of money. Furthermore, since they are, in fact, competing in different weight classes, the potential for them to win $1,000,000 each made it that much more enticing.
Eoghan O’Flanagan is also competing for the cash prize, as he makes clear in a clever, and not-so-subtle remark on his Instagram. The post reads, “…Honestly there’s a million reasons as to why I’m going with @cjiofficialsuperfights and I could make 10,001 jokes about it but I feel like they would be in poor taste….”
Others competing primarily for the money include Gordon Ryan’s brother, Nicky Ryan, former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, Levi-Jones Leary, and up-and-comer Roberto Jimenez.
Although the cash prize is certainly appealing to most athletes, there are a handful of individuals who have alternative reasons for wanting to participate in CJI.
A few affiliates of the B-Team, Craig Jones’ camp, have seemingly chosen to compete in CJI over ADCC simply to support their fellow team member, as well as represent the B-Team in his tournament. This includes rising star Jozef Chen, who is coming off of a recent win at WNO24, as well as one of the faces of the B-Team Nicky Rodriguez.
Other athletes, such as the Ruotolo brothers, Renato Canuto, and especially Victor Hugo have made it clear that competing in the CJI is more about sending a message regarding fighter pay rather than the money itself, as well as to get more eyes on the sport.
Canuto went on record saying that everything about the event is attractive to him, from the ruleset to the mat layout, and the fact that it will be free to stream on YouTube so that more people are exposed to the sport of Jiu-Jitsu. He sees this as a great opportunity to not only introduce his beloved sport to a new audience but also to showcase some of the best talents in the world coming together in order to make a point about fighter pay.
Victor Hugo also released a post on his Instagram page highlighting his opinion. It reads, “During the past few years I’ve been able to build good businesses and now have a live-able income outside of grappling competition… So for me, this decision is about standing up for what I believe is right. I’ve been one of the top athletes in this sport for a while and now I believe my name carries enough weight to make a stand that will help us change the future of the sport for the better.”
It is important to note that athletes competing in “superfights” are most likely not interested in the money either, but more in the show business and thrill of the sport. Only competitors in the under 80 kgs and over 80 kgs divisions will have a chance at the ultimate $1,000,000 reward. The people competing in these “super fights” include Mackenzie Dern who will be fighting Ffion Davies, Gabi Garcia against Craig Jones himself.
It’s safe to say that most of the fighters are keeping one eye on their opponent and the other on the main prize, but it’s definitely not as much of a priority for some contestants as it is for others. Regardless of the reasons the athletes have for competing, it will be an exciting event for the benefit of grappling sports and charity altogether.