Author: Anton Tabuena

This edition of the BJJ Beat tackles a Strongman in ADCC rules, a CJI 2 update, new UFC FPI 10 bouts, the 2025 IBJJF Euros, and more! Get up to date on all the biggest news from the grappling scene.

Welcome to the BJJ Beat! On this recurring feature, we’ll tackle the biggest news from the professional grappling scene, and roll everything up in an easily digestible and familiar jiu-jitsu format.

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Warm Ups

World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis hulk smashes in BJJ debut

Two years ago, former World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis tried doing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) with Gordon Ryan, and he seems to have gotten hooked on the sport after.

Licis, 34, won the World’s Strongest Man title in 2019, the Arnold Classic in 2022, and several other strongman competitions in his career. Ryan admits to taking a lot of steroids to bulk up to heavyweight, but he still looked tiny next to Licis, who is at 6-foot-3 and well over 300 lbs.

Licis was obviously no match for the BJJ all-time great, but how would that strength translate into competition against similarly experienced grapplers? Well, Licis kept training back home and decided to find out.

The Strongman signed up for the ADCC San Diego Open, and joined the heaviest beginner division in the event. Licis faced fellow big men at the over 100 kg (over 220 lbs) division, and just hulk smashed a couple of white belts.

Licis submitted his two opponents, and ended up taking gold in his first ever jiu-jitsu competition. One poor guy looked to have tapped to a brutal hammerlock too. Oof!

Despite the marketing they push for this “gentle sport,” strength obviously matters a lot. It will be interesting to see how Licis continues this jiu-jitsu journey, as he’ll certainly keep adding even more technique to go with his immense size and power.

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Drills

Diogo Reis, Diego Pato, Tainan Dalpra shine at IBJJF Euros

The first major IBJJF tournament of the year concluded after a massive nine-day event that featured over 5000 competitors in Portugal. Winning the first of four majors and taking the first step in a potential “Grand Slam” in 2025, were several of the top BJJ stars.

Big names such as two-time ADCC champ Diogo Reis, and decorated IBJJF world champs like Diego Pato, Tainan Dalpra, Adam Wardzinski and Mayssa Bastos all took gold at the 2025 IBJJF European Championship.

The heaviest champions from the IBJJF Euros also won the absolute tournaments, with Gabi Pessanha and Luis Oliveira Cantareira both taking double gold.

Full results and highlights can be found here.

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Move of the Day

Samuel Nagai beats Fabricio Andrey in fun Pit Submission Series 11 match

CJI and Karate Combat keeps making the best case for the pit really being the optimal fighting surface for BJJ. Pit Submission Series 11 was held as part of the Karate Combat 52, and it saw a really fun rematch between BJJ pros and world champs in Samuel Nagai and Fabricio Andrey.

The match went back and forth, but Nagai got a really slick rear triangle and armbar attempt at the end, which likely secured him the judges decision.

Highlights, along with the full matches are below.

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Rolls

Will UFC FPI 10 be an all-female BJJ event? 3 more bouts set

The recently UFC took a huge step in their efforts to “take over” BJJ, by booking what is arguably the best possible match in BJJ today to headline UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10.

Ffion Davies vs. Adele Fornarino is the consensus two top pound-for-pound women in the sport, and UFC has since booked three more female champions to the card.

Three-time no gi world champ Elisabeth Clay, who won major titles just two and three months after child birth, will take on two-time no gi world champ Brianna Ste-Marie.

Two teenage BJJ phenoms will also be on the card. Polaris champ and ADCC silver medalist, Helena Crevar and the youngest ever black belt world champion, Cassia Moura, will take on Maggie Grindatti-Lira and Talita Alencar, respectively.

All four bouts booked for UFC FPI 10 so far on March 6 involve top female BJJ stars. Could the UFC be looking to create a possible all-women main card or maybe even a tournament?

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 fight card

125 lbs: Ffion Davies vs. Adele Fornarino
145 lbs: Elisabeth Clay vs. Brianna Ste-Marie
145 lbs: Helena Crevar vs. Maggie Grindatti-Lira
125 lbs: Cassia Moura vs. Talita Alencar

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Cooldown

‘No conflict!’ – ONE Championship grapplers allowed to join CJI 2

ONE Championship is known for their notoriously restrictive exclusive contracts, but it seems like there’s no need to worry about their grapplers not being able to join the second Craig Jones Invitational 2 event.

Tom DeBlass, who works for the Asian promotion, says ONE’s grapplers will be allowed to join CJI 2.

“I just spoke with (Craig Jones) and informed me the date of the next CJI. There will be no conflict with ONE,” DeBlass wrote on Instagram. “Our ONE grapplers will be able to partake in the next CJI without any issues.”

Some of the exclusively signed grapplers with ONE include both Tye Ruotolo and Kade Ruotolo, who participated in the inaugural CJI, and BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia, who was previously in negotiations to face Charles Oliveira.

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Review

To close things out, here are other interesting BJJ stories you might have missed:

• He’s back! – Marcelo Garcia returned from cancer and 14 years away from competition, and locked in his patented north south choke on Masakazu Imanari.
• Heart failure! – BJJ champ and UFC vet Vagner Rocha is dealing with serious health issues at age 42. He was also previously suspended by USADA and admits to using PEDs.
• Two notable snubs? – CJI 2’s first team roster was revealed, and it seems like 10th Planet left out a couple of BJJ stars.
• UFC books best possible BJJ match today? – It’s hard to overstate how much of a coup it is for the UFC to beat out other BJJ orgs to this.

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For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news click here.

Jiu-jitsu legend Marcelo Garcia returned to competition after a cancer diagnosis and almost 14 years away. He easily landed his patented choke.

Decorated Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) legend Marcelo Garcia officially returned to competition after almost 14 years away and after a recent bout with stomach cancer.

The four-time ADCC champion and five-time IBJJF world champion came back at 43-years of age, but didn’t seem to really miss a beat. Garcia faced Japanese MMA icon Masakazu Imanari on Friday, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Both veterans are known for being pioneers of grappling in their own regard, with a couple of moves named after them. Along with his butterfly guard, Garcia is known for his patented high elbow “Marcelotine” and north south chokes. While known more for his MMA fights, the 48-year-old Imanari was known for his leg locks and iconic “Imanari roll” leg entries.

Garcia came in almost 15 lbs. heavier, and the battle of contrasting styles ended up with the BJJ all-time great in complete control from the opening bell.

Imanari never had a chance to apply his game, as Garcia got a takedown and landed in top half guard just seconds into the bout. Garcia eventually passed and got to mount. He attempted an arm triangle choke, before soon transitioning to north south. In vintage Garcia fashion, he quickly secured his patented north south choke to force the tap.

Watch the finish below.

After the win, Garcia called for a match with another Japanese MMA legend in Shinya Aoki. After so much time away and with barely breaking a sweat in his return match, Garcia said he wanted to return to competition as soon as possible.

Prior to this, Marcelo Garcia last competed at the 2011 ADCC World Championships, where he beat the likes of Kron Gracie and Leo Vieira to win his fourth ADCC title at 77 kg.

Masakazu Imanari last fought in MMA back in February 2024, where he submitted Kazumasa Majima in RIZIN to improve his record to 40-22-2.

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For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news click here.

UFC has booked the top two pound-for-pound BJJ stars as the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 main event.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promised to “take over jiu-jitsu like they have MMA,” and it looks like they’re taking big steps toward that goal. After signing away Mikey Musumeci to a landmark deal, the UFC has followed up by booking what is arguably the best match up possible in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) today.

As announced during UFC 311’s broadcast, UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10 (UFC FPI 10) will be headlined by the two top women in BJJ in Ffion Davies and Adele Fornarino. The match will happen on March 6, 2025, and will be held at 125 pounds.

Davies was the biggest female star and reigning ADCC champion, when she decided to switch over to the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (CJI). She said the move was to fight for better pay in BJJ, and Davies went on to absolutely dominate and submit Mackenzie Dern in the high profile event.

In the very same weekend, Fornarino had the performance of her lifetime at ADCC 2024. After winning her division, the 24-year-old went on an incredible run, beating much larger champions in the Absolute tournament to take double ADCC gold medals as the smallest competitor.

Davies, 29, is a seven-time BJJ world champion across IBJJF gi, no gi, and ADCC. Fornarino is the current WNO champion, and first ever — male or female — ADCC double gold medalist from the smallest division.

It’s curious that the UFC didn’t put this up as a title fight, which would be a marketing miss on their part. Even without medals or belts though, make no mistake, this match up is between the best of the best, with the consensus two top pound for pound female champions today.

It’s also hard to overstate how much of a coup this is for the UFC. Since that huge CJI vs. ADCC weekend last August, Davies vs. Fornarino has been the grappling bout to make, and it’s interesting that the UFC just beat out all the other BJJ organizations to it.

There are certainly bouts that could be bigger commercially, like Gordon Ryan taking on either ADCC double gold medalist Kaynan Duarte or CJI champ Nick Rodriguez. With Ryan’s inactivity and selectiveness as of late though, neither bout seems realistic. So from a sporting perspective, Fornarino vs. Davies is arguably the best possible match up to be made in BJJ right now, and UFC hit a home run by being the one to actually get it done.

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To checkout the latest BJJ-related news and notes click here.

Join us for the 2025 IBJJF Euros, with the major BJJ event happening from Jan. 17 to Jan. 25, 2025.

The first major Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) event of the year will be a pretty long one, as more than 6,000 grapplers have gathered in Lisbon, Portugal. The 2025 IBJJF European Championship starts TODAY (Fri., Jan. 17, 2025) and will go on for well over a week until next SUNDAY (Jan. 25, 2025).

The gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu event will stream LIVE on FloGrappling, starting at 4:30 a.m. ET on Friday, and will continue for nine full days Saturday. A free live stream of the earlier matches will likely be on YouTube, which will be embedded below once it’s available.

2025 IBJJF Euros preview: BJJ champs take first step to Grand Slam title

The 2025 IBJJF European Championship is the first of the four major IBJJF tournaments, with the IBJJF World Championship, Pan Americans, and Brazilian Nationals all happening later this year.

For those looking to win all four majors and achieve the distinction as an “IBJJF Grand Slam” winner, this event is the first step.

In 2024, Gabi Pessanha and Mica Galvao both achieved this and won all four majors, but Galvao took it a step further by taking gold at ADCC 2024 to achieve an even rarer distinction as the “2024 Super Grand Slam winner.” There won’t be an ADCC World Championships in 2025, and Galvao has seemingly decided to stop joining points competitions this year, but there are still several decorated world champs signed up to participate in this iteration of the IBJJF Euros.

By far the most stacked division in the IBJJF Euros is at featherweight, which will have six-time world champ Diego Pato, and no gi world champs Cole Abate and Kennedy Maciel, all returning to gi competition. Middleweight could also see a rematch between IBJJF Crown winners Tainan Dalpra and Andy Murasaki, who won the last Crown due to injury.

The other decorated BJJ stars competing are two-time ADCC champ Diogo Reis, Thalison Soares, Joao Mendes, and Adam Wardzinski.

The women’s side of things will have Gabi Pessanha, Mayssa Bastos, and Melissa Striker Cueto trying to add to their long list of BJJ titles.

Lower belts start on the first couple of days, with the list of competitors found here. Black belt Master divisions start on Tuesday (Jan. 21, 2025), while Adult black belt divisions happen on the final two days of the event (Jan. 24-25, 2025).

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

2025 IBJJF European Championship: Results and Video Highlights

A record setting turnout is in Portugal, as over 6000 competitors have joined the massive nine-day event, with adult black belt divisions alone accounting for well over 200 grapplers. This results post will mainly focus on black belts, along with the few notable professionals and performances in the colored belts.

The long list of medalists and key highlights will be posted below, so keep checking back in the next nine days for all the 2025 IBJJF Euros action.

Blue Belt

Natalee Funegra, a teenage BJJ prodigy from AOJ, won double gold at the Juvenile 2 blue belt division.

Brown Belt

The two other Funegra sisters also dominated during the IBJJF Euros, with twins Mia Funegra and Ashlee Funegra closing out the light featherweight division.

Sarah Galvao, daughter of BJJ legend Andre Galvao, won double gold, winning both the lightweight and absolute divisions at brown belt. On the men’s side of things, 21-year-old Marlon Tajik also won double gold at the medium heavy and absolute.

Black Belt

Two-time ADCC world champion Diogo Reis put the gi back on, and managed to win another major title by taking gold at light featherweight division. Decorated IBJJF world champions also shined this past weekend, with Diego Pato, Tainan Dalpra, Adam Wardzinski and Mayssa Bastos all taking gold in their respective divisions as well.

The heaviest champions from the IBJJF Euros also won the absolute tournaments. Taking double gold are Gabi Pessanha and Luis Oliveira Cantareira, who got a second shot at the medal when there was a double disqualification in the finals.

In the Master 1 division (30 years old and up), Lucas Laet Moutinho and Mayara Custodio both won double gold, while Wallace Ourique beat the legend Joao Miyao in the light featherweight finals.

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / ROOSTER (57.50KG)

Gold: Yuri Hendrex Assunção Soares

Silver: Michael Jalen B. Fonacier

Bronze: Andrew Soares dos Santos

Bronze: Tadiyah William Danforth

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER (64.00KG)

Gold: Diogo Pinheiro dos Reis

Silver: Shoya Ishiguro

Bronze: Leonardo Mário Pereira Júnior

Bronze: Rerisson dos Santos Gabriel

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (70.00KG)

Gold: Diego Oliveira Batista

Silver: Kennedy Leonardo N Maciel

Bronze: Marcos Paulo de Amorim Pinheiro

Bronze: Minho Yoon

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT (76.00KG)

Gold: Leonardo Souza de Oliveira

Silver: Lucas Andre Galvão Protasio

Bronze: Pedro Henrique Maia Costa

Bronze: Thiago Robson Saboia Sousa

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / MIDDLE (82.30KG)

Gold: Tainan Dalpra Costa

Silver: Andy Tomas Murasaki Pereira

Bronze: Jefferson Alves Goteu

Bronze: Rafael Leite Borges

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY (88.30KG)

Gold: Davi Vetoraci de Menezes

Silver: Matheus Vetoraci de Menezes

Bronze: Bruno Filipe Santos Lima

Bronze: Uanderson Ferreira de Oliveira

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / HEAVY (94.30KG)

Gold: Adam Piotr Wardzinski

Silver: Leonardo Silveira Ferreira

Bronze: Rider Zuchi Samelo do Amaral

Bronze: Vinicius Liberati

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY (100.50KG)

Gold: Windson Alves de Oliveira Torres

Silver: Pedro Lucas Soares Ribeiro

Bronze: Guilherme Carmo Cypriano

Bronze: Marcos Carrozzino

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / ULTRA-HEAVY

Gold: Luis Fernando de Oliveira

Silver: Hygor Brito da Silva

Bronze: Anderson Kauan Gomes Marinho

Bronze: Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro de Siqueira

MALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS

Gold: Luis Fernando de Oliveira

Silver: Marcos Carrozzino

Silver: Marcus Vinicius Ribeiro de Siqueira

Bronze: Leonardo Silveira Ferreira

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FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / ROOSTER (48.50KG)

Gold: Thaís Loureiro Felipe

Silver: Yasmyn Castro

Bronze: Giulia Guimarães Gregorut

Bronze: Mara Ananda Kelly

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER (53.50KG)

Gold: Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos

Silver: Jessica Caroline Coelho Dantas

Bronze: Leticia Barbosa Gomes

Bronze: Naiomi Anaiansi Matthews Martín

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / FEATHER (58.50KG)

Gold: Larissa Campos Carvalho

Silver: Vitória Damiana Silva de Assis

Bronze: Astrid Agneta C. Scholin

Bronze: Cassia Remesar

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / LIGHT (64.00KG)

Gold: Janaina Maia de Menezes

Silver: Stéphanie Caroline Delphine Faure

Bronze: Janine Lillian Mutton

Bronze: Randryely da Silva Souza

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / MIDDLE (69.00KG)

Gold: Vannessa Nancy Griffin

Silver: Vitoria Gabriella Nogueira dos Reis

Bronze: Amanda Pamela Nicole Schurtz

Bronze: Sábatha Laís Francisco dos Santos

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY (74.00KG)

Gold: Ingridd Alves de Sousa

Silver: Aurélie Le Vern

Bronze: Alexia Souza Arantes

Bronze: Fernanda Yukari Makiyama Cristo

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / HEAVY (79.30KG)

Gold: Melissa Stricker Cueto

Silver: Izadora Cristina Silva

Bronze: Giovanna Jara de Souza

Bronze: Magdalena Zofia Loska

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY

Gold: Gabrieli Pessanha de Souza Marinho

Silver: Yara Soares do Nascimento

Bronze: Maria Victoria Barboza de Santiago

Bronze: Maryanna Santos Cardoso

FEMALE / ADULT / BLACK / OPEN CLASS

Gold: Gabrieli Pessanha de Souza Marinho

Silver: Yara Soares do Nascimento

Bronze: Amanda Pamela Nicole Schurtz

Bronze: Melissa Stricker Cueto

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MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / ROOSTER (57.50KG)

Gold: José Jeovan da Silva Júnior

Silver: Mehdi Vincent T. Doceux

Bronze: Carlielson Torcate Batista

Bronze: Frank Eduardo Quiñonez Oviedo

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER (64.00KG)

Gold: Wallace Henrique Nunes Ourique

Silver: João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao

Bronze: Jonghwa Park

Bronze: Oscar Fernández Calderón

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / FEATHER (70.00KG)

Gold: Hiago George Santos Silva

Silver: John Lenno Melo Dantas

Bronze: Alejandro Carreras Lecoq

Bronze: Cláudio Augusto Macedo Silva

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / LIGHT (76.00KG)

Gold: Murilo Guimarães do Amaral

Silver: Jan Andreas Basso

Bronze: Daniel Peter Scanno

Bronze: Vinicius dos Santos Pereira

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / MIDDLE (82.30KG)

Gold: Lee Sanghyeon

Silver: Lars Erik Mikael Friberg

Bronze: Bryn Meirion Jenkins

Bronze: Marek Tadeusz Su?niak

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY (88.30KG)

Gold: Lucas Laet Mattos Moutinho

Silver: Júlio Cezar dos Anjos Junior

Bronze: Lucas Figueiredo Duarte Rego

Bronze: Ramon Soares Rosa

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / HEAVY (94.30KG)

Gold: Horlando de Jesus Monteiro

Silver: Filipe Pimentel Pinheiro

Bronze: Ruan Marques de Oliveira

Bronze: Sergio Raimundo Rios da Silva

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY (100.50KG)

Gold: Wellington Modena Peroto

Silver: Rodrigo de Sousa Laurindo

Bronze: Guilherme Afonso Freire Themudo Jardim

Bronze: Stanislav Varshavskiy

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / ULTRA-HEAVY

Gold: Marcus Vinicius Gabriel Oliveira

Silver: Alexander Sak

Bronze: Cleiton de Almeida Santos

Bronze: Euclides Florival Ferreira de Castro

MALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / OPEN CLASS

Gold: Lucas Laet Mattos Moutinho

Silver: Sergio Raimundo Rios da Silva

Bronze: Euclides Florival Ferreira de Castro

Bronze: Horlando de Jesus Monteiro

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FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / ROOSTER (48.50KG)

Gold: Emilie Neto

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER (53.50KG)

Gold: Paola Bernardette Gutierrez Gonzalez

Silver: Stephanie Anne Diniz A. de Souza

Bronze: Clarissa Junqueira Lapa de Lacerda

Bronze: Luna Barea Navas

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / FEATHER (58.50KG)

Gold: Christine Anne Martin

Silver: Georgina Contel Gallego

Bronze: Erika Ontiveros Sánchez

Bronze: Melissa Maria Ariel Templeman

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / LIGHT (64.00KG)

Gold: Laura Tellervo Virtanen

Silver: Rebeca Benevides de Jesus

Bronze: Kenza Zeghari

Bronze: Maggie Kelly Mahon

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / MIDDLE (69.00KG)

Gold: Gamila Kanew

Silver: Bruna Driely Ricalde Maciel

Bronze: Kelsey Lynn Harrell

Bronze: Márcia Karina Figueiredo Ramos

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY (74.00KG)

Gold: Maria Eduarda Vieira Santos

Silver: Thais Alves Peregrino Prestes

Bronze: Priscilla Cedro Rodrigues

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / HEAVY (79.30KG)

Gold: Simone de Abreu Pinheiro

Silver: Maisa Gurgel Sales dos Santos

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY

Gold: Mayara Monteiro Custódio

Silver: Jessica Lauren Ochab

Bronze: Lama Hatem S. Qubbaj

Bronze: Liliane Ferreira Diniz Martins

FEMALE / MASTER 1 / BLACK / OPEN CLASS

Gold: Mayara Monteiro Custódio

Silver: Márcia Karina Figueiredo Ramos

Bronze: Bruna Driely Ricalde Maciel

Bronze: Maisa Gurgel Sales dos Santos

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To checkout the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu news and notes click here.

Team 10th Planet Jiu-jitsu’s planned roster Craig Jones Invitational 2 has been reported.

The second Craig Jones Invitational (CJI 2) event in August will have a drastically different format from your typical Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (CJJ) card. While the inaugural show hosted two 16-man tournaments, this second iteration will be done in a Quintet-style team vs. team tournament.

Eight teams will be competing, and Craig Jones previously teased the participation of the likes of B-Team, Atos, Checkmat, AOJ and even their former teammates turned rivals at New Wave who boycotted the first event.

The first team roster has reportedly been set, with 10th Planet Jiu-jitsu founder Eddie Bravo telling BJJ World TV his line up for CJI 2.

Bravo’s five man squad will have longtime 10th Planet representative Geo Martinez at -66 kg, EBI champ Alan Sanchez at -77 kg, ADCC 2024 bronze medalist PJ Barch at -88 kg, PGF champ Ryan Aitken at -99 kg, and ADCC trials winner Kyle Boehm at +99 kg.

CJI 2 line ups will only have one grappler per weight class, so there will naturally be a few competitors from the same team or gym that could be left off.

10th Planet has three notable pro grapplers that compete at -77 kg, with Barch instead moving up to -88 kg, and Sanchez reportedly taking the actual slot over ADCC vet Andy Varela. Also among the most notable omissions from 10th Planet’s line up is -66 kg Polaris champ Keith Krikorian, who headlines WNO 26 in February.

It’s worth noting that some of these bigger names left out could still join CJI 2, with Craig Jones previously announcing that teams will have “wild cards” involved.

The event will also again feature super fights or non-tournament bouts, which a UFC headliner is keen to join.

UFC star and BJJ champ Mackenzie Dern says Craig Jones ‘always brings the money’

Mackenzie Dern is fresh off an impressive UFC main event win, where she flexed her world class jiu-jitsu skills and submitted Amanda Ribas. The UFC star plans to take the slow route to the title and isn’t sure who she’s going to fight next, but Dern clearly is interested in returning to her grappling roots.

The four-time Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) world champion previously competed at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) event, and says she wants to join the next one too.

“Definitely. (Craig Jones) always brings the money,” Mackenzie Dern said about her interest in being part of CJI 2.

“It’s a good show. I like how he brings the entertainment to jiu-jitsu. We kind of need that,” Dern told the media after her UFC Vegas 101 win. “I think it reaches a lot of different people, which is one of the reasons why I came to MMA: to try and spread jiu-jitsu to people who never even seen martial arts or practice martial arts.”

CJI was infamously created to go against established organizations like ADCC, and increase the pay for BJJ athletes. Craig Jones and his team put up the highest payout in the sport, with show money for competitors and $2 million in prizes.

Dern says she likes what CJI is doing to help grow the sport.

“I don’t know if (Craig Jones) can do lots of events like that, like once a month, but it definitely helps push the purses, and the types of athletes that want to get involved,” Dern said. “Last one they had Olympic wrestler fighting jiu-jitsu players. And it’s different inside the pit, so it’s really cool to kind of test us and put our jiu-jitsu against different mat, and different rule set. It’s really cool and definitely helps elevate the jiu-jitsu scene.”

While Dern expressed interest in joining CJI again, the UFC is also currently trying to “take over jiu-jitsu,” and plans to run six UFC Fight Pass Invitational (UFC FPI) events in 2025.

“Last time I fought in Craig Jones’ event, (the UFC) were like ‘you’ve got to fight in our event,’ … the (UFC Fight Pass) Invitational,” Dern revealed. “But yeah, I’d be down (for CJI 2) for sure.”

The second Craig Jones Invitational is planned to take place on August, and will have a completely different format this time around. Instead of two 16-man tournaments, CJI 2 will be a team vs. team tournament.