The Craig Jones Invitational has already produced some great grappling exchanges after Day 1 (results HERE), but that doesn’t mean the inaugural event hasn’t experienced some minor hiccups along the way.
Friday saw CJI host a collection of jiu-jitsu contests that offered all kinds of world-class talent. Whether it was Nicky Rodriguez, Luke Rockhold, Nicky Ryan, or Kade Ruotolo, Day 1 saw some pretty entertaining matchups unfold on the mat. Grappling fans even witnessed a massive upset as No. 1-seed Victor Hugo got heel hooked by short-notice replacement Lucas Kanard.
Unfortunately, Day 1 also produced a little bit of controversy stemming from an opening round matchup between Tye Ruotolo and Jason Nolf. While Ruotolo ended up defeating Nolf via third-round kneebar (see it in the above video player) to move onto the quarterfinals — which he lost to Levi Jones-Leary — the veteran grappler ended up revealing that Nolf admitted to greasing for their contest.
According to Ruotolo, there was a moment in the match when he went for a single leg and it felt like he was grabbing a bar of soap. During the action, Ruotolo asked Nolf if he had greased and the former three-time NCAA Division I National Champion straight-up said “yeah.” It’s certainly something that’s frowned upon within the grappling community as it provides an fair advantage to the person greasing.
Check out Ruotolo’s recount below:
Tye Ruotolo says Jason Nolf admitted to greasing after their match at #CJI.
“I went for a single leg or something, an ankle pick. And it felt like I was gripping onto frickin a bar of soap. I was like, ‘Did you grease your legs?’ I asked him.
“He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ I can’t… pic.twitter.com/qyS4mKzcaC
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) August 17, 2024
“I went for a single leg or something, an ankle pick. And it felt like I was gripping onto a frickin a bar of soap. I was like, ‘Did you grease your legs?’ I asked him.
“He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ I can’t believe he admitted it. Usually you’re not supposed to do that.”
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round coverage of Day 2 of the Craig Jones Invitational right HERE, which is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET LIVE and FREE on YouTube (details HERE).