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First-Round Brackets Announced for Craig Jones Invitational with $1 Million Grand Prize

The bracket has been revealed for the first round of the Craig Jones Invitational on Aug. 16-17 from inside…

The bracket has been revealed for the first round of the Craig Jones Invitational on Aug. 16-17 from inside Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The winner of the tournament will receive $1 million, while the event will also hand out $50,000 for “Submission of the Night.” The event goes head-to-head against the ADCC which is considered to be the best grappling event in the world.

Ahead of the event, here are the first-round matchups were revealed.

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Under 80kg:

Tye Ruotolo vs. Jason Nolf
Roberto Jimenez vs Levi Jones-Leary
Lucas Barbosa vs. Kenta Iwamoto
Jozef Chen vs. Andy Varela

Kade Ruotolo vs. Matheus Diniz
Renato Canuto vs. Tommy Langaker
Magid Hage vs. Eoghan O’Flanagan
Nicky Ryan vs. Andrew Tackett

Over 80kg:

Nicky Rodriguez vs. Max Gimenis
Owen Livesey vs. Mahamed Aly
Adam Bradley vs. Kyle Boehm
Luke Rockhold vs. Pat Downey

Victor Hugo vs. Lucas Kanard
Inacio Santos vs. Pedro Alex
Fellipe Andrew vs. Daniel Greg Kerkvliet
William Tackett vs. Joao Gabriel Rocha

The minimum prize purse for each competitor is $10,001, according to MMAMania.

Some notable names in the field are former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold as well as grappling legend Nicky Rodriguez.

Craig Jones set to grapple Gabi Garcia

Along with the $1 million grappling event, Craig Jones will also be grappling MMA fighter Gabi Garcia in an intergender matchup.

It will be a highly-anticipated matchup and in the lead-up, Jones says he likely won’t even train for the match.

“I’ll take her on. I feel good. I probably won’t train for her, I’ll be planning this damn event… I won’t train that hard. I’m happy she is doing it, though. We’ve been talking about this for two and a half years. Feels like an arranged marriage or something,” Jones said (via BJJee.com).

The plan for Craig Jones is to make this event an annual one.

Video – BJJ ace Craig Jones lands stunning flying triangle submission of UFC star Phil Rowe against wall

BJJ Ace Craig Jones secured a win over UFC welterweight contender Phil Rowe last night in little over a…

BJJ Ace Craig Jones secured a win over UFC welterweight contender Phil Rowe last night in little over a minute of their submission grappling match.

Jones added yet another notch to his belt after landing a flying triangle during Krate Combat 44 in what was part of their Pit Submission Series. Prior to their match, Craig Jones spoke to the importance of securing a finish, even if it was just to get a one up on his friend. Check out the impressive submission below.

Craig Jones used wall to land flying triangle

“Phil Rowe faced Nicky Rod,” Jones bag via the El Segundo Podcast Clips YouTube channel. “Nicky Rod couldn’t finish him, that enticed me to do the match because I said ‘Hey if Nicky Rod couldn’t finish him and I can finish him, when I finally return to the B-Team I can say hey kiss the ring mate, the king of B-team is back’. And he’s a mid-30s cocaine and Xanax-addicted professional athlete and he submitted an opponent you couldn’t.”

In the same video, Jones also discussed how the Pit wall could change the dynamic of the match, much like it did in his actual finish.

“We’ll actually be in the Pit,” Jones said. “It’s actually really f*****g stirred my interest. The shape of the Pit is sick, it’s not fence wrestling – if I shoot on you and your back hits the wall, there’s a platform for you to use the wall to stay up. But the pit is an angle. If I shoot on you can’t sprawl your feet are going to hit the base of the pit. Maybe you jump your feet up the Pit and you do some young Anthony Pettis s**t but how many people are gonna do that? For me, I think if you shoot a double, there’s no ability to sprawl you can just run them into the pit wall.”

Outside of competition Jones has become a very popular figure not just in the BJJ world but has made himself in the MMA sphere. Jones has amassed a good following on social media and continues to put more time into YouTube and podcasts.

Who would you like to see Craig Jones face next?

Video – BJJ ace Craig Jones lands stunning flying triangle submission of UFC star Phil Rowe against wall

BJJ Ace Craig Jones secured a win over UFC welterweight contender Phil Rowe last night in little over a…

BJJ Ace Craig Jones secured a win over UFC welterweight contender Phil Rowe last night in little over a minute of their submission grappling match.

Craig Jones used wall to land flying triangle

In the same video, Jones also discussed how the Pit wall could change the dynamic of the match, much like it did in his actual finish.

Who would you like to see Craig Jones face next?

Video: Australian BJJ star Craig Jones chokes out alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones

Australian BJJ black belt Craig Jones got to live out the fantasies of many when he had the opportunity to render alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones unconscious. Once a member of the illustrious Danaher Death Squad with jiu-jitsu icon Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones has established himself as one of the top submission […]

Australian BJJ black belt Craig Jones got to live out the fantasies of many when he had the opportunity to render alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones unconscious.

Once a member of the illustrious Danaher Death Squad with jiu-jitsu icon Gordon Ryan, Craig Jones has established himself as one of the top submission grapplers in the world. Jones holds a laundry list of accomplishments in the sport, including an IBJJF world championship. He’s also a two-time ADCC silver medalist and a three-time Polaris Pro Grappling champion.

But perhaps Craig Jones’ greatest accomplishment, in the eyes of many anyway, will be putting right-wing nutjob Alex Jones to sleep via a rear-naked choke. You can watch the clip below courtesy of Bloody Elbow on X:

Craig Jones choked Alex Jones out pic.twitter.com/TdS5SKfxMb

— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 28, 2023

Who is Alex Jones?

At one point, Alex Jones was generating more than $20 million a year through his controversial haven of conspiracy theories and hate speech, InfoWars. The platform, in addition to a heap of lucrative marketing deals, made him one of the more prominent figures on the Republican political landscape. But it all came crashing down after Jones made multiple claims that the U.S. government had falsified the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

He also regularly alleged that the government was behind the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Jones’ defamatory falsehoods about the Sandy Hook shooting resulted in the families of the victims being threatened and harassed for years by Jones’ most loyal followers. In response, juries in Connecticut and Texas awarded $1.487 billion in damages from Jones to a first responder and families of victims in 2022.

Alex Jones filed for personal bankruptcy shortly after.

UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov allegedly asked for $5 million payday for Georges St-Pierre grappling match

BJJ ace Craig Jones claims that Khabib Nurmagomedov priced himself out of a potential grappling match against Georges St-Pierre. In attempt to lure Nurmagomedov back to the sport following his shock retirement, UFC president Dana White attempted to put together a lucrative fight with St-Pierre. The idea has since been bounced around and even proposed […]

BJJ ace Craig Jones claims that Khabib Nurmagomedov priced himself out of a potential grappling match against Georges St-Pierre.

In attempt to lure Nurmagomedov back to the sport following his shock retirement, UFC president Dana White attempted to put together a lucrative fight with St-Pierre. The idea has since been bounced around and even proposed to take place as a grappling match rather than an MMA fight.

However, Nurmagomedov stuck to his word and has not accepted any offer – in fact, it seems that the 34-year-old is happy in retirement is is unlikely to compete again.

Craig Jones talks Khabib Nurmagomedov grappling offer

In a new twist, grappling star Jones revealed that Nurmagomedov appeared to price himself out of a potential grappling match against St-Pierre. Talking on his gym’s YouTube channel, B-Team Jiu Jitsu, the 32 year-old claimed that ‘The Eagle’ asked for a fee of five million dollars.

“I was with the [UFC] Fight Pass guys and they were trying to ask me for opponents for ‘GSP,’ for ideas, and I had no idea who would be [suitable]” Jones said on a podcast with Gunnar Nelson. “They asked me at the moment and I didn’t know. I remember I said Khabib and I think they said Khabib wanted $5 million to do the grappling match. I was like, ‘Woah!’ Obviously that’s priced himself out there. Those guys would be cool to see. I’d love to train with those guys and feel what it’s like, you know?” (H/T MMA Mania)

A fight between Nurmagomedov and St-Pierre would have been massive, probably one of the biggest fights in UFC history. Unfortunately, it will just have to join the long line of mythical fights that have slipped away

The El Segundo podcast featuring Craig Jones and Gunnar Nelson where they discuss Khabib Nurmagomedov

How do you think a grappling match would go between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre?

Ex-UFC champ Luke Rockhold returns for BJJ clash with decorated grappler Craig Jones in Jerusalem

After trying his hand at bare-knuckle boxing, former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will step on the mat for a match with BJJ legend Craig Jones. These days, Luke Rockhold is enjoying life outside of the UFC. As a free agent, he is open to trying practically any martial art that comes his […]

After trying his hand at bare-knuckle boxing, former Strikeforce and UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will step on the mat for a match with BJJ legend Craig Jones.

These days, Luke Rockhold is enjoying life outside of the UFC. As a free agent, he is open to trying practically any martial art that comes his way. Recently, he even suggested that a fight under the Karate Combat label was looking like a solid option. But first, Rockhold will head to one of the holiest places on the planet, Jerusalem, for a submission showcase with one of the most decorated grapplers in the history of the sport.

“Never in the history of combat sports have 2 dime pieces of this caliber locked horns,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “I’ve often been told I need Jesus in my life, what an opportunity to hit Jerusalem in search of him.”

The official poster for Israel Fight Night 1 has been made available courtesy of Tapology and features a rundown of some other fights booked for the event.

Luke Rockhold’s Post-UFC Combat Sports Tour Continues

Luke Rockhold has not seen his hand raised since 2017, but that hasn’t stopped the former 185-pound king from cashing in as of late. After returning to the Octagon for a clash with Paulo Costa at UFC 278, Rockhold seemingly retired. But during an appearance on The MMA Hour, he revealed that he would be open to other lucrative opportunities outside of the UFC.

In April, Rockhold made his BKFC debut against ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry. Unfortunately, things did not go Rockhold’s way as he was forced to waive off the fight in the second round after losing multiple teeth in the bare-knuckle brawl. The appearance at Israel Fight Night 1 will be his first since that disastrous turn inside the squared circle.

Luke Rockhold’s opponent, Craig Jones, is a former IBJJF world champion and an ADCC silver medalist. Jones also holds the distinction of being a three-time Polaris Pro grappling champion.