Craig Jones Gets Real On Why He Ignited CJI vs. ADCC War | The MMA Hour

Craig Jones discusses the upcoming Craig Jones Invitational, competing against the #ADCC, the #CJI $1 million grand prize, his competition against Gabi Garcia, visiting Ukraine, Dillon Danis, Gordon Ryan, trying for a guillotine, better grappler Islam or Khabib, and more.
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[@brandongordon123]

What makes CJI even better is that Gordon Ryan always talks about how he’s going to be the reason BJJ athletes get paid more and here comes Craig ACTUALLY making it happen. Gordon does nothing but fill his own pockets.

[@pcgamer881]

Without Flo, Gordan is pretty much nonrelevant

[@2scoops_Arturo]

Now you know who’s is the best in the game?

[@Nomad_Skateboarding]

There wouldn't be anyone giving money to Craig if Gordon didn't exist. It's the Tiger effect but for grappling.

[@rhmotes]

@@pcgamer881 Gordon is way too good at the sport for that to be true.

[@KenithCopeland]

@@rhmotes there is no doubt that gordon is one of the greatest no gi grappler to ever be on the mat but his theory is he is the best and everyone should only listen to him (or john), thats not how you grow the sport as a whole. craig is without a doubt a very capable grappler and the fact he might not be the best resonates with more people because they also dont figure they need to be the best, just have fun with it

[@JesusT678]

“Signed in crayon 🖍️ and then she ate it”😂💀 - Craig Jones confirming fight with 6’4 +240lbs Gabi Garcia

[@foxmulderfbiufo1770]

The scary part is she just might be the toughest challenge for him yet even over Gordon 😂😂😂

[@jhc577]

LOL the amount of jabs hes thrown at gabi, she better give him a couple of smacks during the match

[@exposuretherapy]

Bro I'm dead 😂😂😂😂😂

[@oahu_mopar]

Sounds like WWE....wait....no..I mean WWF

[@Sheahova]

loll right?! lmfao

[@dsyusufi]

“I think there’s a correlation between eye contact and success at jiu-jitsu” Craig jones 2024

[@ernienieves3229]

“I’m not enough for her. She’s a 2 man job”😂😂😂💀💀

[@edwindiaz8075]

10K for first place is insane lol

[@kodywalkerunfiltered]

my local amatuer MMA/Boxing fight nights pay $50 to the winner with no health coverage after being beaten in the head

[@brandonm5295]

​@kodywalkerunfiltered yeah but these are the best athletes in their field and they make peanuts

[@scottcannon1383]

@@kodywalkerunfilteredbig diff to some bogans getting in a ring and the most elite athletes in their sport, can’t really compare man

[@seboge]

@@kodywalkerunfiltered what is this meant to prove apart from your smooth brain?

[@doriangongar1859]

@@kodywalkerunfilteredlocal bjj tournaments make u pay a $100 to compete

[@FvckN0]

"She has an OnlyFans?" ... "Don't.. pretend you don't know!"

[@MrNervez]

Followed MMA all my adult life, appreciated jujitsu but never once watched a BJJ tournament but will absolutely be tuneing in to watch this because of Craig and his ideas. And before you trolls say I’m simping or connected to him, you’re wrong. I’m just a Londoner that loves a beer and a packet and some fair competition!

[@OtherGuysChannel]

right on

[@MrNervez]

And ps, I haven’t laughed as much as I did with this interview that any person that’s been on Rogan or here in years!!

[@edmundvalero6841]

plus you get to see it for free on joutube

[@cfslim4768]

me too

[@BroBruh]

You're simping and connected to him

[@EmersonPowell-cz5ur]

7:04 ‘Signed in crayon, and then she ate it’ 7:16 ‘Hopefully I’m not impotent for the match’ Funniest 20 seconds in any interview ever

[@lineardolphin7086]

Talking about her OF “well borrowed it…. Didn’t need it for long”😂😂

[@BryanOSheaComedy]

8:50

[@kid1rio]

Craig is so well spoken and quick witted. The response about Dillon Danis downfall in grappling, potentially correlating to the lack of pay from adcc was genius.

[@tomochong]

"I took a big risk challenging a woman" 😂😂😂

[@BigHeadMMA999]

Protect Craig at all costs

[@edmundvalero6841]

CRAIG JONES THE NUMBER 1 MOST INFLUENTIAL GRAPPLER OF THE 21ST CENTURY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ParkerPPipe]

Numero dos bruh

[@yousufleads]

baitpost

[@Mac-zl4po]

Kit Dale entered the chat

[@wikiwikiwee1]

Second most influential grappler

[@levigabre8552]

“I threw him out there as a distraction to Gabi….”😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Craig is on fire…..🔥

[@Darther659]

Ive never tuned into a BJJ competition and Craig is getting me so keen for the CJI

[@nasirjones580]

There is a reason for that. It’s a very boring sport to watch, and I say that as someone who used to practice bjj for 5 years

[@Darther659]

@nasirjones580 Yeah fair, I've always been into MMA but never even considered watching any of the grappling stuff on fight pass. But hey, CJ is getting word out there

[@briantneary2248]

That last ADCC was an amazing event

[@Darther659]

@@briantneary2248 yeah? I'll definitely need to check it out. I think that's what Craig is touching on too, if the events are amazing, the people participating in it need to earn more for providing that entertainment

[@gsp3428]

Imagine 6 thousand dollars for someone as good as Craig, one of the best and most popular BJJ fighters in the world. At first I didnt like him going head to head with ADCC, but this is the way for them to change and start really paying fighters.

[@mrbodycatcer]

and the fact that he has to fight 4 of the best people in the world tournament style to get that. ffion dropped out of adcc mentioning she could make more than that in just 1 superfight somewhere else

[@oldironsides4107]

Mark Kerr said many years ago. The sheik was Throwing around money and gave him 50 k. That was over 20 years ago

[@MainCardMinute]

From Rogan to the MMA hour, Craig only does the most popular shows

[@mateogorostiza6321]

well duh hes trying to promote his event

[@Shaka_Garami]

@@mateogorostiza6321 he's doing Luke Thomas' show as well so not entirely true 😂

[@benfuller4108]

He's also appearing on Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas I believe

[@BarryMcCockiner-em5sv]

Most popular? Lol. You seen the numbers Ariel's videos have been pulling in? Guru's have been pullin in 5x that.

[@6AlphaMikeCharlie9]

What about the fighter and the kid? Isn't that bigger than all the others?

[@sam_s_]

Craig Gones is such and amazing interview. I hope his CGI event does well.

[@Colby_0-3_IRL_and_title_fights]

10th degree rainbow belt in mexican ground karate

[@russellsidell]

Craig is legitimately hilarious 👍

[@ba8e]

Loved seeing an actual comedian on Joe Rogan. Sadly, Joe is kinda slow...

[@BryanOSheaComedy]

8:50

[@omarmartinez3584]

This man is gold

[@RayScaia]

*"You simply adapted to the mat, I was born on it"*

[@eddyortega2593]

Craig jones > gordon Ryan

[@bogart7498]

Lol

[@gsp3428]

I would try and get some of the greats, like Rafa Mendes, Ryan Hall, Damian Maia, Cohbrihna, Braulio, Roger Gracie, and have them compete against the new generation

[@jamessimpson710]

Khabib!

[@ramirospinelli6453]

they are all retired and old man. Maybe Rafa can still go at it, but he does not need to or wants to.

[@anonymousreviewer169]

@@ramirospinelli6453 He lives at a $4m mini-mansion in LA. He's set for life because of AOJ alone.

[@sebastianflores1925]

Craig has said that some of the legends of the sport are in contact about super fights, I think we might see Marcelo

[@ramirospinelli6453]

@@sebastianflores1925 I would love a super fight between old competitors like ADCC used to do.

[@lillwal2984]

I'm not so sure a 2million dollar venue will grow the sport more than a 1million dollar grand prize. No one talks about how much a venue cost while way more people are talking about the 1million dollar grand prize. "Bro ADCC is going to pay 2million dollars for there venue this year I'm so exited to pay for my flo subscription and watch" said no one ever.

[@XKenny77]

Investing in production is important, but I don't even understand how you make a profit if your building costs $1m per night. How much are the tickets? Each person has to pay about $50 just to cover the cost of the building. That's nuts.

[@wendellmartin4753]

@@XKenny77 well don’t forget the athletes entry fee

[@artnos]

maybe they wanted a larger venue for more seats

[@combine8269]

@@artnos prior venue was no where near full

[@alexbambam1]

Way better interview than the one he did with Joe Rogan. Rogan doesn't flow with the sarcasm.

[@2scoops_Arturo]

Joe is just older 🥺

[@trubkadefekt3645]

​@@2scoops_Arturo well hes a comedian and most jokes fly over his head lol

[@pancraseash9002]

Its lost on Joe isn't it, when Jones says sarcastic stuff Joe just stops and looks at him 😅

[@merkins87]

Rogan is an okay comedian but he has done a shitload of drugs over several decades. He's resting hard on his laurels.

[@Mac-zl4po]

Rogan is getting too old

[@NotBlandBlandina]

On JRE Joe was mad at him for going against ADCC😂

[@pcgamer881]

Everytime Joe said "but", I kept on cringing. Dude is so out of touch with reality.

[@fred3831]

It’s easy for him to sit and defend ADCC paying fighters 10k to win when he’s earned £400mil haha

[@nasirjones580]

Why would Joe invite Craig on his show if he was mad at him?

[@georgec8501]

He wasn't really mad, but yeah, he did question craig a lot about why he was having the competition on the same date as ADCC.

[@Krambo19]

That's because Joe is financially involved with adcc and he sponsor's Gordon Ryan... He a salty man

[@assassin7250]

I want to see mikey musumeci compete there.

[@dubstepXpower]

Depends if ONE allows it

[@aicemen]

ONE swallowed him sadly

[@Zhantalas]

Craig Jones the best thing happened to jiu jitsu

[@henrilindroos3029]

"This is where the 2.5y foreplay has led" 🤣🤣☠️☠️

[@gsp3428]

Craig is obcioualy very bitter at Mo and ADCC, he is one of the biggest BJJ fighters, and hasnt made almost anything at ADCC. He is so right, that extra money should have gone to the fighters.

[@lvcisferre3523]

Rightfully so.

[@drunkpaulocosta9301]

Nah he just doesn't care about everyone's emotional attachment to ADCC. He is trolling them and making an example of them. It's not that serious besides testing if he can do it better than them and prove his point.

[@xChrisDarko]

​@@drunkpaulocosta9301there isn't any testing in jiu jitsu 👍

[@gsp3428]

@@drunkpaulocosta9301 Well if he wasnt bitter he could still not care about ADCC and get more athletes to compete on a diifferent day. If he put his tournament on a different day he would get all the top guys around the world. He did this specifically to start making ADCC pay their athletes more, because if they dont the tournament will die.

[@donovanb9020]

Disagree about the bitter part. He's done extremely well to the point that the money doesn't mean much. Given that he went up a weight class the last ADCC so that his two boys (Jay Rod and Izaak if I remember right) could have an attempt to shine, him protecting Jozef during Quintet before his trials run, and other moments, we've seen that he will step down for the betterment of his team/the bigger picture. I'm sure he's grown tired of seeing his friends/peers win these big titles but still have to pickup side jobs/compete for scraps/etc. Just to get by.

[@petermuskett3414]

A friend of mine who doesn't train asked me who Craig Jones was yesterday. This is putting a lot of eyes on the sport that qouldnt usually be there

[@gsp3428]

thats amazing Craig went all the way to Ukraine to teach and help soldiers learn BJJ.

[@orpik87]

wait, what?

[@kenn3250]

@@orpik87he went and did a charity seminar in Ukraine with the proceed going to soldiers who train

[@420champion4]

If Craig can pull this off, it will change the sport forever.

[@pewe9989]

Better interview than jre

[@travisjones1481]

Truly the second best we could all hope for. Gordon hasn’t done half of what Craig has done to put BJJ in the mainstream.

[@brettlarks4067]

I've never watched a Grappling tournament, but will be watching this .

[@somarvitor]

The adcc purses are absolutely absurd. The sport has never been bigger and the purses havent changed in decades.

[@zezuntxiduntxi]

We all know we need to support CJI and Craig Jones in general. What a guy. great work

[@gabrielplattes6253]

'didn't need it for long...' 😂

[@Andrii_O]

Finally someone asked about Ukraine. All the others are avoiding this question as much as possible. Thx Ariel, thx Craig! Greetings from Kyiv.

[@poatan187]

No one cares about Ukraine

[@gsp3428]

Craig is as real a dude as it gets, he is just gonna tell how it is.

[@marston9106]

Bro is just masterful, he is jiu jitsu'ing the internet😅. Reminds me of the Australian characters in Flight of the Conchords😂

[@natwilliams4076]

There new Zealand characters but close.

[@marston9106]

​@@natwilliams4076Yes, the main characters are from New Zealand, but the show has a running joke regarding Australians.

[@PROSPECTOR-xi2np]

Craig should create a medal called the AC/DC medal for his winners.

[@Shiggystardust]

This is a fantastic idea. How do we make sure he sees this?

[@randycantwell1275]

Craig is that dude!! Quality entertainment each n every time his words exit his face

[@markdavis8430]

Rumours have it Craig put that 1 million on black and Won 💸

[@Mr850man]

Once you go black you never go back

[@powerthroughfocus]

Leaving Sunday alone for adcc finals is brilliant and gentlemanly.

[@strider7008]

Ufc: we'll pay fighters way lower than boxing despite the overwhelmingly greater popularity. Adcc: hold my coconut water.

[@W2LTA]

Luke Rockhold was a IBJJF Blue Belt World Champion in the GI and a Purple Belt Champion in NO-GI, im surprised this hasn't been mentioned in any of the interviews.

[@josiericaro3347]

Press conference idea is great . They should definitely do it

[@dixieechann]

Craig is hands down the most entertaining personality in combat sports not just BJJ

[@Mashey000]

Craig is a Gem of a human

[@junaydmohammed5901]

Came just to leave a like. Will be back tomorrow to watch. Craig Jones you the man

[@Tyson-luvs-nuggets]

We need to tag Zuck on all CJI promos 😂

[@vichidalgo14]

What you’re doing is awesome and impactful. You’re changing the rules and opening new opportunities to a new generation. New kids will be able to be jiu jitsu athletes and see a future in grappling without switching to mma. You sir, have my respect.

[@zxcvbnmmasdfghjkl]

“It’s not about the money, it’s about sending a message”

[@merkins87]

Craig Joker Invitational- I love somebody sticking it to the greedy old guard of promoters

[@conorhogan7575]

Mo Jassim is trying to Dana White the grappling industry, and treat it like a low cost pool for content creation. Craig is showing that there is power in organizing talent. What he's doing is important.

[@Trasgoooo]

10:05 Borrowed it, i didn't need it for long 😂😂

[@guy2448]

This was so good!!

[@jimtaggert7268]

Such a great interview. Craig is a promotional stud!

[@Bling92]

Great questions, great interview, good job 👍

[@patmcmenamin6467]

"I'm a homeless cat" hahahaha

[@PapaioannouOrama]

some catnip for us

[@busterbrown724]

This a Brendan Schaub reference?

[@thehopeofgloryinme]

You think about all the time and money spent by the athletes to get to ADCC and just the winner gets 10K. Craig Jones 🇦🇺 what a amazing idea! I’ll be tuning in 💯 excited 👏

[@Theshaman12]

Gotta love Craig, the man is doing the thing.

[@VinceVella]

Big Respect to Craig, doing a lot of great stuff for the athletes and the people !

[@CryptoXaos]

Craig killing it. And free on yt wow

[@rufioswitch2132]

30:20 this is an AMAZING point from Craig to show viewer numbers on KZbin !

[@chris9818]

Awesome interview, grappling is getting big

[@FvckN0]

Interesting to see how many views this Episode has 13 hours after upload in comparison to other Episodes hosting MMA guys. It seems this sport is already much bigger than we think. LET'S F*ckn' GO!

[@Mikeyhenriquez]

loved the pod

[@thebrownbomber769]

Ariel: "Is she running?" Craig: "Gabi Garcia? I'll chase her done she doesn't move too quick" This guy is loaded w one liners. A Theo von + Craig Jones pod would be epic.

[@ratiounkn3210]

Craig is a legend. Can’t wait to see this.

[@bumblebeetuna2244]

I was guessing Mark Zuckerberg as the anonymous donor also

[@soundtorial4567]

Either him or the Prince from Qatar

[@assassin7250]

I saw in discord it was some guy name "Motar2k" and I recognize that name long time ago too.. He was in some random gaming community involve with gambling before.. but its definitely someone from middle east.

[@josiealdo2610]

@@assassin7250 Motar2k is Mo Jassim lol the organiser of ADCC

[@rugbyguy1rugby407]

I think it’s Elon Musk.

[@Mac-zl4po]

Dana White

[@pyrodaddy2854]

Free on KZbin is great can't wait to watch

[@gsp3428]

Craig could beat Gabbi with his eyes closed, literally.

[@jimasturias3952]

underrated comment

[@jeffdj1975]

Great interview

[@legitprowrestling6653]

Awesome!

[@Wade-1]

Craig is right. The only way to get ADCC to spend more is to do it same night. Otherwise they aren't directly competing.

[@maddnesskru]

Been loving Craig on these podcasts.

[@macrio5]

Craig Jones for President

[@user-iy4yy4be7n]

Go Craig! Wish you the best.

[@peekaboojujitsoo525]

BDCC sounds like a better name 😆

[@chrispedroza1011]

bbcc?

[@peekaboojujitsoo525]

@@chrispedroza1011 🤣BBC Championship

[@tangorealauditnz7706]

I can't wait

[@raghavkaushik9985]

Definitely tuning in. Also, willing to donate a cheeky £50

[@lukeoshea8160]

This man is an Aussie Treasure!!!

[@powerthroughfocus]

Like here if you are hoping that Craig and Gabby make a super baby after this 🎉

[@ArchAngelDublin]

I’m here after some nose beers

[@TheDomLouis]

He's not the BJJ Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!! So happy to see Craig disrupting the BJJ and grappling landscape. Hope he's alive to see his legacy.

[@kyleredfearn96]

Craig Jones' Legacy > Gordon Ryan's Legacy

[@francklouis-marie6342]

Better than the jre episode , great questions .

[@jacquesfourie867]

Craig is talking over💪

[@boogiemonster2038]

Great move for the bjj loving sponsor. Making it non-profit enables it to be a tax write off. Beats paying that 3 mil to the government 👌🤙

[@fazer12779]

Gordon Ryan, enter the CJI (stomach permitting) & win some easy money if you are the GOAT!

[@jakewatsonmedia]

Gotta hand it to Craig, this dude literally went to arguably the two biggest media promotions in the combat sports world to promote the event.

[@joshuaturney7242]

The cage, the alley. I love it. This is going to be UFC big. I personally am more excited for this than I am for adcc.

[@davidajayi8136]

Craig just solidified his legend status!

[@coffeeyouu]

Octopus king himself 🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙 CRAIG JONES

[@omtakes]

What is the KZbin channel CJI is going to be broadcasted on?

[@jackjack3024]

The B-Team channel.

[@omtakes]

@@jackjack3024 Thanks mate ✊🏽

[@tobyhotshot1093]

Lov this

[@unsub6737]

If only DP had spent some time with Craig Jones. It did wonders for Volk when he had a proper fight camp against Islam. DP would be bigger & stronger compared to Volk, but with the same wrestling/grappling prep that Volk got in the first fight. It would have made things interesting.

[@nicholas672]

I hope the production of the show is quality