Midnight Mania! BJJ Star Craig Jones Dumps $1 Million In Cash On Rogan’s Desk

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The world of high-level jiu-jitsu competition just grew a little more interesting.

Australian grappling ace Craig Jones is a longtime black belt and elite competitor, a two-time silver medalist at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) tournament, widely regarded as the highest stage in jiu-jitsu competition. Jones will not be returning for the 2024 ADCC event, however, because he’ll be holding his own invitational tournament scheduled for August 16 and 17, directly competing against the ADCC event.

Why? On the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) website, Jones described his tournament as “A nonprofit dedicated to elevating sport and athlete compensation, while simultaneously raising money for charitable causes.“ In other words, Jones isn’t impressed by the prizes offered by ADCC and other organizations like IBJJF and is trying to raise the stakes. He’s offering up a $1 million grand prize in two separate weight classes, above and under 80 kilograms.

As part of the promotional effort, Jones appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show podcast. He wouldn’t reveal his financial backer, but Jones did offer one form of proof that he’s secured funds: dumping $1 million in cold hard cash all over Joe Rogan’s desk! It stunned the UFC color commentator, who remarked, “I’ve never seen a million dollars in one place! I’ve never even seen a million dollar check.”

Jones has already convinced several top talents like Nicky Ryan, Mason Fowler, and Nicky Rodriguez, to jump ship from ADCC to the CJI. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight king Luke Rockhold will be there competing too! Oh, and Jones himself will be grappling legendary female grappler and undefeated MMA fighter Gabi Garcia in a wild super fight match up.

Sounds like an event worth watching?

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.