Craig Jones and the UFC may not see eye-to-eye on much right now, but the CJI headman is still willing to lend a hand — in his own unique way.
With or without the UFC, Craig Jones wants to continue doing what's best for jiu-jitsu.
In 2025, UFC has committed to grappling more than ever before with the recent launch of UFC BJJ, featuring notable names like Mikey Musumeci and Rerrison Gabriel. At the same time, Jones hosted his own event last year, the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI), which caused quite a stir throughout the sport as it went head-to-head with the famous annual Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Tournament.
Despite being on good terms with the UFC in the past and even competing on UFC Fight Pass Invitational events, Jones is starting to feel a different energy as he goes in a different direction.
"I will say, without a shadow of a doubt, that is basically the negotiation point for them," Jones said on Tuesday's in-studio edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." "Are you an enemy or are you a friend? There's really no gray area in between.
"It's hard for people to really understand the big picture of this, right? I wouldn't want to call any organization a monopoly, but there are a lot of problems associated when there's just one dominant [organization]. Let's say the UFC — there's no alternative [in MMA]. If you want to become famous in the sport of MMA, there's no alternative. And when there aren't alternatives, you don't have leverage to negotiate. So if it comes down to compensation, anyone, it doesn't even have to be UFC, if anyone came in and offered enough money early enough to secure the best athletes, and the other organizations died, how are you going to leverage your pay rise?"
Jones has his next jiu-jitsu match set for the upcoming CJI 2 event on Aug. 31. He'll take on Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson in Steveson's jiu-jitsu debut, however the path to that match could've been drastically different had Jones taken the offer he received from UFC BJJ.
Jones claimed the promotion also wanted to broadcast CJI, but that the deal UFC presented was "embarrassing" in comparison to what CJI has in place now.
"[UFC] made an offer," Jones stated. "I thought it was not a fair offer for the time commitment and what I would have to give away in terms of the exclusivity type of deal there. I really did turn it down and I went with Flo Grappling instead. They basically offered me whatever. This isn't an exclusive deal. If you want to compete over there, compete over there — just make sure we can figure it out within our calendar schedule.
"The money we made from the first [CJI], we just gave away to charity to building jiu-jitsu schools around the world. So, it's like, I don't see our event as competition to [UFC BJJ], but obviously they're going to be protective of their athletes. Like if their athletes were to come to CJI and lose, it damages their brand. They've gained nothing from it."
Communication with UFC has been "off" for Jones since he declined the offer. And Jones hasn't been shy to voice his displeasure — just this past week, he posted a clip on social media of him using a rocket launcher to blow up a blow-up doll with UFC CEO Dana White's face on it.
Regardless, Jones has still been present in the corners of UFC champions like Alexander Volkanovski and Jack Della Maddalena.
"I would be shocked, to be honest, if they were to ban me," Jones said. "UFC hates me, but they also hate Dagestani wrestlers. Jack Della is fighting Islam Makhachev, so they're in a catch-22. They're like, 'F***, we hate this guy, but we hate these wrestlers as well.' So I think they want me. I helped them get rid of Belal [Muhammad]. Hold on a bit longer, guys, we'll get rid of Islam Makhachev for you."
Jones' coaching work was on full display in Della Maddalena's matchup for the UFC welterweight title against Muhammad earlier this year at UFC 315, resulting in Della Maddalena's decision win. "JDM" showcased improved takedown defense and get-up ability in the few instances he hit the mat.
The Muhammad bout was a solid appetizer for the stiff challenge Della Maddalena can expect against the aforementioned Makhachev later this year. Although the fight has yet to be confirmed, the pound-for-pound star and record-breaking former lightweight champion Makhachev is expected to debut at 170 pounds. With Jones in Della Maddalena's corner, it only adds another compelling wrinkle to the already incredible fight on paper, as Jones helped Volkanovski prepare specifically for Makhachev in the past.
"I think it's a super difficult fight for Islam, this one," Jones said. "Obviously, he's faced 'Volk' twice — forget about the second one, but the first one [was] very competitive. Very competitive in the grappling. Now we're talking about, he's facing a guy who has some of the best scrambling ability, I think, period, in all of MMA — and some of the most unorthodox grappling. I think that's what Belal struggled with. Belal really just sticks to a blueprint. The blueprint obviously works very well. But in terms of creativity in what Belal does, it's pretty strict.
"Jack, as you saw in that fight, some of his off-balance sets and grip breaks, and some of the things he does, it's really hard to prepare for that.
"I think the size difference is going to be quite a lot bigger than people think," Jones continued. "We've seen how 'Volk' did on the ground and how much Islam struggled with him in the grappling exchanges. Having seen Jack and 'Volk' work together, seeing their skill sets, this is a perfect one. The UFC want guys that stand and bang, I'm trying to still help them out — even though we're potentially enemies. Very, very confident for this one."
Category: General Sports
