CJI 2 rumors: 8 teams set with Danaher’s surprise entry, Demetrious Johnson super fight?

After their incredibly successful inaugural event, the second Craig Jones Invitational (CJI 2) is set to happen on August, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Few details on their follow up show have been revealed, but we do know that they will be switching to a team grappling format, and will be a co-promotion with Kazushi Sakuraba’s Quintet. Instead of a 16-man tournament, CJI 2 will consist of eight teams battling out for $1 million.

Not much specifics outside of those have been revealed about the event, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) star turned promoter in Craig Jones has been teasing more things about CJI 2 recently.

Craig Jones Invitational and Karate Combat co-license The Pit

Last February, Jones teased that he now owns the patent for “The Pit” (or Alley) that they used for the inaugural CJI event. That fighting surface was originally created and patented by Karate Combat, and CJI has just announced that the two promotions indeed have a “co-license agreement” for The Pit moving forward.

The original patent is for sports surfaces with walls angled at 15 degrees or more. In a BJJ application, it has shown to produce constant action and prevent the constant resets seen in other grapplings promotions. It also helped produce what could’ve just been BJJ’s Griffin vs. Bonnar moment:

CJI 2 set to have three ‘Misfits’ teams

CJI 2 will feature several actual BJJ teams, with one member from each weight class, similar to what ADCC uses: 66 kg, 77 kg, 88 kg, 99 kg and +99kg.

10th Planet’s planned line up has been previously released, and Craig Jones also announced in February that four of the eight teams for CJI 2 have been officially signed. We now know the four remaining teams.

Large teams like Atos or B-Team will easily fill out their five slots, but Craig Jones has just announced that there will also be three teams comprised of “Misfits.” These will be filled with BJJ stars that aren’t part of a massive team, and will instead be grouped together by location.

“We also have three ‘Misfit’ teams,” Jones announced. “One from Europe, one from Australasia, and one from The Americas. Take your pick.”

Several big names are being floated around to fill up the 15 slots on these Misfits teams. The top candidates include CJI finalist Levi Jones-Leary, Lucas Kanard, and Josh Saunders from Australia, Polaris champ Mateusz Szczecinski for Europe, and Roberto Jimenez for The Americas.

Brazilian ADCC world champion teammates in Mica Galvao and “Baby Shark” Diogo Reis are also two big names they’ll probably want in The Americas line up, should they not be part of the five major teams.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Danaher’s New Wave team a surprise entry to CJI 2

With the first four major BJJ teams and these three new Misfits teams, the eighth and final slot was a bit of a surprise entry: New Wave.

John Danaher’s DDS team infamously had a bitter split in 2021, which had them splintering into “New Wave” with Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon, and “B-Team” with Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, and Nick Rodriguez, among others.

None of John Danaher’s pupils at New Wave joined the inaugural CJI event, as they all opted to stay with ADCC. Many thought they’d boycott CJI 2, but things have turned around.

Danaher has recently been complimentary of Craig Jones and CJI, and Jones even met with his former coach and teased how they’re “rebuilding bridges.”

Those posts sparked more rumors, but it was always less likely to be about former teammates turned bitter rivals reuniting, and more about CJI business.

Jones has been adamant from the start that he believes he can get New Wave to be part of CJI 2, and he indeed got it done. He made the announcement on Saturday night.

“We’re announcing the first team in CJI, and that team will surprise you. That is New Wave Jiu-jitsu,” Jones revealed.

For what it’s worth, while the often inactive Gordon Ryan seems unlikely to ever participate in an event promoted by Jones, New Wave will definitely still have enough members to fill a line up.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

CJI wants UFC great Demetrious Johnson in inter-gender BJJ super-fight

MMA legend Demetrious Johnson has been staying active and competing in jiu-jitsu tournaments lately, so could CJI 2 be a part of his plans?

The longtime UFC champion recently visited B-Team, where he trained (and got worked) by Craig Jones’ teammates. “Mighty Mouse” quickly shut down the idea of joining the CJI tournament, stating he knows that professional grapplers are on a different level.

“As a spectator, absolutely (I’ll be at CJI 2)! As for competing, no,” Johnson said. “I only train two or three times a week, and I’m more predominantly in the gi. No gi is kind of not my thing, even if I come from a no gi background.

“These guys are the cream of the crop. They train every single day. All they do is no gi grappling, so I know my skill level,” Mighty Mouse said.

Despite this, CJI promoters still expressed interest in Johnson joining the event.

“Hopefully we can get him a super-fight. I was thinking him and Gabi (Garcia) in the gi,” CJI Executive Producer Seth Belisle said about Johnson. “We’d kill it, but I don’t know. He’s on the fence.”

Gabi Garcia was also in an intergender super-fight with Craig Jones at the inaugural CJI. Should the match with Johnson push through, the 6-foot-2, 10-time ADCC and IBJJF world champion would have a significant size advantage over her former flyweight UFC champion opponent.

Stay tuned for more CJI 2 updates. For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news, click here.