Craig Jones has confirmed that the Craig Jones Invitational 3 will not be happening, marking what could be a major turning point in the current professional grappling landscape.
The announcement came in typical Craig Jones fashion. Responding to a fan on Reddit who asked what happened to CJI 3, Jones replied:
“cancelled. Decided to keep the money.”
While the comment was delivered with Craig’s usual dry humor, the situation behind it appears to be much more serious. Over the past year, the professional jiu-jitsu market has changed dramatically. CJI arrived as a direct disruption to ADCC, offering huge prize money, strong production, and a bold challenge to the sport’s most established no-gi tournament. But now, with UFC BJJ moving aggressively into the space, the business model for independent grappling events looks more uncertain than ever.
CJI made an immediate impact when it launched. It forced the grappling world to talk seriously about athlete pay, event production, and whether ADCC’s long-standing position at the top of no-gi jiu-jitsu could be challenged. For a moment, Craig Jones appeared to have created the most exciting alternative in the sport.
However, Jones has now made it clear that running these events came at a significant personal and financial cost. When another Reddit user questioned whether he would do another event, Jones answered:
“The sad clown. I can’t be take seriously. Give me a reason to do it again? Tell me how to do it again, given the contracts? It’s my money to do whatever I want with, I put my life on hold for these events.”
He also stated that CJI 2 did not generate a major profit, writing:
“For the record, CJI 2 broke the f**k even,”
For many fans, that comment revealed the harsh reality of professional grappling. Even with major attention, elite athletes, online buzz, and a strong brand, breaking even may not be enough to justify the stress and risk of staging another major event.
At the same time, UFC BJJ has entered the market with significant force. The organization has begun building its own grappling ecosystem, featuring professional events, UFC-branded tournaments, open competitions, and exclusive contracts with athletes. That shift appears to have changed the game completely.
Jones was heavily critical of UFC BJJ’s approach, especially its move toward open tournaments and amateur participation:
“Yeah, everyone can be a UFC champion now. Incredible. The professional model didn’t work, so we went back to the amateurs. Take all the money from the amateurs, pay for the pros, steal no dg testing, and you just maybe might be a UFC BJJ open world champion and get paid to compete on the UFC BJJ circuit for three (thousand) fking dollars on an exclusive contract.”
He further commented on what he sees as the sport’s new revenue model:
“More extortion of the 35-year-old TRT dad that wants to impress his ex-wife and his kids he sees once a week.”
Although Craig’s wording is characteristically brutal, his point touches on a deeper issue in jiu-jitsu. For years, organizations like the IBJJF have built successful models around mass participation, where amateur competitors help fund the overall structure of the sport. UFC BJJ now appears to be applying a similar approach, but with the power of the UFC brand behind it.
That could make it very difficult for independent professional-only events to compete.
Ironically, CJI’s initial success may have weakened ADCC at the exact moment UFC BJJ was preparing to move in. CJI disrupted the old hierarchy, pulled attention away from ADCC, and created a new conversation around athlete value. But with CJI 3 now cancelled and the upcoming ADCC event in Poland appearing to generate far less buzz than previous editions, UFC BJJ may have become the biggest winner in the chaos.
Jones also revealed that there may have been a possibility of working with UFC BJJ, but he suggested the deal was not worth it:
“We could have made a deal me and the ufc. I could taken over promoting. But I would have to sell my soul, underpriced. In my opinion. Despite the lack of soul I have.”
Instead, he seems ready to move away from live event promotion and focus on a different kind of project:
“I’ve got a show in the works to hopefully sell. That’s way more fulfilling for me right now.”
The cancellation of CJI 3 raises an important question for the sport. Is professional grappling, as a standalone product, financially sustainable?
CJI proved that fans want drama, personality, spectacle, and better athlete pay. But it also showed how difficult it is to make those events work financially. UFC BJJ, meanwhile, may not need to rely only on elite super fights or major tournament viewership. By combining amateur opens, exclusive athlete deals, content, branding, and professional events, it may have created a more scalable model.
Craig Jones changed the direction of professional grappling. He challenged ADCC, forced the sport to discuss athlete compensation, and proved that jiu-jitsu could be promoted in a more entertaining way.
But the sport has now entered a new phase.
CJI disrupted ADCC.
UFC BJJ may now be disrupting everyone.
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