Craig Jones has once again stirred discussion in the grappling world – this time over the absence of women’s brackets in his event, the Craig Jones Invitational.
In a recent appearance on the podcast On Borrowed Time, Jones opened up about the behind-the-scenes financial challenges of organizing large-scale tournaments like CJI.
He made it clear that unlike other promotions that receive outside funding, his event operates under direct financial pressure:
It’s very difficult. Like, if we’re taking loans, you take a loan from a bank, they want to know what you’re going to do with that money.
They want to know it’s basically a solid business plan.I’m not getting government grants for this.
Where they want to know we’re going to be able to pay back that loan or it’s on my head.
Jones also took aim – without naming names – at what he views as hypocrisy from a well-known female grappler.
Rather than simply asking for inclusion, he challenged the idea that the demand alone should shift the business model:
I would suggest that if there’s a woman out there that feels confident that she can take a loan against her personal assets and put on a 16-woman division and is confident that she can through the sale of tickets and sponsorships, make that money back.
Then maybe we can talk and you can put your money where your mouth is.
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