Craig Jones vs. Gabi Garcia at the CJI?! The Australian claims contracts have been signed for their submission grappling match
The Craig Jones Invitational (CJI), a newly-created submission grappling tournament founded by his namesake, is set to feature a match between Jones and Gabi Garcia. The pair have teased a potential clash for years, and it appears they have finally inked a contract.
Garcia has won numerous world titles in both gi and no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitu (BJJ), and outside of her career success, is known for her impressive physique and physical dominance.
Jones recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, mostly to discuss the upcoming CJI event, which takes place on August 16-17. The Australian revealed that he would also be competing at the event in a super-fight against Garcia.
He said this:
"The most decorated female [BJJ] athlete of all-time, Gabi Garcia, has put pen to paper to face me on my own event. We're talking an 10 or 11 time world champion, four-time ADCC champion. Six-foot four-inches... One hundred percent going to happen. We signed this contract earlier, I had to do a lot of things to get it done... I had to talk to Gabi a lot."
He continued:
"She's six-four, two hundred and fifty pounds, I'll take her on. I feel good, I probably won't train for it... I won't train that hard. I'm happy she's doing it."
Watch Craig Jones discuss his match with Gabi Garcia below from 17:10:
Craig Jones explains what made him decide to offer Luke Rockhold a place at the CJI
Craig Jones' new invitational tournament has flipped the jiu-jitsu world on its head, with several of the sport's biggest names jumping ship to take part at the CJI.
The tournament is set to take place on the same weekend as the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships, the biggest and most revered tournament in the sport.
Last month, Jones announced he would not be participating in ADCC 2024 due to a lack of financial benefit. Instead, he has organized his own tournament, with the winner receiving $1 million in prize money.
Several competitors who were initially scheduled to fight at ADCC 2024 have announced their decision to compete at the CJI instead, including the biggest name in female grappling, Ffion Davies.
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is also set to take part at the CJI, and Jones explained his decision to sign him during his recent JRE appearance. He said this:
"We threw [Rockhold] in 'cause he's honestly pretty impressive. He tapped me out in the gym, I was like, 'F**k it, we'll throw him in.'" [9:30-9:41 in Craig Jones' aforementioned video]