"That was sick!” Craig Jones secures incredible flying triangle submission win over UFC welterweight, earns praise from former title challenger
Craig Jones faced off against UFC welterweight contender Philip Rowe in a submission grappling match at the Pit Submission Series event hosted in Mexico on Feb. 23.
The Australian is one of the leading minds and most innovative people in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) right now, and works with several MMA stars, including his role as Alexander Volkanovski's BJJ coach.
It was not the first time Rowe faced off against one of the world's best submission grapplers. 'The Fresh Prince' competed against the greatest no-gi grappler of all time, Gordon Ryan, in 2019 when he lost via unanimous decision.
Given Jones' work with MMA fighters, he has become increasingly effective at wall-wrestling, as opposed to more traditional grappling formats, which are on an open mat.
The Pit Submission Series event was hosted by parent company Karate Combat, with the competition area featuring a below-ground-level mat with slanted walls on all sides.
The BJJ practitioner used the walls to his advantage against Rowe, as he secured a flying triangle submission in spectacular fashion.
The finish caught the eye of former UFC title challenger Kenny Florian, who now works as an analyst for the Professional Fighters League (PFL). He took to X and wrote this:
"The environment influences the approach. This was sick! Craig Jones has consistently been one of the most creative competitive grapplers in the world for the last few years."
See Florian's reaction to Craig Jones' submission below:
Craig Jones set to face former Bellator middleweight champion next
Craig Jones was fortunate to walk away from his recent submission grappling match with Philip Rowe unscathed, as the two-time ADCC silver medalist will face Rafael Lovato Jr. in another grappling event on Mar. 3.
The fight will take place at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6, and the pair are scheduled to feature in the main event.
Lovato Jr. is an extremely accomplished combat sports athlete, having won a gold medal (92 kg) at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships as well as numerous gold medals at the IBJJF World Championships.
The Brazilian also holds an MMA record of 11-0 and was crowned the Bellator middleweight champion after defeating Gegard Mousasi in 2019.
The Australian took to Instagram to announce his match and wrote this:
"Nose beers invitational 6 live on @ufcfightpass."
See Craig Jones' post below: