Craig Jones has officially stepped back from the CJI 2 controversy that shook the grappling community. The 34-year-old revoked his earlier offer of a $1 million reward for New Wave Jiu-Jitsu, apologized publicly, and admitted that the B-Team’s victory was justified under competition regulations. But what exactly did he say, and what was the rationale behind the move?
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The fallout from CJI 2 reached a boiling point when Jones took to Instagram to clarify his stance. “I misunderstood clause 4.2 and the judgment. I was misled or uninformed about the rules,” he wrote. “Now that I understand them, I agree with the judges. B-Team won fairly. New Wave does not deserve $1 million or a reversal. I apologize to B-Team, Miha, the judging team, and CJI. I will step back from further commentary.”
Alongside the post, ‘133’ added a caption that left little room for debate: “Offer rescinded. Ya lost. No prizes for second place.” This came after New Wave’s high-profile protests over the final’s live scoring, which resulted in a very tense draw and a tiebreaker in favor of B-Team.
Top Stories
Now, the apology seems to be aimed at defusing tensions following public claims from New Wave members, including Gordon Ryan, who accused Jones of bias. And for now, it seems to be working, as fans have mostly welcomed the clarification, which they perceive as a start toward restoring the tournament’s transparency and fairness.
Craig Jones’ move also represents a significant shift away from his previous public commentary on competitive outcomes, suggesting a more measured approach going forward. Many would hope that this will help restore trust between him, the athletes, and the judging panel. While some New Wave fans were disappointed, others praised Jones’ willingness to own the mistake and publicly acknowledge the official results.
View this post on Instagram
The $1 million reward may be off the table, but the debate about CJI 2’s judging system continues to dominate grappling discussions. It is also worth noting that, beyond the apology, ‘133’ also offered a detailed breakdown of how B-Team won despite New Wave winning more matches.
Craig Jones Explains Scoring and Tournament Decisions Behind B-Team Victory
Using the tournament’s 10-point must system, ‘133’ emphasized that dominance and submission attempts, rather than match count, determined the winner. “Everyone’s confused because they were like, ‘Wait a minute. If we go to the final, New Wave won three matches, and B-Team won two. Well, guess what? In a UFC title fight, you can win three rounds and still lose the fight,” he explained.
Craig Jones also commented on bracket placements and wildcard assignments, which had caused initial objections. He added that because just two teams, ATOS and New Wave, had gotten two wildcards, placing them on the same side of the bracket was, in his opinion, the fairest approach. Addressing claims of favoritism, the 34-year-old was quite firm in his defense.
‘133’ stated that if he were biased against his former team, DDS/New Wave, he would not have assigned them Mica Galvao, whom he thinks is the world’s best grappler. He also emphasized that earlier rule changes in the event benefited New Wave rather than putting them at a disadvantage.
Jones’ explanation highlighted the complexities of competitive grappling tournaments, as well as the meticulous planning that goes into seeding, scoring, and wildcard assignment. While the $1 million reward has been withdrawn, his clarifications aim to settle the debate on whether B-Team truly deserved the victory.
Written by
Edited by
Syed Rahil Ahmed