Craig Jones says CJI is back in 2027 and he is skipping ADCC for a cave party
In a Q&A from his half-built Tulum academy, Craig Jones said the Craig Jones Invitational returns in 2027 with a smaller purse, after he cancelled CJI 3 in May. Then he said he is watching ADCC from a Mexican cave instead of flying to Poland.
Craig Jones cancelled the Craig Jones Invitational in May and kept the money. Weeks later he un-cancelled it. In a rapid-fire Q&A filmed at his half-built Tulum academy, Jones said CJI is back in 2027. Smaller, and paid out in pesos if he has his way. Then he explained why he is watching the ADCC World Championship from a cave in Mexico instead of flying to Poland to see it live.
The video is Jones doing what Jones does: a fake-shocking title, cartel jokes, and a running gag about taking everyone's passports. Underneath the bit are two real pieces of news.
Is CJI actually coming back?
Yes, per Jones. "It's back 2027," he said. "I'm not good with finances, so don't expect a million dollars again, but expect something exciting to happen."
That is a climbdown from where CJI started. The first Craig Jones Invitational in 2024 ran on the same weekend as ADCC and handed out a headline prize north of a million dollars per division, a direct shot at ADCC's athlete pay. CJI 2 followed in 2025. CJI 3 got announced, then Jones pulled it in May 2026 and, in his words, decided to keep the money.
Now he is talking about a 2027 return at a fraction of the price. He floated running the next one "in pesos" and giving out around $60,000, framing the whole thing as a scaled-down operation from his new base in Mexico. Treat the number as a Craig Jones bit until CJI announces one. What he committed to on camera was the year and the vibe: "CJ's back."
The cave rave instead of Poland
ADCC 2026 is locked: September 12 and 13, at the TAURON Arena in Kraków, Poland. Jones is not going. Mo Jassim, who ran ADCC's last three Worlds, is separately talking up a Brazil return for the promotion's 2028 anniversary, which we covered here.
His counter-plan is very Tulum. He wants to find a cenote, one of the region's underground water caves, and turn it into a watch party. "We're going to have a rave in a goddamn cave and we're going to watch ADCC," he said. Three screens, a DJ, tequila. Because Poland runs eight time zones ahead, the broadcast lands around 3 a.m. in Mexico, so he is pitching a 2 a.m. wake-up call for the whole camp.
The watch party caps a three-day training camp with Jones at the new academy. He put the villas' completion at September 17, days after the ADCC weekend, and confirmed a full-time B-Team black belt will teach on site. One clarification for anyone picturing a B-Team compound: the jiu-jitsu room is one tenant of a much larger resort. "We are one part of Zamaya," Jones said. "We're heading up the jiu-jitsu program." For the full picture of that build, see our tour of the Zamaya academy and the original report on the move.
What he said about Gordon Ryan
Jones got a question about feeling used by former teammates and gave a cool answer. "I wouldn't consider us friends anymore," he said, before adding that he wishes them well. He described grappling as a self-interested individual sport where "everyone uses everyone," and allowed that "some people worked harder than others" building the machine that made a few of them famous.
He never says the name, but the arc with Gordon Ryan hangs over the whole segment. For where Ryan's own week went, see Gordon Ryan's answer to Kron Gracie.
The Fair Fight Foundation update
Between the jokes, Jones gave a straight progress report on his charity. The Fair Fight Foundation finished a school in Manora, Peru, partners with Guardian Gym on more, and has three more going up in Africa. CJI 1 paid out donations in lump sums, he said, and the model since has been building schools around jiu-jitsu instruction in under-resourced communities. Donations run through the foundation and Guardian.
What it means if you train
The cave watch party is a real event you could attend. If you are anywhere near the Yucatán in September, a four-hour hop beats a flight to Kraków, and the three-day camp puts you on the mats with Jones before the screens go up. Read our Zamaya coverage for how the resort works, then find an open mat or browse the gym directory to keep training wherever you land.