Modern WisdomFighting A Woman For $1M, Ukraine War & Gordon Ryan - Craig Jones
CHAPTERS
Why Craig Jones Gets Under the BJJ World’s Skin
Chris and Craig unpack why Craig is currently a lightning rod in grappling culture. Craig frames his persona as “full-time trolling,” arguing that BJJ’s seriousness and strange subculture makes it uniquely easy to provoke.
- •Craig’s self-described commitment to trolling and disruption
- •Why BJJ attracts intense, ego-invested personalities
- •The sport’s ‘weirdness’ and why Craig leans into it rather than resisting
- •Outsider vs insider perspective on what makes grappling compelling
Are Martial Arts Inherently ‘Lame’—and Why BJJ Still Works
They zoom out to whether BJJ (and martial arts generally) are perceived as uncool, and why BJJ has still grown. Craig argues the appeal is doing combat sports without brain damage, aided by celebrities and crossover superfights.
- •Martial arts as ‘lame but fun’ entertainment
- •BJJ as a safer combat hobby vs striking sports (less head trauma)
- •Celebrity participation and UFC crossovers boosting visibility
- •Why most people prefer to watch MMA rather than pure grappling
The Craig Jones Invitational: $1M Prizes and Challenging ADCC
Craig explains the origin of his new tournament, built around massive prize money and scheduled to directly compete with ADCC. The conversation focuses on why athlete pay has stagnated, where event revenue goes, and why fighters will choose cash over prestige.
- •CJI format: $1M for under 80kg and $1M for over 80kg
- •Running the same weekend as ADCC to force a choice
- •Why BJJ athletes stay broke despite seat sales and streaming rights
- •ADCC prize money stagnation and production spending critiques
- •Free YouTube streaming to maximize reach and transparency
Why the Tournament Is a Nonprofit (and Where Donations Go)
Craig outlines why CJI is structured under a nonprofit and how proceeds will support charitable causes and documentary projects. He discusses donor anonymity, athlete-directed giving, and using the platform for both entertainment and real-world impact.
- •Nonprofit framing: ‘jiu-jitsu doesn’t make a profit’
- •Athletes can choose causes (example: Gaza donation request)
- •Charity travel/documentary concept tied to jiu-jitsu outreach
- •Keeping the donor anonymous to avoid money solicitations
- •Using content to raise awareness for overlooked crises
Prestige vs Life-Changing Money: What $1M Really Means
They explore the psychological and practical difference between competing for legacy and competing for transformational cash. Craig argues a million dollars isn’t equally attainable for everyone—especially athletes facing language, visa, and marketability barriers.
- •No second place: enormous gap between first and second
- •Injury risk when athletes won’t tap with $1M at stake
- •Why ‘just sell seminars’ is unrealistic for many competitors
- •Brazilians’ disadvantages: language, visas, business access
- •Money as freedom: athletes’ short shelf life and family duty motivations
Craig vs Gabi Garcia: The ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Superfight
Craig details the long-running storyline with Gabi Garcia and why he’s staging a spectacle matchup. They cover the tension, size disparity, and how the event format aims to appeal to MMA audiences while keeping grappling scoring intact.
- •History of the callout and multi-year buildup
- •Gabi’s stature and strength; Craig’s tongue-in-cheek framing
- •Rules: three 5-minute rounds (finals: 5x5), MMA-style judging presentation
- •The ‘alley’ competition space inspired by Karate Combat’s pit
- •Balancing spectator-friendly structure with minimal disruption for grapplers
Recruiting Athletes, Building Credibility, and Avoiding ‘Fyre Festival’ Failure
Craig explains how hard it was to convince athletes the tournament is real and how early signings legitimized it. They discuss lineup strategy, outreach logistics, and the broader effect of competition between competitions.
- •Legitimacy problem: Craig’s reputation makes people doubt announcements
- •Early signings (e.g., Tackett brothers) as credibility anchors
- •Lineup building: Nicky Ryan, Nicky Rod, Joseph Chen, Luke Rockhold, Ffion Davies
- •Contracts and anti-collusion concerns (finalists splitting money)
- •Competitive pressure forcing incumbents to improve athlete pay and terms
Gordon Ryan’s Dominance, Controversy, and Cultural Influence on No-Gi
They analyze Gordon Ryan’s role as the sport’s most dominant figure and why his personality amplifies drama. Craig credits Danaher’s team with transforming No-Gi’s status while also describing Gordon’s online behavior as a perpetual ‘bait’ cycle.
- •Gordon as best in the world, plus health issues and absences
- •Political posting, money obsession, and sensitivity to jokes (in Craig’s view)
- •Why Craig enjoys antagonism more than rivalry hatred
- •Danaher Death Squad’s impact: making No-Gi respected and innovative
- •John Danaher’s teaching persona, terminology, and ‘mythology’ backed by results
Steroids in BJJ: Testing, Transparency, and Harm Reduction
The discussion turns to PED prevalence, why testing is rare, and how sponsorship and legitimacy intersect. Craig advocates for transparency and even anonymous aggregate testing to reveal what’s actually being used, positioning openness as harm reduction.
- •Why testing matters: major sponsors and mainstream legitimacy
- •Craig’s claimed TRT-based stack and sharing it to reduce risky speculation
- •The ‘Wild West’ of PED administration and extreme dosing stories
- •Stimulants and odd pre-match choices (cocaine, mushrooms)
- •Influence on younger athletes and unintended normalization via jokes and culture
How Craig Competes: Strategy, Branding, and Leveraging Rule Sets
Craig explains his approach to winning without maximal ‘hard work’—optimizing opponents, rules, and strategy while marketing himself aggressively. He argues many athletes underperform financially because they won’t promote themselves or collect metrics to negotiate.
- •Competition as a strategic game: matchups, rule sets, and leverage
- •Social media as a necessary skill for pay and bargaining power
- •Why CJI being free on YouTube creates transparent performance metrics
- •Instructional sales and fan interest as correlated signals
- •Long-term plan: run CJI annually and learn from data the sport usually hides
BJJ vs MMA: Cornering UFC Fighters and the Reality of Violence
Craig contrasts grappling with MMA’s brutality and describes the emotional pressure of cornering UFC athletes. He highlights how live events reveal the trauma of knockouts and how responsibility extends to coaches and teams—not just fighters.
- •MMA’s violence is more visceral in-person than on broadcast
- •Cornering anxiety: fear of giving wrong advice and being mic’d up
- •Professionalism gap: MMA camps have managers, specialists, and resources
- •Luke Rockhold as a legitimate grappling threat and crossover draw
- •Volkanovski’s character and dedication; why Craig wants him in grappling
Ukraine: Seminars for Soldiers and Visiting the Front Line
Craig recounts organizing a Ukraine seminar fundraiser and then accepting an invitation to visit near the front. He describes daily life under missile attacks, Ukrainians’ resilience, and how the experience reshaped his perspective on trivial conflicts in sport.
- •Raising money for soldiers’ self-funded essentials and equipment
- •Going ~7 km from Russian positions with local contacts
- •Missile attacks in Kyiv, air raid sirens, and the choice to use bunkers
- •‘Life goes on’ mentality: gyms open, businesses operate after blasts
- •Moral clarity: separating war politics from respect for those fighting
Chernobyl and Weapons Training: Dark Tourism Meets Wartime Reality
He explains how he gained access to Chernobyl despite checkpoints and mines, then describes the eerie abandoned sites and signs of recent fighting. The chapter also covers firing RPGs and how Ukrainian units use social media and low-cost drones as asymmetric tools.
- •Checkpoint barriers, mines, and securing permission through connections
- •Key sights: reactor exterior, abandoned town, Ferris wheel, bullet holes
- •Radiation screening on exit and uncertainty after combat disruption
- •Weapons training: RPG/bazooka experience and safety risks
- •Soldiers’ Telegram/GoPro footage and fundraising via online presence
- •FPV drone innovation: cheap drones destroying multi-million-dollar tanks
Central Asia Adventures: Kazakhstan, Kokpar, and Social Change
Craig shifts to travels in Kazakhstan and the extreme horseback sport kokpar, including a dangerous filming mishap. He also notes Kazakhstan’s evolving social climate and how sensitive local politics can be for outsiders to cover responsibly.
- •Kazakhstan’s Borat stigma and later tourism-board ‘lean in’ strategy
- •Kokpar explained: mass horseback contest using a goat carcass
- •Filming risk: stuntman error nearly gets Craig trampled
- •Kazakhstan women’s-rights headlines and a high-profile domestic violence case
- •Limits of foreign commentary in politically sensitive environments
Why Craig Travels: BJJ as a Global Network + What’s Next for the Sport
Craig describes using BJJ connections to access unusual places, tell stories, and do charity work—framing it as a Bourdain-inspired project for grappling culture. They close with future plans (more Ukraine trips), next-gen BJJ names to watch, and the practical risks of running CJI on a tight timeline and budget.
- •BJJ as ‘passport’: niche fame with worldwide support networks
- •Motivation stack: adventure + content + charity + access to unique people
- •Next stops: New York, then returning to Ukraine (Kherson) for police seminar
- •New generation prospects: Ruotolos, Mikey Musumeci/Carvalho mention, young wrestlers
- •Operational risks: venue build, production, tech, and budget transparency
- •Where to follow updates: Craig’s Instagram, CJI accounts, Fair Fight Foundation, ticket info
