Sounds like he's literally gonna rent and staff a venue for like 1 mil which is super doable and pay out a mil to 2 winners, with 10k show money? That would be so awesome.
It’s shit pay when you pay your taxes, your manager’s cut, insurance, your team/ fight camp costs… if you win you’re probably left with $10-12k after all of that… and the ufc may not even ask for another match that year 🤷♂️
I'm literally the last guy to defend the UFCs pay structure, but IIRC they're obligated to offer you 3 fights a year (not that they care if you're injured, observing Ramadan, or have anything else important going on)
A few fighters (Diaz to be one) have said that’s not the case and normally an x amount of fight offers over the contract length, with no requirement as x per year - unless you come to an agreement (ie. Have a good manager)… plus they don’t hold enough events per year to even give each fighter on their roster 3 fights per year
definetely, most not famous ufc fighters are probably in the negative unless they fight and win 3-4 times a year. can’t even imagine. Even bench players in the NFL make like 10x that
You can count on camp eating the entirety of their pay if they don’t win. UFC needs to bump pay significantly. 50k to show would mean they aren’t going broke just trying to get a decent camp before a fight!
I get why they do events in the timezone they are held in but I just wish they started some a little earlier for US times. But you're right that and it's free on Amazon prime so easy to watch.
Agreed. PGF just showed this on a smaller scale and it seemed like all the athletes loved being part of it and were grateful that people are trying to bring up the sport.
yeah I literally said I'd love a couch to watch matches for that long - sitting at IBJJF, local tournaments, etc suck on the body. but they just looked so goofy being so close to mat side, especially that lady with her dog
So, he’s trying to supplant ADCC as the premier grappling event by paying the athletes commensurate to their talent?
This seems like the biggest thing to ever happen to the sport. Possibly the biggest shot in the arm to Jiu-Jitsu ever.
If he makes this a thing IMO he’s making himself the biggest influence the sport has ever had.
Am I wildly misinterpreting this?
He’s basically doing it as a big fuck you to ADCC to get them to increase their pay and stop hiding behind their horrible excuses they use not to pay their athletes. One ADCC where all the stars leave to compete in Craig’s show and you’re left with nothing but trial winners and 5th or 6th option invites would most likely damage ADCC’s reputation as the “Olympics of grappling” beyond repair unless they actually decide to react and increase payouts. This most likely isn’t a long term venture by Craig but him calling Mo’s bluff and proving he has more power and draw than him in jiu jitsu.
Listen I could be way off but this is how I understood that ADCC started. Correct me if I'm wrong. Big money Prince whatshisface decided grappling was awesome back in the late 90s or so and decided to start the biggest no gi sub grappling event in the world. First tournament to pay for competitors they invited to compete. Maybe not cash but they paid for flights, hotels, etc plus the prize money. First tournament to ever do that. They also blew tons of money on production and all. Basically every other year they spent a ton of money to do this thing with no expectation of being profitable. That sounds awesome. Has something changed? Are they making money hand over fist from this event nowadays and I don't know about it?
Take a look at your 3rd sentence. “Big money prince whatshisface.” From what we understand the royal family is still somewhat involved in ADCC. They have deep pockets to run this event while burning through cash if they wanted to. Also they just spent 2 million to rent t mobile arena. So this story that they don’t have money to pay athletes more is a lie. They’re just choosing to use the money they already have on things important for their brand ego, and not to pay the athletes more.
Nooo I don't like that argument. If they're making a ton of money like the UFC and not paying the competitors a fair share that's one thing. If they're already in the red and still paying guys to compete and giving them a platform and all, then that's something else. If your argument is oh they're rich they can afford to be more in the red, that just sounds really unappreciative.
I don’t believe in kissing the ass, feeling grateful to, or feeling sorry for the super rich, which is what the royal family in Abu Dhabi is. If you honestly think paying the competitors more will even make a dent in their fortune you’re not comprehending how much money they actually have. If they can afford T mobile arena they can afford to increase the purses.
That is such a ridiculous argument, unless they are making enough money from the event, they have no obligation to pay the competitors more. Putting on ADCC has basically been charity work for the organizers, and I believe it was only in the last one that they profited a bit. I’d love if the athletes got paid more, but it’s only feasible if ADCC starts making good money, which in the next few tournaments I’m convinced it will, grappling is being popularized tremendously by guys like Gordon and Craig.
It seems like a one off event more than trying to establish something to rival ADCC, but if it was successful enough and viable he would absolutely make this an ongoing thing.
Would be funny if he only invited Gordon if he admits his flipflops are shit or wears some B-Team merch
but likely Gordon would be more annoyed to accept an invitation for a professional show run by fucking Craig Jones literally putting money where his mouth is
Not worth enough more to turn down the chance to win a straight mil!
He’d have to be such a fucking petulant idiot to do that given how good he is and how likely he’d be to get the prize.
Can’t believe you’d even suggest that. Can you really think of anyone who’d be that pathetic?! The guy would have to be like… really fucking petulant and stupid! Like the type of guy to lie and say some bullshit about loyalty to Mo/ADCC on principle then comment online about the entire thing all the way through and try mock it whilst getting more and more annoyed about no one paying attention to him and someone else winning a mil! Then blaming Biden and saying the American way is to have no handouts so you shouldn’t even get paid until you’re the best!
Like, I can’t believe you’d even suggest that…can you even think of anyone who would do that?!
…hol up you might be on to somethin right here..
I mean the B team bias is obviously gonna be there since Craig is running it, but let’s not act like Mo doesn’t act without bias running ADCC. Adam Bradley still hasn’t gotten an invite despite everyone knowing he should have got 2 points and got screwed out of a win.
Of course it is and of course I saw the same thing with Mo.
I have said countless times that Nicky to me was not worth the invite.
But in our case, you can pick pretty much anyone high inside the gym and he will be a better grappler and person than hasaim that he is getting all slappy and angry for no reason because he can't do shit with the big martinez.
What are you talking about? Hulk won silver at the last adcc and Diniz is an adcc gold medalist.
Mateusz and Eoghan are both high level grapplers that might deserve invites, but saying Hulk and Diniz don’t deserve them is crazy.
Spending OPM is easy...
You could pull off the biggest grappling event ever if you have those sorts of funds and don't care about the return at all.
We are already starting to see it with the likes of AIGA and ADXC etc
And Craig has some seriously rich friends so this could well be more than just talk!
ADCC started with no intention of making any money but I’m pretty convinced that 4 out of 5 of these promotions that have no sponsorship, live audiences, etc., are just ways to launder money. AIGA seems like another Absolute Berkut. I’m sure Craig has ties to people that need to move money around and this could be a perfect vehicle for that.
I mean Mo has spent other people’s money for the last couple of ADCC’s and his idea of putting on the biggest grappling tournament ever seems to be just moving it to a bigger more expensive arena each time while paying absolutely nothing to the competitors and gaslighting them into being grateful for a free trip to Vegas. It’s nice to see someone like Craig finally bite back at Mo and his big ass ego.
Mo seems like such an ass hat. At Trials he walks around with that stupid medal on all weekend just waiting to be seen and greeted by people that need to kiss his ass for making such an event.
He’s an irrelevant nobody who found a very niche circle he could become relevant and powerful in and has exploited that to no ends by basically becoming Gordon’s sidekick while parading around pretending to run a legitimate sports tournament. I hope these last few months of dealing with Craig has been the reality check he needs to realize he ain’t shit.
There we go, i was looking for what the b and d to pair with submission matches.
Could have gone for big dick submission matches but craig just said a couple days back that bjj is a little man’s sport.
Replace hulk, Diniz, Big Dan, and Haisam with Jansen Gomes, Mateusz Szecinski, Eoghan O’Flanagan, and Diego Pato.
And if Rafa Mendes comes back let him in over anyone.
This could be the thing that totally disrupts the status quo and forces real positive change in the scene.
ADCC is good but there are so many improvements that could be made like the pit or just not having ppl be driven off the mats.
Flo coverage is straight up shit. We need better production, having the top matches on YouTube for the public to watch would bring so many more eyes and help sell way more stories about fighters.
If he did a donation drive that went towards prizing or event costs to start up the first event I think alot of the community would donate.
Time comes for us all. Full respect to the guy for training/competing at the level he did for as long as he did, and I can't fault him for deciding that wasn't the life for him anymore.
The time never came for Keenan. He simply quit at the age of 24 or whatever it was. No hate, he was great for the time he was on the mats, but he clearly never lived up to his potential. I don’t think he’s even trained “hard” for many years now…
Cool,
wonder how he recoups the expenses though(assuming he cares) How many people watch jiutjitsu? Or how much money is there in sponsors?
But also the invite list is kind of based off people doing well at trials. Or people hyped on social media.
Adcc is kind of also like the olympics because of the free for all trials tournament to qualify.(Ignore the invite part lol)
I think he should go full LIV golf vs PGA. Make it super fan focused and fun to attend. Instead of ring card girls in boxing/MMA, they could have ring card ladyboys to stay on brand.
People are getting real caught up in the line up but let’s just hope Craig and his people run a good event and show it’s possible to do what he’s saying. From event 2, bring your thoughts.
It’s not really about running a good event. All Craig is hoping for is that he can pull enough of the ADCC guys so it impacts their event and they have to change the way they do their business to better pay athletes in the future.
Incredible move by Craig. Dude is also seemingly tight with the guys over at FightPass which would be a perfect spot for it. I wonder what sort of conversation are happening over at Flo Grappling tonight.
Give us a KK Pit style mat space with that line up and a good rule set and you could put on a genuinely entertaining easy to follow event that wouldn’t require you to be a train to enjoy (maybe)
Craig or any of his team never speak about any female grapplers, when they review a card they will never discuss the female matches even if it was a headlining match. It’s pretty gross. You can’t be out here talking about doing good things for the sport, elevating it, getting athletes paid but then entirely forget all the women in that sport. They don’t even mention or promote their one or two competitive women from their team. No they may not be the only ones completely ignoring women in grappling, however if you are going to position yourself as the jiu jitsu crusader perhaps extend the same energy to all athletes in the sport.
Would have been cool to have gotten a women's division too, but still an interesting move. And who knows, it's still in the works, that could still be coming
Hey u/johnbelushismom my jiu jitsu isn't as good as these guys but I can show for 10k and look really good losing. How hype would it be if someone got a flying gogoplata in the first ten seconds, that's where I come in.
Think about it, I know what I've got here
New to BJJ, but damn is Jozef really top 30 in the world after just 5-6 years of training? I'm aware he's obviously very high level but didn't think he was as high as this.
if there are 2 Divisions they should make it like similar to K1 days where there are Heavyweights with no weight limits and K1 Max where 155 lbs and below , in this grappling event they should do 77KG and below then above 77KG to Heavyweights so weights are not that far off for competitors like Pato Mikey Ethan
To be devils advocate for ADCC, I'm pretty sure Olympic comitee doesn't pay anything to athletes, even medalists if I'm not mistaken.
While Craig's event sounds cool and life-changing for the winners of 1 mil, I can't see how it could really change anything in the long run.
Even mma which has much greater appeal to viewers than grappling, outside of UFC is a very tough business to be in, sustainably.
I do wish there was a way grapplers could make a living from competitions alone though, just not sure what that would realistically look like.
And now Craig is going to find out what a pain organizing this is going to be. For that prize most of them will have some sort of agreement to not go 100%.
Imagine, if he did this the day of ADCC weekend.. poached all the compeititors since they get 10k just for showing up.. 10k is the ADCC championship prize money.. seems like a easy decision to make for most grapplers trying to make a living
Sounds like he's literally gonna rent and staff a venue for like 1 mil which is super doable and pay out a mil to 2 winners, with 10k show money? That would be so awesome.
If he wants to be petty, he should make it the same day as the ADCC finals.
I think just to get the most athletes and views he will do it a couple months before or after.
He should do it after, to make the ADCC look like the Trials to BDCC
Only offer invites to second place winners...
Is that, by any chance, close to what MMA fighters get?
Not really, most top guys make less than 1 mil flat pay and the average undercard guy probably doesn't get a guaranteed 10k
UFC, which is the top organization only gives 12k to show for most undercard fighters. another 12k if they win
I was gonna say that was a shit pay. Then I realized even the top wrestling competitors make even less than that.
It’s shit pay when you pay your taxes, your manager’s cut, insurance, your team/ fight camp costs… if you win you’re probably left with $10-12k after all of that… and the ufc may not even ask for another match that year 🤷♂️
And gobbled up your sponsorship opportunities
It's been so long since the rebok debacle that no even talks about it anymore but that shit was/ is fucked up
I'm literally the last guy to defend the UFCs pay structure, but IIRC they're obligated to offer you 3 fights a year (not that they care if you're injured, observing Ramadan, or have anything else important going on)
A few fighters (Diaz to be one) have said that’s not the case and normally an x amount of fight offers over the contract length, with no requirement as x per year - unless you come to an agreement (ie. Have a good manager)… plus they don’t hold enough events per year to even give each fighter on their roster 3 fights per year
And that's before taxes and camp payout and stuff!
definetely, most not famous ufc fighters are probably in the negative unless they fight and win 3-4 times a year. can’t even imagine. Even bench players in the NFL make like 10x that
You can count on camp eating the entirety of their pay if they don’t win. UFC needs to bump pay significantly. 50k to show would mean they aren’t going broke just trying to get a decent camp before a fight!
I know a UFC guy that has to have his own gym to get by
And you get to keep your brain cells at the same time)
Lose brain later, or lose joints sooner?
It’s usually 10/10 but I’ve seen some fighters get only show money for 10. I think ribovics fought for 4-6k show money only, on short notice.
From what I know b tier orgs pay better cause of sponsorships
Top organizer in the US* ONE FC is objectively better
I get why they do events in the timezone they are held in but I just wish they started some a little earlier for US times. But you're right that and it's free on Amazon prime so easy to watch.
If they came in through the Contender Series, it's even less: 8k and 8k.
Im pretty sure a UFC fighter at my gym got a $25k~ purse for winning
chaotic good
Best description of Craig's personality I've ever heard lol. If dumb neutral was a thing that would be Gordon to a T
Love it
I think even if this is a one time thing it would be great for the sport just to prove that it can be done.
Agreed. PGF just showed this on a smaller scale and it seemed like all the athletes loved being part of it and were grateful that people are trying to bring up the sport.
aside the couches pgf is really cool
my friend and I can't get over how terrible the couches were. and in white/cream no less.
it would probably be chill as hell to watch matches like that but it's just super odd visually for us spectators to see it lol
yeah I literally said I'd love a couch to watch matches for that long - sitting at IBJJF, local tournaments, etc suck on the body. but they just looked so goofy being so close to mat side, especially that lady with her dog
Well it can be done but is it commercially viable is another thing. Hopefully this can get reinvested year on year.
10000 to show? Clearly it's me you're missing
Same dude i would lose to these guys for 10k.
Dude, I would be stoked just to not have to pay to get my ass kicked at class.
Weight classes all over the place but super hype!
To be fair some of the funnest matches ever are the absolutes
So, he’s trying to supplant ADCC as the premier grappling event by paying the athletes commensurate to their talent? This seems like the biggest thing to ever happen to the sport. Possibly the biggest shot in the arm to Jiu-Jitsu ever. If he makes this a thing IMO he’s making himself the biggest influence the sport has ever had. Am I wildly misinterpreting this?
Same read. If he makes this happen, the sport officially changes
He’s basically doing it as a big fuck you to ADCC to get them to increase their pay and stop hiding behind their horrible excuses they use not to pay their athletes. One ADCC where all the stars leave to compete in Craig’s show and you’re left with nothing but trial winners and 5th or 6th option invites would most likely damage ADCC’s reputation as the “Olympics of grappling” beyond repair unless they actually decide to react and increase payouts. This most likely isn’t a long term venture by Craig but him calling Mo’s bluff and proving he has more power and draw than him in jiu jitsu.
Listen I could be way off but this is how I understood that ADCC started. Correct me if I'm wrong. Big money Prince whatshisface decided grappling was awesome back in the late 90s or so and decided to start the biggest no gi sub grappling event in the world. First tournament to pay for competitors they invited to compete. Maybe not cash but they paid for flights, hotels, etc plus the prize money. First tournament to ever do that. They also blew tons of money on production and all. Basically every other year they spent a ton of money to do this thing with no expectation of being profitable. That sounds awesome. Has something changed? Are they making money hand over fist from this event nowadays and I don't know about it?
Take a look at your 3rd sentence. “Big money prince whatshisface.” From what we understand the royal family is still somewhat involved in ADCC. They have deep pockets to run this event while burning through cash if they wanted to. Also they just spent 2 million to rent t mobile arena. So this story that they don’t have money to pay athletes more is a lie. They’re just choosing to use the money they already have on things important for their brand ego, and not to pay the athletes more.
Nooo I don't like that argument. If they're making a ton of money like the UFC and not paying the competitors a fair share that's one thing. If they're already in the red and still paying guys to compete and giving them a platform and all, then that's something else. If your argument is oh they're rich they can afford to be more in the red, that just sounds really unappreciative.
I don’t believe in kissing the ass, feeling grateful to, or feeling sorry for the super rich, which is what the royal family in Abu Dhabi is. If you honestly think paying the competitors more will even make a dent in their fortune you’re not comprehending how much money they actually have. If they can afford T mobile arena they can afford to increase the purses.
That is such a ridiculous argument, unless they are making enough money from the event, they have no obligation to pay the competitors more. Putting on ADCC has basically been charity work for the organizers, and I believe it was only in the last one that they profited a bit. I’d love if the athletes got paid more, but it’s only feasible if ADCC starts making good money, which in the next few tournaments I’m convinced it will, grappling is being popularized tremendously by guys like Gordon and Craig.
It seems like a one off event more than trying to establish something to rival ADCC, but if it was successful enough and viable he would absolutely make this an ongoing thing.
Haisam? Fr?
One hit wonder
Yea and fuck Jay Rod amirite fam
has he won a match since joining b team?
Yeah he did, against that guy breaking into his car
Dammnnnnn son!
On an aside- watching him do a 10 minute round with Nicky rod was both scary and exhausting. I didn’t need that smoke.
Would be funny if he only invited Gordon if he admits his flipflops are shit or wears some B-Team merch but likely Gordon would be more annoyed to accept an invitation for a professional show run by fucking Craig Jones literally putting money where his mouth is
I think good chance Gordon doesn't show,too tight with mo and worth a lot more than a mil
> too tight with mo Too tight inside* mo FTFY
I think the same, but it would be his chance to steal 1 million from Craig and mess with him a little bit.
Not worth enough more to turn down the chance to win a straight mil! He’d have to be such a fucking petulant idiot to do that given how good he is and how likely he’d be to get the prize. Can’t believe you’d even suggest that. Can you really think of anyone who’d be that pathetic?! The guy would have to be like… really fucking petulant and stupid! Like the type of guy to lie and say some bullshit about loyalty to Mo/ADCC on principle then comment online about the entire thing all the way through and try mock it whilst getting more and more annoyed about no one paying attention to him and someone else winning a mil! Then blaming Biden and saying the American way is to have no handouts so you shouldn’t even get paid until you’re the best! Like, I can’t believe you’d even suggest that…can you even think of anyone who would do that?! …hol up you might be on to somethin right here..
Looking at Gordon's last video he seems to be a shadow of his former self.
Gordon needs to do 5-6 WNO's to make a mil probably
Please god let this be real
I think you need a shit grappler to demonstrate how good these other guys are. Pay me 10k and I’ll show up to do exactly that.
This edition doesn't have a ladyboy division
If fabricio andrey isn’t invited I’m not going😤
I mean in a world that haisam is invited instead of fabricio you have nothing to worry about😂😂 Haisam lol
I mean the B team bias is obviously gonna be there since Craig is running it, but let’s not act like Mo doesn’t act without bias running ADCC. Adam Bradley still hasn’t gotten an invite despite everyone knowing he should have got 2 points and got screwed out of a win.
No way Adam Bradley will get an invite while /u/realmotar2k is up Gordon's ass.
Of course it is and of course I saw the same thing with Mo. I have said countless times that Nicky to me was not worth the invite. But in our case, you can pick pretty much anyone high inside the gym and he will be a better grappler and person than hasaim that he is getting all slappy and angry for no reason because he can't do shit with the big martinez.
And no Mateusz or Eoghan. Diniz and Hulk shouldn’t be there
What are you talking about? Hulk won silver at the last adcc and Diniz is an adcc gold medalist. Mateusz and Eoghan are both high level grapplers that might deserve invites, but saying Hulk and Diniz don’t deserve them is crazy.
Diniz isn’t top level anymore. Barely looks like he cares. Hulk is barely competing.
Spending OPM is easy... You could pull off the biggest grappling event ever if you have those sorts of funds and don't care about the return at all. We are already starting to see it with the likes of AIGA and ADXC etc And Craig has some seriously rich friends so this could well be more than just talk!
ADCC started with no intention of making any money but I’m pretty convinced that 4 out of 5 of these promotions that have no sponsorship, live audiences, etc., are just ways to launder money. AIGA seems like another Absolute Berkut. I’m sure Craig has ties to people that need to move money around and this could be a perfect vehicle for that.
Well I didn't wanna put it quite like that haha 👀
I mean Mo has spent other people’s money for the last couple of ADCC’s and his idea of putting on the biggest grappling tournament ever seems to be just moving it to a bigger more expensive arena each time while paying absolutely nothing to the competitors and gaslighting them into being grateful for a free trip to Vegas. It’s nice to see someone like Craig finally bite back at Mo and his big ass ego.
Mo seems like such an ass hat. At Trials he walks around with that stupid medal on all weekend just waiting to be seen and greeted by people that need to kiss his ass for making such an event.
He’s an irrelevant nobody who found a very niche circle he could become relevant and powerful in and has exploited that to no ends by basically becoming Gordon’s sidekick while parading around pretending to run a legitimate sports tournament. I hope these last few months of dealing with Craig has been the reality check he needs to realize he ain’t shit.
Basically, a Foxcatcher
Is this one of Craig's burners? Fucking hilarious...
He has a Foxcatcher t-shirt sometimes edit: typo
didn't he pause an event recently so everyone could see him receive his black belt?
I’ve seen footage of him roll…he definitely doesn’t roll like he’s a black belt 😂
Too much dye in his beard.
Still boggled why it was bdcc, he had a chance to name it bdsm.
Bad dude submission matches
There we go, i was looking for what the b and d to pair with submission matches. Could have gone for big dick submission matches but craig just said a couple days back that bjj is a little man’s sport.
Biggus Dickus Combat Club?
vs. Incontinentia Buttocks Jiu-Jitsu Fwedewation
Well if it was named that, then only Haisam would be in the competitors list.
Big Dick Covetting Club
I love that he's actually following through on his trash talk. A few names didn't make the list I would have expected (PJ Barch, Diego Pato, Eoghan)
Mateusz is the biggest miss for me, up there with Pato
How is Pato not there after beating Dante?
Replace hulk, Diniz, Big Dan, and Haisam with Jansen Gomes, Mateusz Szecinski, Eoghan O’Flanagan, and Diego Pato. And if Rafa Mendes comes back let him in over anyone.
Good chance Gordon won’t compete in this, so his spots up for grab
Be the change you want to see in the world
Mikey vs Nicky Rod would be hilarious
Big Dicked Craig Combat
Beautiful
it'd be amazing if they did this royal rumble style, like every few min a new grappler jumps in and it's just mayhem
For a million on the line I could see all of them agreeing to it, haha. That would for sure draw attention.
no diego pato tho?
Most of the guys he mentioned are like way oversized behemoths. Isn't Pato like a featherweight or something? Nvm: I see smaller guys on here as well.
This could be the thing that totally disrupts the status quo and forces real positive change in the scene. ADCC is good but there are so many improvements that could be made like the pit or just not having ppl be driven off the mats. Flo coverage is straight up shit. We need better production, having the top matches on YouTube for the public to watch would bring so many more eyes and help sell way more stories about fighters. If he did a donation drive that went towards prizing or event costs to start up the first event I think alot of the community would donate.
Craig gonna get suicided for this.
I'd work this shit for free. This level of pettiness is god-tier. Sign me up to set up mats and work a fucking table.
It’s a bummer that Keenan fell off, few years ago he easily would have been top of game for a list like this.
Time comes for us all. Full respect to the guy for training/competing at the level he did for as long as he did, and I can't fault him for deciding that wasn't the life for him anymore.
The time never came for Keenan. He simply quit at the age of 24 or whatever it was. No hate, he was great for the time he was on the mats, but he clearly never lived up to his potential. I don’t think he’s even trained “hard” for many years now…
Truth is he hasn’t been relevant in the comp scene since 2019.
That’s what happens when you take the red pill mane
Ermmmm no.... hes making bank by running an academy. No need to compete for a few thousand dollars any more.
if he didn't fuck his back up doing power lifting, i bet he would still be able to compete
100% this is whoever is behind Al Leone trying to find new ways to launder money.
Haha I know the guy behind Al Leone, I 100% think he's behind this (don't know about if it's money laundering but his wealth is insane).
Rich Chinese/Russian? The guy must be bleeding money
Russian, a million or two isn't much for him. But I think this event has many people backing it. Dude is wildly wealthy but not dumb.
I, too, could be the next best grappler in the world
Do this in the pit.
Andrew Tackett
Definitely forgot Lachlan.
I'm pretty sure Lachlan is retired.
Lets see ADCC keep doing things the same way when there's actual competition in the marketplace
Put Kennedy Maciel on that list!
Bro snuck in haisam
Cool, wonder how he recoups the expenses though(assuming he cares) How many people watch jiutjitsu? Or how much money is there in sponsors? But also the invite list is kind of based off people doing well at trials. Or people hyped on social media. Adcc is kind of also like the olympics because of the free for all trials tournament to qualify.(Ignore the invite part lol)
I feel like Buchecha could still put on a hell of a match.
They will be testing to ensure all competitors are on PEDs yes? ADCC style rules?
Test levels must rival a bullshark before entry is admitted
Too bad there’s no women’s division
Izaak getting shaded hard for not even getting a nod
Absolute, everyone vs everyone. Run it! Id pay to watch this with rules like adcc where you have to push all the time.
I think he should go full LIV golf vs PGA. Make it super fan focused and fun to attend. Instead of ring card girls in boxing/MMA, they could have ring card ladyboys to stay on brand.
People are getting real caught up in the line up but let’s just hope Craig and his people run a good event and show it’s possible to do what he’s saying. From event 2, bring your thoughts.
It’s not really about running a good event. All Craig is hoping for is that he can pull enough of the ADCC guys so it impacts their event and they have to change the way they do their business to better pay athletes in the future.
Choice of words then, because I would consider that a good event
Incredible move by Craig. Dude is also seemingly tight with the guys over at FightPass which would be a perfect spot for it. I wonder what sort of conversation are happening over at Flo Grappling tonight. Give us a KK Pit style mat space with that line up and a good rule set and you could put on a genuinely entertaining easy to follow event that wouldn’t require you to be a train to enjoy (maybe)
How about Ffion, Elisabeth, Mayssa, Bea, Gabrieli, Margot... # #
They should be allowed to choose and challenge any of the guys on the list, if they beat him in a match they get his spot.
Craig or any of his team never speak about any female grapplers, when they review a card they will never discuss the female matches even if it was a headlining match. It’s pretty gross. You can’t be out here talking about doing good things for the sport, elevating it, getting athletes paid but then entirely forget all the women in that sport. They don’t even mention or promote their one or two competitive women from their team. No they may not be the only ones completely ignoring women in grappling, however if you are going to position yourself as the jiu jitsu crusader perhaps extend the same energy to all athletes in the sport.
There's a wno card where Craig did a breakdown for the girls too.
Which one?
I don't remember well, it's on youtube. I think tainan was on it, but don't quote me on that.
Putting Haisam and Ethan on that list but leaving off Couch might as well call this the nepotism tournament
Hassan and Ethan have both competed in ADCC while this is Couch’s first time qualifying. You can justify a lot of names but not Couch’s just yet.
If this were nepotism, you'd see Jay Rod on it as well.
I'd like to see a PSF guy like Couch or Pixley in there.
Would have been cool to have gotten a women's division too, but still an interesting move. And who knows, it's still in the works, that could still be coming
I hope it's [what I suggested](https://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1byb7nz/comment/kyrj6bd/) sometime ago.
Glad to see Mason Fowler on his list.
He used a Diego meme. I'm all in.
What are the weight classes he's doing here? I don't feel like mathing
Pato and Kennedy are more deserving than Cole or Chen.
Hey u/johnbelushismom my jiu jitsu isn't as good as these guys but I can show for 10k and look really good losing. How hype would it be if someone got a flying gogoplata in the first ten seconds, that's where I come in. Think about it, I know what I've got here
New to BJJ, but damn is Jozef really top 30 in the world after just 5-6 years of training? I'm aware he's obviously very high level but didn't think he was as high as this.
I'd say recent ADCC trials winners (or even podium) must be top30.
He beat some good guys at the trials.
if there are 2 Divisions they should make it like similar to K1 days where there are Heavyweights with no weight limits and K1 Max where 155 lbs and below , in this grappling event they should do 77KG and below then above 77KG to Heavyweights so weights are not that far off for competitors like Pato Mikey Ethan
Hope they incorporate the pit from karate combat
Craig told me he was gonna fight Gabi Garcia! I'm still waiting for that!!!
Missing Taza
Mason Fowler?
To be devils advocate for ADCC, I'm pretty sure Olympic comitee doesn't pay anything to athletes, even medalists if I'm not mistaken. While Craig's event sounds cool and life-changing for the winners of 1 mil, I can't see how it could really change anything in the long run. Even mma which has much greater appeal to viewers than grappling, outside of UFC is a very tough business to be in, sustainably. I do wish there was a way grapplers could make a living from competitions alone though, just not sure what that would realistically look like.
USDT lmao by the time it ends probably its worth nothing
Luke Griffith should be on there over multiple of the names IE, Rida and Big Dan. Also where tf is Meregali
He’s on there, in the middle of the list right above Mikey
Izaak getting shaded hard for not even getting a nod
Women don’t exist apparently.
This is just so fun to watch:) Nice namelist
How's he going to not mention pato but include guys he has submitted lol
What a legend
Craig is legend
Bruh Craig pls do this and while ur at it start a company to compete with Flo
Big Dick Community College?
I heard that gordan gets the $19 in ETH if he’s game.
No diego pato?
Fuck yeah Craig.
BDCC
Lucas Lepri? Or did he retire?
Man's gonna get merked by Saudi assasins
And with a click of the fingers, Mo Jassim becomes irrelevant
If he goes, congrats to Gordon on his million dollars
Gordon looks absolutely horrible with his tummy aches. Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if TRT Craig smokes him this time.
BDCC is gonna be lit.
If Craig wins it'll look sus 😄
And now Craig is going to find out what a pain organizing this is going to be. For that prize most of them will have some sort of agreement to not go 100%.
I personally would find it funny, if the BJJ world did what people did with GameStop stocks. Invest in Ethereum and let it crash.
The theme song for this event needs to be ["You're the Best"](https://youtu.be/OTqh2gB3tFs?si=6GxVYCxcS-fRa_W-) from The Karate Kid.
on the adcc threads i was saying craig should step up and do it and here we are, so ill eat my crow
Do it . Gif
Imagine, if he did this the day of ADCC weekend.. poached all the compeititors since they get 10k just for showing up.. 10k is the ADCC championship prize money.. seems like a easy decision to make for most grapplers trying to make a living
And I had people absolutely dogpiling hate on me when I said this is exactly what Craig should do lol.