CJI 2
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Everything you need to know about CJI 2

Ben Coate

These are the start times, viewing information, athlete lineups, and everything else you need to know about CJI 2 on August 30-31, 2025.

After a blockbuster inaugural event in 2024, the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) will return to the Thomas & Mack Center this weekend in Las Vegas with its second installment.

Unlike CJI 1, which featured a pair of 16-man brackets with $1 million on the line for each, CJI 2 will see an eight-team, Quintet-style tournament, as well as a four-woman tournament featuring some of the sport’s top pound-for-pound talents. The event was originally slated to feature a superfight between Craig Jones and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, but Steveson withdrew from that match due to injury.

How does the team format work?

Eight teams, each consisting of five grapplers at each of the ADCC weight classes (66kg, 77kg, 88kg, 99kg, and +99kg), will go head-to-head in Quintet-style matchups. The winning team will take home a $1 million cash prize.

Individual grapplers from each team will square off one at a time, but neither team’s coach knows in advance which grappler the opposing team will send out, which will likely lead to major weight differences, as a 66kg competitor could face a +99kg competitor. The matches will be conducted under the CJI ruleset (three 10-minute, submission-only rounds scored on a 10-point must system). If a submission occurs, the winning grappler stays on the mat to face the opposing team’s next competitor. The team with the most submissions wins that head-to-head matchup and advances to the next round of the tournament.

In the event of a tie, the judges’ scorecards will serve as a tie-breaker.

Below are the teams competing at CJI 2. Check out a full list of individual competitors here, and view a detailed preview of the team tournament here.

What about the women’s bracket?

CJI 2 will also see the highest-paid prize in the history of women’s grappling, as four top stars will compete for $100,000. These matches will be conducted under the CJI ruleset.

The four competitors are reigning ADCC double-gold medalist Adele Fornarino, reigning ADCC 65kg champion Ana Carolina Vieira, ADCC silver medalist Helena Crevar, and young phenom Sarah Galvao.

View a detailed preview of the women’s bracket here.

What are the CJI 2 start times?

CJI 2 takes place on August 30-31, 2025, and will begin at 9:00 PM ET on Saturday and 8:00 PM ET on Sunday.

How to watch CJI 2

CJI 2 will air live and free on the FloGrappling YouTube channel.

Fans in Las Vegas can watch the event in person at the Thomas & Mack Center. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and holds the rank of black belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

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