The Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) was originally created to rival ADCC and offer better paying options for the top Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) stars. They not only hosted the biggest payouts ever in BJJ, with two $1 million tournaments, they also essentially forced ADCC to start offering “show” money and improve their prize purse to retain athletes.
They will host an intriguing $1 million team tournament for their next offering at CJI 2, but the BJJ promotion is also being “bullied” this time around.
CJI 2 to host ‘biggest ever prize purse’ for women in BJJ history
Soon after a few female BJJ stars kept demanding for the promotion to start a women’s division, Craig Jones announced that CJI 2 will be hosting a historic tournament.
Jones noted that he will host a bracket of four women, with the winner going home with $100,000.
“That is the highest paid division in the history of the sport,” Jones announced.
While $100,000 may not seem like massive money compared to other sports, it is multiples better than what women normally get in jiu-jitsu. ADCC used to award their male champions $10,000 for winning a weight class and $40,000 for Absolute, while women got much smaller prize money.
It took CJI disrupting the sport and raising issues, for ADCC to give women equal purses to the men. Now it looks like CJI got a small taste of their own medicine. Maybe CJI always wanted a 4-woman tournament as well, but it seems like this could be another example of how bullying a company can sometimes work.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
ADCC stars Adele Fornarino, Helena Crevar joining CJI 2 tournament
Two big names and BJJ champs are confirmed for this women’s tournament at CJI 2. ADCC double gold medalist Adele Fornarino and WNO champ Helena Crevar are joining, and will need just two wins to take the $100,000 prize.
JUST IN: ADCC double gold medalist Adele Fornarino, who is coming off a very close match with Ffion Davies at UFC FPI, will be joining CJI 2’s 4-woman tourney.
Fornarino is the first champ from the lightest division to win the ADCC absolute title. https://t.co/xKpqtZLK0f pic.twitter.com/xSWRFQwaw8
— Anton Tabuena (@antontabuena) June 17, 2025
Fornarino is fresh off a main event bout from UFC FPI (now UFC BJJ), where she was in a very close and somewhat controversial decision against fellow pound-for-pound star Ffion Davies. Fornarino won double gold at ADCC 2024, while Crevar competed at a heavier division and took silver at just 17 years old.
The teenage phenom submitted Elisabeth Clay to became the youngest ever WNO champ, then Crevar followed up by winning a brown belt IBJJF world title, then finally getting promoted to black belt.
The two other competitors in the tournament have yet to be revealed, but there will be no shortage of female BJJ stars willing to fight for that prize money. Perhaps that purse can even draw in certain UFC stars again.
Check here for the current fight card and team rosters for CJI 2.
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