The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to overhaul its Fight Pass Invitational grappling series and relaunch it under a new name, ‘UFC BJJ.’ The inaugural event will feature three significant title bouts and will incorporate elements of a reality show akin to the Ultimate Fighter during the buildup to the event.
The primary distinguishing factor with the new format is the redesigned fighting arena. The UFC BJJ fighting site seems to have taken cues from the design of the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) pit, a reputed fighting space known for enabling uninterrupted grappling matches.
UFC had been using a grappling ruleset for their previous Fight Pass Invitational events that many considered to be more intricate. However, the organization has now adopted a grappling ruleset that mirrors the one used in the CJI. This was evident at the recent UFC FPI 11, despite the fighting surface remaining flat at that event.
The shifting dynamics in the fighting surface as well as rulesets, to align more closely with those of CJI have evoked reactions from Craig Jones. As it stands, UFC and CJI share an almost identical ruleset and fighting surface, causing Jones to voice his views on social media.
Craig Jones has not shied away from critiquing the upcoming reality show, titled ‘UFC BJJ: Road to the Title,’ which will see the well-known Mikey Musumeci take an unfamiliar rival, Rerisson Gabriel. The latter athlete is granted not only a title bout but also a coaching position.
Recent reports reveal that both CJI and Karate Combat jointly own a patent for the pit surface they use for their matches. This unique fighting surface has been integrated into their bouts and different variations have been made to it over time. This is something that Craig Jones highlighted when the UFC announced the use of a similar fighting surface.
In response to the unveiling of UFC’s similar fighting surface, Jones took to social media, declaring it an ‘interesting’ development, including screenshots of their pit patents. It’s not entirely clear whether this could spark a legal dispute, though it’s suggested that UFC bypassed patent issues by implementing a bowl-like design with curved walls for their fighting surface.
CJI officials find their innovation being duplicated, adding further fuel to the well-documented strain in their relation with UFC. Notably, this isn’t the first instance where Craig Jones has found himself locking horns with UFC.
As UFC prepares to seal exclusive contracts with top-tier BJJ fighters, various contentious matters emerge, especially concerning their business strategies. Craig Jones is one among many who have raised concerns and pointed out potential flaws in the way things are run within the UFC.
Craig Jones recently mentioned that he has managed to reconcile with former competitors in the BJJ realm. He mentioned that former rivals are now aiming to consolidate their efforts against a shared adversary in the UFC.
Jones is calling on the BJJ community to ‘hold the line’ and ‘fight back,’ to prevent the sport from turning into a scenario where athletes don’t hold any bargaining power or receive fair compensation. He urges the community to prevent creating situations where athletes don’t have any leverage or get adequately paid.