Craig Jones reveals who’s fighting who just days before the madness kicks off, plus Chael Sonnen jumps in because why the hell not!
About damn time. Craig Jones just dropped the CJI 2 brackets and we’re about to see some serious violence in Vegas this weekend.
The eight-team tournament is locked in for August 30-31 at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, and looking at these matchups, somebody’s getting their ass kicked in every single bracket.
The Bracket Reality Check
Here’s how this works: eight teams, five grapplers each, single elimination format. Lose and go home. Win and keep fighting until someone hands you a massive check.
Team USA is ready to go to war against what looks like Danaher’s crew, which should be the most technical beatdown of the weekend. The Instagram posts from Craig and the official CJI account show the full brackets, and honestly, every matchup looks like it could end badly for someone.
Chael Sonnen Steps Up Like a Boss
But here’s the best part – Chael Sonnen just agreed to fight Craig Jones in the main event with basically no notice. Some other guy must have pulled out, and Sonnen said “fuck it, I’ll do it.”
FloGrappling broke the news just hours ago that the MMA legend stepped in to save the main event. This is exactly the kind of chaos that makes CJI different from every other boring tournament.
Sonnen’s wrestling versus Craig’s submissions? That’s going to be entertaining as hell.
Women’s Division Gets Real Money
The women’s bracket is getting serious respect with its own $100k tournament. Craig’s been pushing this hard on social media, and the competitors lined up are absolute killers.
This isn’t some token women’s division – it’s a legitimate tournament with legitimate money, which is what women’s grappling has needed forever.
Why This Actually Matters
CJI’s rules force action instead of rewarding the boring stalling bullshit we see everywhere else. The first CJI proved that when you make aggressive grappling profitable and penalize boring matches, people actually want to watch.
Eight teams, single elimination means every match matters. No group stage nonsense where half the matches don’t matter. Win or go home.
Vegas Gets Ready for War
The Thomas & Mack Center is about to host what should be the most entertaining grappling event of the year. Craig knows how to create drama, the competition is elite level, and the rules actually make sense.
Dropping brackets this close to the event just makes it better. No months of hype and buildup – just pure grappling warfare.
Bottom Line
CJI 2 isn’t another boring tournament where nothing happens for twenty minutes. Craig assembled the best grapplers available, created rules that reward entertainment, and somehow getting Chael Sonnen as a last-minute replacement makes the whole thing even more ridiculous.
This weekend in Vegas is going to be chaos in the best possible way. The brackets are set, the teams are ready, and we’re about to see some serious grappling.
Who do you think survives the brackets? Drop your predictions below.
