Craig Jones– First Australian to Win IBJJF Championship

Table of Contents

1. Craig Jones’s Details
2. Craig Jones’s Biography

2.1. Who is Craig Jones
2.2. Craig Jones’s Early Life and Amateur Fighting
2.3. Craig Jones’s Pro BJJ Journey
2.4. Craig Jones’s Pro MMA Career
2.5. Danaher Squad Break-up and B-Team Formation
2.6. Craig Jones’s Historic Wins
2.7. Craig Jones’s Championships and Accomplishments

3. Craig Jones’s Main Achievements
4. Craig Jones’s Main Achievements (Coloured Belts)
5. Craig Jones’s Professional Record Breakdown

5.1 Submission Methods W/L

6. Craig Jones’s Match History
7. Craig Jones’s Top Fights Links

1. Craig Jones’s Details

Name	Craig Benjamin Jones
Pro MMA Record	51-19-2 (Win-Loss-Draw)
Nickname	NA
Date of Birth	17-07-1991
Age	30
Height	6’2”
Weight	90 kg
Born	Adelaide, South Australia
Nationality	Australian
Last Fight	Jan 21, 2022, in WNO(Who’s Number One) Championship
Weight Division	Light Heavyweight / Polaris Middleweight
Career Disclosed Earning	NA
Fought out of	Melbourne, Australia
College/University	NA
Foundation Style	Grappling / BJJ/ MA1
Lineage	Carlos Gracie –> Helio Gracie –> Carlos Gracie Junior –> Jean Jacques Macahdo –> John Will –> John Simon –> Lachlan Giles –> Craig Jones
Team Association	Absolute MMA / B-Team
Favorite Position/Technique	Open Guard/Triangle Choke

2. Craig Jones’s Biography

2.1. Who is Craig Jones

Craig Jones is an Australian grappler, the Light-Heavyweight and Polaris Middleweight Champion, and an ADCC Silver Medalist.

Jones is a black belt in BJJ under Lachlan Giles, who worked closely with instructor John Danaher and was a key member of the legendary Danaher Death Squad (DDS) team from the late 2010s to the early 2020s. In 2021, Craig became a member of the B-Team, a workgroup formed in 2021 by Jones and a couple of his former DDS (Danaher Death Squad) teammates.

Craig is well-recognized for his success in No-Gi grappling events and super fights around the world.

He has cemented his reputation as the best grappler of his generation by winning various major events, including multiple belt titles in the Polaris Invitational Organization and defeating the 88 kg Leandro Lo in the 2017 ADCC tournament.

Craig's ferocious lower body assaults, aggressive approach, and cool and collected temperament have earned him a reputation all around the globe.

2.2. Craig Jones’s Early Life and Amateur Fighting

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, on July 17, 1991, Craig was interested in sports since his childhood. He was an extremely active youngster who began his sporting career with high-intensity activities like basketball and football. But he soon switched his interest to martial arts, shifting his focus to Taekwondo and Judo for a brief period.

Craig's enthusiasm for rough-housing activities reflected his mindset as a youngster when he became interested in mixed martial arts (MMA). He soon realized that it fit him better than traditional martial arts and set his goal to become an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter by the age of 15.

2.3. Craig Joness’ Pro BJJ Journey

Joining ISOHEALTH Academy

In 2006, at the age of 15, Jones joined a BJJ academy, ISOHEALTH, managed by his cousin to fulfill his dream of becoming a UFC world champion.

He began building a reputation for himself in Australia’s national grappling circuit while studying at the ISOHEALTH Academy under the supervision of Matt Jones.

Joining Maromba Academy

After achieving his purple belt, Craig moved to the Maromba BJJ Academy in Melbourne, where his tuition was eventually picked up by Lachlan Giles. This academy later evolved into Absolute MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), which Craig now calls home.

Receiving Brown and Black Belts

Jones obtained his brown belt from Lachlan Giles in 2015 following his great performance at the IBJJF Worlds. Around the same time, he began full-time teaching in Melbourne. Craig Jones received his BJJ black belt after only a year from Giles in 2016.

Winning National and State Level Gold Medals

Craig Jones originally planned to compete in MMA, but after his first few BJJ fights, he noticed that he found pure jiu-jitsu much more enjoyable and decided to focus on that.

Craig Jones was able to win National and State level gold medals, including AFBJJ-SA State Championship and AFBJJ-NSW State Championship while still training in Adelaide. However, he had to move to Melbourne to take his practice to the next level.

Becoming First Australian to win the IBJJF World Championship

Under the supervision of Lachlan Giles, who Craig considers to be one of Australia's top athletes and teachers, he was able to qualify for the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) Championships and became the first male from Australia to win an IBJJF world championship.

Winning ADCC Trials and World No-Gi Championship

Jones won the ADCC Trials two-time along with the 2015 World No-Gi Championship for the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF).

Craig also managed to complete his Bachelor's Degree in Behavioural Science while fighting at national and international levels to climb up the ranks of jiu-jitsu.

2.4. Craig Jones’s Pro MMA Career

After being exposed to the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Champion) in the late 2000s, Craig began practicing MMA and jiu-jitsu in Adelaide.

In 2016, Craig became an MA1-sponsored fighter and a teacher for the Absolute MMA team.

Winning the Light-Heavyweight and Middle-heavyweight Titles

Craig Jones won the Polaris Light-Heavyweight and Middle-Heavyweight Championship in 2018 by defeating Keenan Cornelius and Jake Shields respectively.

Winning the Light-Heavyweight and Middle-heavyweight Titles

Winning Submission Underground

In December 2020, Craig Jones won the Submission Underground 20 by defeating Satoshi Ishii via rear-naked choke.

2.5. Danaher Squad Break-up and B-Team Formation

Coach Danaher declared the end of Danaher Death Squad as a single training and competition team in July 2021. The main factors behind this split were personality conflicts, the physical location of the school, and tension between team brands and the increasing individual brands of members.

Hence, during the summer of 2021, Craig formed his new team called “B-Team” with some of his DDS training partners: Ethan Crelinsten, Nicky Rodriguez, and Nicky Ryan. The training base of the B-Team was set in Austin, Texas.

2.6. Craig Jones’s Historic Wins

Craig Jones Vs Leandro Lo

In 2017, Craig stunned the world by submitting BJJ icon Murilo Santana, five-time World Champion Leandro Lo, and UFC veteran Chael Sonnen at ADCC.

Due to his submission of Lo in 2017, he got the "Biggest Shocker of the Year" award from Flograppling. Moreover, his prior performances also made him earn the “Breakthrough Grappler of the Year" award.

Year	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Stage	Weight Class
2017	ADCC World Championships	Leandro Lo	W	RNC	E1	88 kg

Craig Jones Vs Jake Shields

Craig won the Polaris Middleweight Championship in 2018 after defeating grappling and MMA icon Jake Shields in a few minutes.

Jake Shields is well-known for his outstanding wrestling and grappling under duress. In order to block Craig from getting to his legs, Jake employed a low grounded base and forward pressure style against Jones .

Jones used his z-guard to keep space and keep Shields off-balance while neutralizing the pressure from the top. He expertly reached the honey hole position with his inverted sweep from the z-guard. His execution was systematic and efficient from there, which enabled him to beat Shields with a splendid heel hook in the end.

Year	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Stage	Weight Class
2018	Polaris 6	Jake Shields	W	Inside Heel Hook	SPF	Middleweight

2.7. Craig Jones’s Championships and Accomplishments

WNO Championship
ADCC World Championship
Polaris (205/185) lbs Champion
Kasai 2 & 5 Grand Prix
EB11 Invitational
IBJJF World Championship
AFBJJ Pan Pacific Championship
ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials
NAGA World Championship
UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro

3. Craig Jones’s Main Achievements

Year	Event	Position
2017	EBI 11 Invitational	3^rd Place
2018	Kasai 2 185 lbs Grand Prix	3^rd Place
2018	Polaris 205 lbs Champion	NA
2018	Polaris 186 lbs Champion	NA
2019	Polaris 186 lbs Champion	NA
2019	ADCC World Championship	2^ndPlace
2019	Kasai 5 205 lbs Grand Prix	3^rd Place

4. Craig Jones’ Main Achievements (Coloured Belts)

Year	Event	Belt	Position
2014	AFBJJ Pan Pacific Championship	Purple	1^st Place
2014	ADCC Asian and Oceania Trials	Purple	1^st Place
2014	NAGA World Championship	Purple	1^st Place
2015	IBJJF World Championship (No-Gi)	Purple	1^st Place
2016	ADCC Asian and Oceania Trials	Purple	1^st Place
3^rd Place	Brown	UAWJ JF Abu Dhabi Pro	2016

5. Craig Jones’s Professional Record Breakdown

Professional Record Breakdown
72 Matches	51 Wins	19 Losses
By Points	1	6
By Submission	41	4
By Decision	4	3
By EBI/OT	2	4
By Advantages	0	0
Injury	1	0
Split Decision	1	0
Penalty	1	2
Draw	2

5.1 Submission Methods W/L

Methods	41 Wins	4 Losses
Triangle	2	0
Inside Heel Hook	11	0
Heel Hook	8	0
RNC	11	1
Reverse Triangle	2	0
Leg Lock	2	0
Guillotine	1	0
Toehold	1	0
Outside Heel Hook	1	0
Ankle Lock	1	0
Foot Lock	1	0
Knee Bar	1	0
Arm Triangle Choke	0	1
Choke	0	1
Kimura	0	1

6. Craig Jones’s Match History

Year	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Stage	Weight Class
2022	WNO	Pedro Marinho	L	Referee Decision	SPF	93 kg
2021	Fury Pro 3	Sean Brady	L	Referee Decision	SPF	90 kg
2021	Polaris 17	Davi Ramos	W	Referee Decision	SPF	Middleweight (85 kg)
2021	WNO 10	Tye Ruotolo	W	Referee Decision	SPF	90 kg
2021	WNO 9	Luiz Panza	W	Inside Heel Hook	SPF	Heavyweight (92 kg)
2021	WNO 6	Ronaldo Junior	W	Inside Heel Hook	SPF	88 kg
2020	Submission Underground 20	Satoshi Ishii	W	RNC	SPF	Absolute Division
2020	Submission Underground 19	Brent Primus	W	RNC	SPF	Absolute Division
2020	WNO 4	Roberto Jimenez	W	Inside Heel Hook	SPF	93 kg
2020	Submission Underground 17	Mason Fowler	L	OT	SPF	Absolute Division
2020	Submission Underground 16	Mason Fowler	L	OT	SPF	Absolute Division
2020	Submission Underground 15	Gabriel Checco	W	OT	SPF	Absolute Division
2020	Submission Underground 14	Vagner Rocha	W	OT	SPF	88 kg
2020	Submission Underground 13	Vinny Magalhaes	W	Verbal tap	SPF	ABS
2020	Submission Underground 12	Kevin Casey	W	Outside Heel Hook	SPF	ABS
2019	Submission Underground 10	Gilbert Burns	W	Outside Heel Hook	SPF	88 kg
2019	Quintet Ultra	Fredsom Paixao	W	RNC	SPF	Absolute Division
2019	GrappleFest 7	Adam Wardzinski	W	Reverse Triangle	SPF	100 kg
2019	ADCC World Championships	Mason Fowler	W	Arm in Guillotine	4F	88 kg
2019	ADCC World Championships	Ben Dyson	W	Inside Heel Hook	R1	88 kg
2019	ADCC World Championships	Jon Blank	W	RNC	SF	88 kg
2019	ADCC World Championships	Matheus Diniz	L	Points	F	88 kg
2019	Kasai Super Series Orlando	Anthony Johnson	W	RNC	SPF	ABS
2019	Third Coast Grappling Championship 2	Matheus Diniz	L	Points	SPF	85 kg
2019	Submission Underground 9	Anthony Johnson	W	Heel Hook	SPF	ABS
2019	GrappleFest 5	M. Perhavec	W	Inside Heel Hook	SPF	88 kg
2019	Polaris 10	M. Lutes	W	Decision	SPF	85 kg
2019	Submission Underground 8	Denis Hallman	W	Toehold	SPF	88 kg
2019	Kasai Pro 5	Kaynan Duarte	L	RNC	RR	93 kg
2019	Kasai Pro 5	Jon Blank	W	RNC	RR	93 kg
2019	Kasai Pro 5	Pedro Marinho	D	N/A - Draw	RR	93 kg
2019	Kasai Pro 5	Jackson Sousa	W	Ankle Lock	3RD	93 kg
2019	Grappling Industries: Tim Spriggs vs Craig Jones	Tim Spriggs	W	Inside Heel Hook	SPF	ABS
2019	GrappleFest 4	Gabriel Arges	W	RNC	SPF	ABS
2018	Polaris 8	Keenan Cornelius	W	Split Decision	SPF	93 kg
2018	Quintet 3	Gordon Ryan	L	Choke	F	Absolute Division
2018	Quintet 3	Antoine Jaoude	W	RNC	F	Absolute Division
2018	Quintet 3	Richie Martinez	W	Footlock	SF	Absolute Division
2018	Quintet 3	Adam Sachnoff	W	RNC	SF	Absolute Division
2018	GrappleFest2	Matheus Diniz	W	Decision	SPF	Absolute Division
2018	Kasai Pro 3	Rousimar Palhares	W	Penalty	SPF	185lbs
2018	Spyder Invitational BJJ Championship Quarter Final	DJ Jackson	L	Decision	SPF	+76kgs
2018	BOA Super 8	Ben Hodgkinson	W	Heel Hook	SF	Absolute Division
2018	BOA Super 8	DJ Jackson	L	Penalty	F	Absolute Division
2018	BOA Super 8	Roberto Frias	W	Heel Hook	4F	Absolute Division
2018	Kasai Pro 2	Michael Perez	L	Points	RR	Middleweight
2018	Kasai Pro 2	Richie Martinez	W	Inside Heel Hook	3RD	Middleweight
2018	Kasai Pro 2	Nick Calvanese	W	Triangle	RR	Middleweight
2018	Kasai Pro 2	Dante Leon	W	Points	RR	Middleweight
2018	Quintet 1	Sergei Grecicho	D	N/A - Draw	RR	Middleweight
2018	Quintet 1	Mindas Verzbickas	W	Leg Lock	RR	Middleweight
2018	Quintet 1	Marcous Souza	W	Leg Lock	RR	Middleweight
2018	Polaris 6	Jake Shields	W	Inside Heel Hook	SPF	Middleweight
2017	World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship	C. Negromonte	L	Points	4F	85 kg
2017	Kasai Pro	Murilo Santana	L	Penalty	SPF	ABS
2017	EBI 14	Marcel Goncalves	W	Inside Heel Hook	4F	Absolute Division
2017	EBI 14	Andy Burke	W	Inside Heel Hook	R1	Absolute Division
2017	EBI 14	Gordon Ryan	L	OT	4F	Absolute Division
2017	EBI 14	Anthony Johnson	W	Inside Heel Hook	NA	Absolute Division
2017	Bao Super 8	Roberto Frias	W	Heel Hook	4F	ABS
2017	Chael Sonnen Presents Submission Underground 5	Ben Egli	W	Heel Hook	SPF	88 kg
2017	ADCC World Championships	Leandro Lo	W	RNC	E1	88 kg
2017	ADCC World Championships	Gordon Ryan	L	Arm Triangle Choke	4F	Absolute Division
2017	ADCC World Championships	Chael Sonnen	W	Outside Heel Hook	E1	Absolute Division
2017	ADCC World Championships	Alexandre Ribeiro	L	Points	3RD	88kgs
2017	ADCC World Championships	Keenan Cornelius	L	Points	SF	88kgs
2017	ADCC World Championships	Murilo Santana	W	Triangle	4F	88kgs
2017	Chael Sonnen Presents Submission Underground 4	Micah Brakefield	W	RNC	SPF	NA
2017	EBI 11	Darragh O'Conaill	W	Knee Bar	4F	77 kg
2017	EBI 11	Nathan Orchard	W	Inside Heel Hook	R1	77 kg
2017	EBI 11	Vagner Rocha	L	OT	SF	77 kg
2015	ADCC World Championships	R. Barral	L	Kimura	NA	NA