Josh Cisneros speaks about the possibility of representing Team Misfits at CJI 2, and explains why he didn’t do CJI 1.

Josh Cisneros is an ADCC medalist and one of the top no gi grapplers in the world. He is a former wrestler and has used those skills to become one of the most well-rounded competitors in the sport, beating some of the best there are. He is currently preparing for the inaugural Sapateiro world championship at under 160lbs, where there is a $100,000 grand prize.

Jits Magazine spoke to Josh about his transition from wrestling to BJJ, and how he thinks that has helped his career as a no gi grappler. He also looked back at his performances at ADCC 2022 and ADCC 2024, while having one eye on ADCC 2026 next year. Josh also spoke about the upcoming Sapateiro world championship, picking out his biggest opposition in the division and discussing his rivalry with Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira.

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0:00 Moving from wrestling to Jiu-Jitsu
1:41 Training in smaller academies
3:50 Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira
4:43 Sapateiro world champion
6:16 Lessons from ADCC
7:46 Teaching & competing
9:27 CJI 2
10:29 Weight classes for Josh
12:45 Facing Owen Jones
14:19 Promotions Josh wants to compete for
15:56 Competing in the gi
19:47 People declining matches
20:46 Wrestling is harder than Jiu-Jitsu
22:26 What makes a difficult opponent for Josh
23:48 Training to win scrambles
25:49 Being well-rounded
27:22 Working on leglocks
28:15 The level of wrestling in Jiu-Jitsu
29:28 What Josh is working on now
30:05 Thanks & Signing off

Renato Canuto shares some of the reasons behind his decision to compete at the Craig Jones Invitational instead of ADCC 2024.

Renato Canuto is an IBJJF gi and no gi world champion who has also made multiple appearances at ADCC, before competing in the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational. Renato is currently preparing for a rematch with Oliver Taza at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 10.

Jits Magazine spoke to Renato about his journey through the BJJ colored belt ranks and his debut year as a black belt, before moving on to the last few years of his career. He also spoke about his time at ONE Championship and his decision to compete at CJI instead of ADCC 2024. Renato broke down his match with elite wrestler Jason Nolf before looking ahead to his match with Oliver Taza, and his transition to becoming a professional MMA fighter.

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0:00 Renato’s Jiu-Jitsu journey
1:34 Becoming a black belt
4:13 Craziest matches
5:56 Why Renato stopped competing in the gi
8:35 ONE Championship
10:43 Making his MMA debut
15:31 Renato’s striking coaches
17:58 Facing Jason Nolf at UFC FPI 9
22:25 The Oliver Taza rematch
25:25 Why Renato picked CJI over ADCC
31:51 Plans for 2025
36:35 Life after being a Jiu-Jitsu competitor
39:44 Thanks & Signing off

Zach Maslany breaks down the Craig Jones Invitational final match between Kade Ruotolo and Levi Jones-Leary from his perspective as one of the judges.

Zach Maslany is a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the founder of the Finishers. Across dozens of events over several years, Maslany has turned Finishers into one of the most important professional grappling promotions in the USA. He was also recognised for his tireless efforts to grow the sport and invited to work as one of five judges at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational.

Jits Magazine spoke to Zach briefly about his personal Jiu-Jitsu journey, his MMA career, and his time training under Eddie Bravo. Zach shared some great insight in to his role as a professional grappling promoter and even gave several pieces of great advice for others in the field. He also spoke about his work as a coach, his time as a judge at CJI, and broke down the Kade Ruotolo vs Levi Jones-Leary match specifically.

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0:00 Zach’s start in the sport and MMA
3:03 Learning from Eddie Bravo
5:32 Coaching at 10th Planet & Finishers MMA
9:56 Being a judge at CJI
13:46 Breaking down the Kade Ruotolo vs Levi Jones-Leary decision
20:31 Using CJI rules at Finishers
24:22 The secret to Finishers’ success
30:51 Elite competitors at Finishers
34:22 Advice for combat sports promoters
37:40 Becoming an MMA promoter
38:08 Thanks & signing off

Dima Murovanni is one of the most popular European Jiu-Jitsu coaches right now and he has coached multiple ADCC Trials winners across 2023 and 2024. Dima also served as the head coach for B-Team Jiu-Jitsu during their training camp for CJI and ADCC 2024, and will be returning to run more in 2025.

Jits Magazine spoke to Dima about how he first got started in the sport, and his chance encounter with Jozef Chen that ultimately led to him diving into coaching. He also shared some insight into how he structured that training camp for ADCC 2024 and CJI, and explained his emphasis on heart-rate monitoring. Dima also evaluated the amazing performances of Nicky and Jacob Rodriguez, and broke down his new style of passing; Rumble passing.

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0:00 Introduction
0:25 The beginning of Dima’s martial arts career
1:43 Professional wrestling & Dima finding Jiu-Jitsu
5:04 Did professional wrestling help with Jiu-Jitsu?
6:08 Dima’s work at BJJ Akademie Berlin
8:08 Meeting Jozef Chen
11:02 Starting coaching at B-Team Jiu-Jitsu
12:43 Inside the CJI & ADCC 2024 training camp
18:32 Nicky Rodriguez’s performance at CJI
21:18 How Dima develops techniques
23:52 Rumble passing explained
28:29 The inspirations for rumble passing
32:05 Lessons learned from CJI & ADCC 2024
37:07 The training camp for CJI 2 in 2025
37:50 Thanks & Signing off

Dante Leon shares his thoughts on the epic rivalry between ADCC and CJI, including how he thought the weekend went.

Dante Leon is one of the most successful Canadian Jiu-Jitsu competitors ever, with titles in several major promotions like KASAI and Who’s Number One. Leon is a two-time IBJJF No Gi World Champion and a two-time ADCC bronze medalist, with accomplishments at the highest level of the sport spanning almost a decade now.

Jits Magazine spoke to Leon about his upcoming match against Tommy Langaker at ONE Fight Night 27, and the first time they met on the mats several years ago. Leon also spoke about his introduction to martial arts through his father, and his love of boxing that continues to this day. We discussed his incredible run in the absolute division at ADCC 2024, and the possibility of him competing at CJI 2 in 2025.

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0:00 Introduction
0:21 The first match with Tommy Langaker
2:03 Focusing on no gi over gi
2:44 Will Dante return to gi competition?
4:09 The secret to Dante’s longevity
5:50 ADCC 2024 absolute division
9:31 Why hasn’t Dante done the ADCC absolute before?
11:52 Dante’s love of Muay Thai and Boxing
15:02 Would Dante do MMA?
17:06 A path to the ONE lightweight title
19:35 Long term vs Short term goals
20:33 Why didn’t Dante do the Craig Jones Invitational?
23:32 The ADCC vs CJI weekend
25:32 Will Dante do CJI 2?
27:33 Thanks & Signing off

Pat Downey opens up about his opening round match against former UFC middleweight world champion Luke Rockhold in the opening round of the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) in 2024.

Pat Downey breaks down a potential Jiu-Jitsu match with Nicky Rodriguez.

Pat Downey is an NCAA Division I All-American and a US Open National champion in wrestling before he transitioned to other combat sports. Pat is a Bellator MMA veteran and he has recently started to invest more time into his professional Jiu-Jitsu career, including an appearance at the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational. Pat is also currently preparing to compete at the IBJJF no gi world championship as a BJJ blue belt.

Jits Magazine spoke to Pat about his time in both wrestling and MMA, and whether he would ever return to either sport. We also broke down his appearance at the Craig Jones Invitational and how it felt to compete on such a big stage, along with his upcoming appearance at the IBJJF no gi world championship at blue belt. We spoke about his debut match against Gordon Ryan, his desire to face Nicky Rodriguez, and even his plans for the future with Polaris and other promotions.

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0:00 Introduction
0:24 IBJJF no gi world championship at blue belt
4:38 Debut against Gordon Ryan
7:04 Future matches at other promotions
10:38 Other wrestlers at no gi worlds
11:56 Returning to wrestling?
13:22 Returning to MMA?
15:45 The Craig Jones Invitational experience
19:19 Nicky Rodriguez
22:23 Other matches Pat wants
24:19 ADCC 2026
25:29 Coaching wrestling at Fight Sports
26:07 Thanks & signing off

Analyzing the electrifying guard passing game that Andrew Tackett displayed at CJI, he completely obliterated two of the best guard players in the world: Nicky ‘King of Cardio’ Ryan and Eugene ‘Owen’ O’Flanagan, with incredible pace, relentless pressure, and a touch of police brutality.

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Craig Jones reacts to Craig Jones Invitational and his win over Gabi Garcia.

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