Last November when Dana White signed UFC’s first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete Mikey Musumeci, he did not hide his plans “to go big on (jiu-jitsu)” A few months down the road, we saw the occasional grappling showcases on UFC Fight Pass take shape as UFC BJJ. The reality TV-esque pit-style grappling, however, soon came into the contentious eyes of Craig Jones. UFC BJJ even utilized the bowl-style arena, which apparently is angled higher to avoid perimeter guarding and forcing the athletes towards the center for non-stop action in MMA-style 10-9 must system. To be fair, White never hid it. But what comes with the UFC’s machine and an idea by Jones, was actually someone else’s entirely.

If you remember, when CJI was launched in 2024, it shocked the world in two primary ways– a $1 million prize with guaranteed pay and drawing athletes from the already running ADCC. When BJJ’s submission-only grappling event’s final chapter concluded today with Musumeci becoming the very first champion in the UFC BJJ 1, he seemingly also made some headlines off the mat. And it started with Jones’ warning to White. Yesterday, Craig Jones took it to his Instagram account and added a ‘special wish’ for UFC BJJ finale. In the video, he clarified his stance that he is “Not bitter at all, support the athletes,” as his caption stated.

He said, “People think I’m taking this UFC BJJ very personal but I wish their finale today all the success in the world. Obviously, they stole the pit, the rules, the judges, the staff, they’re blocking staff from working our event but I hope the finale goes off with a bang today. I hope all you guys tune in to watch my ideas come to fruition on the UFC YouTube channel.” However, the ending of the video was quite the opposite: A rocket launcher right at White’s doll, blowing it into shreds. So, while no one in the UFC has commented on the video yet, Musumeci had to clear the smoke in the most diplomatic fashion after revealing uninstalling Instagram from his phone because he “just didn’t feel like dealing with it (whatever Craig would do before the fight) for a day.” Here is how the conversation went:

Reporter: “It was basically like he hopes the event went well and he hopes…”
Musumeci (intercepts): “Oh! He’s being nice!”
Reporter: “Well, it was a little double-edged. He goes like ‘He hopes it goes well, and you see all the rules that I created in the pit that I created on a big platform like UFC BJJ’ and then he had a rocket launcher, and he blew up a doll of Dana White, said a whole bunch of other things. So, do you have a message for (him)? I know you haven’t watched the video, but Craig seems to think this is all his idea that UFC has taken.”
Musumeci: “Yeah, I really respect Craig, thank you again for helping us create this format. You definitely had an impact on it with CJI. I think that shows has a great set of format. I have nothing bad to say about Craig. I’m just thankful that he helped grow our sport in the right direction. We used that format and we made it a bit better. I feel like we’re growing our sport, we’re making it a bit better just like everyone else in jiu-jitsu, right.
“Craig took the Karate combat pit and made it cooler. The rule set that Craig had with 10-point-must system like ACB had. He took from them then he made it better. So, everyone in jiu-jitsu is taking things from each other. We definitely upgraded what Craig had and we tried to make it a slightly modified version but he definitely deserves recognition for his input and what he’s done in our sport. I respect that. I have nothing bad to say to Craig. Don’t attack me on Instagram please? I’m at peace with you, waving the white flag. We’re cool.”

It was more of an explanation than a defense, an attempt to recast the argument as one of collaboration rather than stealing. Emphasizing that the rules set in jiu-jitsu have always grown through borrowing

Nonetheless, Musumeci did not want the drama to surround him. He made it clear that he admires Jones and credits him with helping the sport flourish, but he also supports UFC BJJ as one of the former CJI athlete himself who had to walk away after a fight that “fell off.”

While others in the scene were cautious to prevent retaliation, Musumeci balanced it with a light touch and gratitude to both sides. It is worth noting that for now, Craig Jones is completely focused on Dana White and the UFC, so he is yet to target anyone else. But it would be interesting to see if he does; after all, he recently met and got really friendly with the new heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall.

Back when Craig Jones and Tom Aspinall took a shot at Jon Jones

Mikey Musumeci may have escaped Craig Jones’ wrath for the time being, but history has shown Jones isn’t hesitant to target prominent names, especially when humor is his weapon of choice. Just a few weeks ago, the Australian grappler teamed up with none other than Tom Aspinall to mock Jon Jones.

It was lighthearted on the surface, but underneath the laughter was a thinly veiled jibe at the now-retired UFC icon. Given Craig’s ongoing feud with the UFC, the timing of that joke feels even more loaded in hindsight. The video in question was a parody of Jon Jones’ viral clip from Thailand, in which ‘Bones’ rode on the back of a motorcycle and oddly gripped the driver’s hair before taking off.

Craig, never one to pass up a meme opportunity, recreated the incident by creeping up behind the Briton, who was mid-ride on his bicycle, and mimicking the hair grab. “Sorry, it’s a Jones thing, Tom,” he joked. Aspinall’s hesitant turn revealed it all: they both understood who the joke was about.

Back then, Jon Jones had not yet announced his retirement, and Aspinall was still considered the interim champion. However, now that Jon Jones is officially out due to some possibly shady reasons and Aspinall is regarded as the undisputed king, it would be interesting to see if Craig Jones goes after him as well in his constant mockery of the UFC.