Craig Jones, an IBJJF World No-Gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, is known as one of the best grapplers in the world, and he had an interesting conversation with former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Jones was watching UFC 296 in Las Vegas in December when he says Strickland was sitting near him and shitting on jiu-jitsu. According to Jones, he went on Instagram Live and blasted jiu-jitsu before turning the camera to Jones, and the Australian doesn’t know if Strickland knows who he was or if it was a coincidence.
Craig Jones talks Sean Strickland.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/b9Yoo0Ab3j
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) February 12, 2024
“Oh ya, man, you know what this guy did to me actually? I was at the UFC event, sitting next to him when he attacked Dricus, Strickland obviously no idea who I am, it was the Tony Ferguson-Paddy Pimblett fight, he’s sitting next to me, he goes live on Instagram and he’s just shitting on Tony Ferguson’s jiu-jitsu and then it turns into a rant about how jiu-jitsu is useless for MMA, and all this stuff and then he pans the camera to me. He’s like look, look how shit jiu-jitsu is. He goes over to Volk as well. And I was like, either this guy is a f*****g genius or this is just off the cuff and he doesn’t know I’m a jiu-jitsu guy. But that guy is f*****g unhinged,” Jones said on The MMA Hour.
When asked by Ariel Helwani if he agrees with Sean Strickland’s comments, Craig Jones was quick to reply saying he’s probably right.
“I told him I agreed with him. I said, ‘Yeah, you’re probably right,'” Jones added.
Although Strickland thinks jiu-jitsu is useless in MMA, there have been plenty of world champions who came from a jiu-jitsu background.
Craig Jones cornering Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298
Although Craig Jones doesn’t compete in MMA, he does have a big role in it as he is Alexander Volkanovski’s jiu-jitsu coach.
Jones will be in Volkanovski’s corner for his featherweight title defense on Saturday in the main event of UFC 298 against Ilia Topuria.
