Craig Jones vs Gable Steveson

Craig Jones vs Gable Steveson – CJI 2 Main Event Superfight

Apr 5, 2025 12:33 PM

Craig Jones confirms his super fight for Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2), as he will face Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler Gable Steveson in a grappling match on August 31st, 2025.

Craig Jones vs Gable Steveson is one of the biggest Jiu-Jitsu vs wrestling crossover matches in the history of either sport. The full competitor list for CJI 2 is still being finalized. There will be one more superfight added to the event. It’s hard to imagine that they will be able to top this.

In Craig Jones fashion, he announced the match on April Fool’s Day. While many questioned its legitimacy, we can confirm that Jones vs. Steveson is signed and will be happening on August 31st, 2025.

Gable Steveson is an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant college wrestlers in NCAA history. In 2020, Steveson hit the highest point of his career, winning an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. He has since won a pair of NCAA Championships. Although he recently fell victim to the biggest college wrestling upset in March 2025. Steveson will still go down as one of the most dominant American heavyweight wrestlers of all time.

Not only will Craig Jones have the challenge of dealing with an elite wrestler, but Steveson has a massive size advantage. The tale of the tape lists Jones at 183 lbs and Steveson at 285 lbs. Below is the Tale of the tape for Jones vs Steveson:

Steveson’s biggest challenge will be adapting to a new sport with a different ruleset. He is an elite wrestler, but he will have to sharpen his submission defense.

Gable Stevenson Career Highlights

2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist at 125-kilograms
The only five-time All-American in Gophers wrestling history
One of six two-time NCAA Champions (2021, 2022) at Minnesota
Became the sixth multiple-time Hodge Trophy winner in collegiate wrestling history, first heavyweight to win the award twice (2021, 2022)
The only wrestler in Minnesota history to produce four top-3 finishes at the NCAA Championships
Minnestoa’s second 4x Big Ten Champion (2020, 2021, 2022, 2025) and the only wrestler in conference history to win four titles at heavyweight
Perfect 59-0 in dual competition, with a 44-0 mark against Big Ten opponents
Embarked on a 70-match win streak, the second longest in program history
2x Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2020, ’25)

CJI 2 New Rule Set

The Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2) moves to a team vs. team tournament format for 2025.

Craig Jones: “Last time we found out who the two best athletes in the world were. That was Kade Ruotolo and Nicky Rod, and we paid them both a million, Now we’re gonna find out who is the best team in the world. ATOS, New Wave, B-Team, Checkmat, Gracie Barra, 10th Planet, whatever teams, and let’s see who truly is the best team in the world. Quintet-style, last man standing.”

“Team vs team is the most exciting form of grappling and that’s what is gonna be the bulk of this show, but we’re also going to have a few crazy super-fights, I won’t be fighting a woman this time, although the guy has many feminine attributes, but that has yet to be announced. CJI 2, Team vs. Team.”