Craig Jones Def. Sonnen at CJI 2 – Full Results & Recap

Update: The Craig Jones vs. Gable Steveson super fight previewed below never actually happened. Steveson withdrew from Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2) before the event, and UFC veteran Chael Sonnen stepped in as a late replacement. Here’s a full recap of what actually went down at CJI 2 — the original fight preview and announcement details are further down the page for reference.

What Actually Happened at CJI 2

CJI 2 took place August 30–31, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Gable Steveson withdrew from his marquee superfight against Craig Jones ahead of the event. Stepping in as a replacement for the headline superfight was Chael Sonnen — a notable downgrade in wrestling pedigree from an Olympic gold medalist, and a late swap that immediately raised questions among fans and media about why Steveson walked away so close to fight night.

Craig Jones Submits Chael Sonnen — Twice

With Sonnen standing in, the superfight went the way most expected. Craig Jones, one of the most decorated no-gi grapplers in the world, finished Sonnen with a buggy choke — a leg-entanglement submission that has become something of a signature move in his game — not once but twice across the matchup. The lopsided finish did little to quiet the noise around Steveson’s absence.

Did Steveson Ask Jones To Throw The Fight?

In the aftermath, a rumor spread that Steveson had asked Jones to work with him — essentially, to script or choreograph the outcome — before backing out when Jones refused. Craig Jones has publicly denied that any such request was made. The exact reason for Steveson’s withdrawal has never been fully confirmed by either side, but it’s the storyline that’s followed CJI 2 since the card wrapped. We’ll update this page if more details emerge.

B-Team Wins The CJI 2 Team Tournament

Beyond the headline superfight, CJI 2’s new team-vs-team format delivered its own storyline. Craig Jones’s own B-Team squad won the tournament, beating New Wave in a final that came down to a judges’ decision after regulation matches ended in draws. Victor Hugo was the standout performer for B-Team across the tournament.

Helena Crevar Wins The $100K Women’s Tournament

CJI 2 also ran a $100,000 women’s tournament, won by Helena Crevar. Crevar submitted Sarah Galvão with an aoki lock (a shoulder-lock submission) in the final to take home the largest single payday of the women’s bracket.

Background: How The Original Matchup Was Announced

In April 2025, Craig Jones announced a super fight for Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2), initially set to be a grappling match against Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler Gable Steveson 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, the match was confirmed as signed and scheduled for August 31st, 2025 — though as detailed above, Steveson would ultimately withdraw before the event.

Craig Jones vs Gable Steveson

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 would Craig Jones have had the challenge of dealing with an elite wrestler, but Steveson had a massive size advantage. The tale of the tape listed Jones at 183 lbs and Steveson at 285 lbs. Below is the Tale of the tape for Jones vs Steveson:

Steveson’s biggest challenge would have been adapting to a new sport with a different ruleset. He is an elite wrestler, but submission defense was seen as the big question mark.

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.”