Craig Jones hints at legal warfare with the UFC over use of patented grappling-arena structure

Craig Jones is one of the leading minds and most innovative thinkers in submission grappling right now. In an unexpected turn, it appears that Jones may be threatening to take legal action against the UFC for the use of one of his patented ideas.

Over the past few years, the Australian Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt has begun shifting away from competition, instead focusing on promoting and serving as an influential figure in the sport. He founded a new competition known as the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) in 2024, where he implemented a new kind of grappling mat for athletes to compete on.

Jones competed on a Karate Combat event in February 2024 against UFC fighter Philip Rowe. The Karate Combat arena uses a pit-like area for athletes to fight, with slanted padded walls surrounding the floor, which also includes padding.

The Australians altered the Karate Combat "pit" design slightly and used it for the first edition of the CJI. The mat design was such an effective one that Jones has patented it.

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However, after the UFC announced a grappling version of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, it was revealed that the promotion have created their own version of the "pit" for the athletes to compete in.

After the UFC's announcement, Jones took to Instagram and shared an image of the MMA promotion's design alongside the patent for the Australian's "pit". He wrote:

"Interesting"

Check out Craig Jones' post below:

Craig Jones shares the reality of being a UFC cornerman

Craig Jones has featured in UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski's corner since 2021. Alongside Volkanovski, Jones recently cornered Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 against Belal Muhammad, where Della Maddalena secured a win to become the new welterweight champion.

Despite Jones having largely experienced success as a UFC cornerman, he has been on the side of some unfortunate results, including 'The Great' being knocked out by Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.

The Australian was recently interviewed by Chris Williamson, where he shared the brutal reality of cornering UFC fighters, saying:

"I really don't like cornering MMA fights because you more feel relief that your guy got out of there healthy and okay. One thing MMA doesn't show enough is how badly hurt these guys are after the fight. Quite often the camera will avoid the guy that's unconscious for three minutes."

Check out Craig Jones' comments below (1:17:00):

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Liam is a MMA and Boxing writer at Sportskeeda. His journey into MMA journalism began with a high school diploma in 2017, but his passion for writing led him to diverse experiences, including internships in research and writing roles and accounting work.

Liam's fascination with MMA was sparked by Conor McGregor, with Dustin Poirier's bout against Dan Hooker in 2020 sealing his love for the sport. Poirier remains Liam's favorite fighter, whom he admires for his attitude, fighting style, and persona both inside and outside the cage. He is an advocate for the removal of the 12-6 elbow rule in MMA.

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Outside of work, Liam enjoys playing cricket, practising Brazilian jiu-jitsu, cooking, music, and reading.

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Edited by C. Naik