7 Matches Fans Need To See At CJI 2

Which matches should fans be most excited for in Las Vegas, August 30th & 31st? Here are seven high-stakes showdowns that may go down at CJI 2.

Aug 13, 2025 by Joe Gilpin

The Craig Jones Invitational 2 is bringing another stacked weekend of world-class grappling, and these squads are absolutely loaded. With dozens of ranked grapplers in the teams event - and four world class black belt women vying for $100,000 - there will be tons of matches featuring the best of the best. The best part - we have no way of knowing who will face off against who until it happens.

Not only is the bracket still not out (and likely won't come out until very close to the event), the Quintet-style means that grapplers could be facing off against opponents from any weight class. They won't even know the order of the opposing entries until those grapplers are making their way down to the mat, as coaches get to make their calls in the moment.

Which matches should fans be most excited for in Las Vegas, August 30th & 31st? Here are seven high-stakes showdowns that may go down at CJI 2.

Felipe Pena vs Luke Griffith

We have to start with the two best heavyweights in the world today, Luke and Felipe. They met in the ADCC finals last year and it was a torrid back-and-forth match that saw Pena weather the storm and secure the submission win. Since then, Luke has only gotten better and just gutted out a huge win over the mammoth Victor Hugo on WNO. These two are also the anchors on two of the top teams in the field and they very well may be the only guys capable of handling the other. This is a huge matchup with significant stakes for both men and for the event as a whole.

So why could this match be different from last August? The biggest factor in that first match was Luke's cardio. He was blitzing people and tapping everyone in regulation at a massive 250+lbs. Pena was the first one in the field able to survive that initial onslaught, escape Luke's back take, and then turn the tide. Luke was exhausted after a short (but intense) match and had to improve his gas tank. To his credit, that's exactly what he did. He slimmed down back to -99kg and is a much more mobile 220lbs compared to his ADCC weight. This showed in his Hugo win, where he got his back taken and then escaped and dominated the match positionally - a stark contrast to his strengths before.

Felipe Pena vs Nick Rodriguez

Two of the best big men of this generation are in the field and are 1-1 against each other - we need a rubber match and we could see it at CJI 2. Felipe and Nick first met at the 2022 ADCC Worlds and it was Rodriguez winning in an upset, using his infamous body lock system to pass and control Felipe in the +99kg semifinals. Later they would have a rematch at WNO, but it was Nick stepping in on short notice against Pena after Gordon had to withdraw. This time it was Pena winning a decision but the match was not as clearly decisive.

Since then they both have gone on to even more success, having both won the + divisions at last year's major tournaments. Now they both walk in as members of two of the best teams in the world in Atos & B-Team. While this is a submission-only event and tapping either man in 8-minutes is an enormous task, business is not settled between these two and we may see round three in Las Vegas at CJI 2.

Mica Galvão vs Victor Hugo

The Super Grand Slam champion Mica Galvão's entrance into the tournament immediately swung the momentum towards the New Wave team and created tons of interesting matchups. Mica has plenty of guys in his weight to face or rematch, including Dante Leon, PJ Barch, and Elijah Dorsey. Even still, what I really want to see is Mica moving up and facing new challenges in this kind of mixed weight format. While he was still coming up and making his name, Mica would often bump up to face elite heavier guys. I want to see a return to form for him and CJI 2 is the perfect opportunity.

So who would be the most fun big man for Mica? What about the enormous Brazilian submission hunter Victor Hugo? The IBJJF absolute champion is a stallwart of this generation as well and seeing the two exciting young Brazilians face off would be a treat for the fans. Victor has fought smaller men before like Fabricio Andrey and put on a show, but he's also been susceptible before against lighter guys. If these two hit, with New Wave and B-Team cheering on their wildcards, it could steal the show.

Adele Fornarino vs Ana Carolina Vieira

In 2024, Adele Fornarino had one of the best runs at any ADCC World Championships ever. She won 6 matches with a 75% submission rate for double gold, and did all of it as the -55kg champion. In the absolute finals, she beat one of the best to ever do it in Beatriz Mesquita. It was a stellar star-making performance for the young Australian. The only champion in the tournament who she didn't face? Ana Carolina Vieira.

Ana won the -65kg division, beating Helena Crevar in the finals, and opted not to do the open class. These two incredible champions have never met and not only would it be a style clash it would be a clash of generations, as Ana has been at the top for many years and Adele is fresh off her breakout year of 2024. They are both in the $100,000 4-woman bracket (along with Crevar and Sarah Galvão) and if they hit then it is one of those rare matches where legacy (and a lot of money) is on the line for both women.

Fabricio Andrey vs Dorian Olivarez

I love watching these two guys fight and if they meet in a CJI pit it will be cinema. Both guys have had tons of success moving up in weight (including a recent throw-of-the-year for Fabricio against a -99kg world champion) but I think once you get them in together against each other it will bring out the best in each guy. Imagine the takedown battles between the dynamic styling of Fabricio against the grinding pressure of Dorian. Their mindset to push and put on a show would make it a can't-miss bout in Vegas.

Fabricio is always doing something crazy when he hits the mats. The IBJJF black belt world champ has incredible hip tosses, trips, duck unders, ankle picks, and even wrist snaps in his deep arsenal. He's the definition of quick twitch muscle and his power for his size is a daunting attribute. On the other side, Dorian has a pitbull mentality that drives opponents into submission before he even applies a choke or joint lock. His hand fighting, snaps, short offense, and pacing are incredible and (I believe) enough to meaningfully compete with literally anyone in this tournament - regardless of size. I really, really want to see these two against each other.

Michael Pixley vs Pat Downey

These are the two best wrestlers in the tournament and I'd love to see them face off against each other. Michael Pixley, best known for his submission win over Nicholas Meregali, is a very talented wrestler and NCAA D2 Champion who is coming off of a top-4 finish at the 2024 ADCC Worlds. Pat Downey is a former US World Team Trials champion and D1 All-American who has since transitioned into MMA & BJJ. Now they are both on CJI squads and if they end up in the pit it's going to be fireworks.

What would really make this match next-level is that both these guys love getting to upper body ties and going for high impact throws. I wouldn't be surprised to see them in an over-under clinch almost immediately, and someone getting launched not long after. The added element of a pit makes this even better, since both of these lifelong wrestlers will have this new structure to use to their benefit.

Diego Pato vs Chris Wojcik

Let's see the best two leg lockers face off! Diego and Chris have both made a name for themselves as nice guys who break lots of legs - and the idea we could get the two best leg lockers in the field to face off is really tantalizing. Both men have made a lot of guys tap using their signature straight ankle lock variations - the Pato lock and the Woj lock. Even though Pato is -66kg and Chris is -88kg, it's totally reasonable we could see them face off if Atos & B-Team hit.

The Pato lock is a straight ankle lock where the leg reaps over the top to the outside (rather than most reaps which go to the inside). He's used this to great effect both gi and no-gi, including the ADCC semifinals and the IBJJF Pan finals. The Woj lock is a 50/50 ankle lock where Chris folds the foot similar to an Estima lock. Both have been used to devastating effect and we may see an epic shootout at CJI 2.

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