Craig Jones: Biography, Record, and Career Highlights

Craig Jones built a world-class grappling career without ever stepping into the UFC. The Australian grappler, born 17 July 1991, has amassed a 63-20-4 record and multiple ADCC medals outside the promotion.

Full Name: Craig Benjamin Jones ·
Born: 17 July 1991 (age 33) ·
Nationality: Australian ·
Record: 63-20-4 (W-L-D) ·
Team: B-Team Jiu-Jitsu ·
Coach: John Danaher

Six key stats, one pattern: Jones built his elite status on no-gi success, world-title wins, and ADCC medals — without ever entering the UFC.

What is Craig Jones famous for?

Craig Jones is most famous for being a top no-gi jiu-jitsu grappler and a black belt under Lachlan Giles (BJJ Heroes). His rise from Australian competitions to the global ADCC stage is marked by several signature achievements. He is also frequently confused online with Craig Jones, guitarist of the band Slipknot — an error he has addressed humorously on social media.

What is Craig Jones’ background in BJJ?

• Born in Adelaide, South Australia (Elite Sports)
• Won IBJJF No-Gi World Championship as a purple belt in 2015 (BJJ Fanatics)
• Promoted to brown belt immediately after that win (JiuJitsu.com)
• Received black belt from Lachlan Giles in 2016 (JiuJitsu.com)
• Won ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials in 2014 and 2016 (BJJ Heroes)
• Became part of the Danaher Death Squad in the late 2010s (BJJ Heroes)

The implication: Jones’s path was accelerated by his transition to John Danaher’s training ecosystem, which elevated his no-gi game to a world-class level.

What is Craig Jones’ height?

Jones’s exact height is not consistently reported across sources. BJJ Heroes lists him at 183 cm (approx. 6 ft), while other sources do not specify. In the absence of a verified measurement, his frame is typical for the 88 kg (194 lb) division where he has competed in ADCC.

Was Craig Jones in the UFC?

No, Craig Jones never fought in the UFC. Unlike many grappling stars who transition to MMA, Jones focused exclusively on submission grappling and superfights (Wikipedia). His career has unfolded in the no-gi circuit: ADCC, Polaris, FloGrappling, and the promotion he founded, the Craig Jones Invitational.

Who did Craig Jones lose to?

• Gordon Ryan — multiple times in ADCC and superfights (BJJ Heroes)
• Nicholas Meregali — at ADCC 2022 (FloGrappling)
• Kyle Boehm — at ADCC 2015 (BJJ Heroes)
• Murilo Santana — early in his career (BJJ Heroes)

What this means: Jones’s losses are concentrated at the absolute top tier of the sport, and his record still reflects a high win rate (about 76% according to BJJ Heroes data).

What is Craig Jones’ fight record?

• Total matches: 87 per combined sources (BJJ Heroes and Elite Sports)
• Record: 63 wins, 20 losses, 4 draws (BJJ Heroes)
• 51 wins by submission (BJJ Heroes)
• Never competed in MMA or UFC

The trade-off: by staying in pure grappling, Jones became a specialist with global recognition but limited crossover mainstream fame compared to UFC fighters.

The pattern: Jones’s career shows that pure grapplers can achieve global recognition without MMA.

What is Craig Jones doing now?

Jones is currently a coach at B-Team Jiu-Jitsu in Austin, Texas, alongside other elite grapplers (B-Team Jiu-Jitsu). He remains active in competition and content creation.

What is Craig Jones’ current role?

• Head coach and co-founder of B-Team Jiu-Jitsu (B-Team Jiu-Jitsu)
• Releases instructional videos through BJJ Fanatics
• Organizer of the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) 2024 (Wikipedia)
• Active on Instagram (@craigjonesbjj) with over 500k followers Instagram

The catch: transitioning from full-time competitor to coach and promoter allows Jones to stay relevant while building a legacy beyond competing.

Where does Craig Jones train?

Jones trains at B-Team Jiu-Jitsu headquarters in Austin, Texas (B-Team Jiu-Jitsu). He moved from Australia to join John Danaher’s squad, initially based in New York, and later helped establish the Austin gym.

Where does Craig Jones live now?

Jones lives in Austin, Texas, USA. He relocated from Melbourne, Australia, to train full-time with John Danaher and the Danaher Death Squad (BJJ Heroes). Austin is now home to B-Team Jiu-Jitsu, where he serves as a coach.

Why this matters: the move to the US gave Jones access to the highest level of training partners and raised his profile in global competitions.

Who is Craig Jones’ partner?

Jones keeps his personal life private. Information about his partner and children is not publicly confirmed (Instagram).

The pattern: unlike many public athletes, Jones draws a sharp line between his competitive persona and his family life.

For Australian grapplers watching Jones’s career, the takeaway is clear: you don’t need a UFC contract to compete at the highest level and build a global brand. If you chase world titles on your own terms, you can still end up coaching champions and headlining events. The challenge now is maintaining that momentum without the safety net of the most famous MMA promotion on the planet.