In a recent appearance on The Casuals MMA podcast, renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor and coach Craig Jones made a provocative statement that has sent ripples through the MMA community. According to Jones, the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov only faced four legitimate opponents during his entire undefeated career.
“I think he just had four tough fights and retired, you know, so we didn’t have enough time to figure it out,” Jones explained during the podcast. The Australian grappling expert suggested that Khabib’s early retirement prevented the MMA world from truly solving the puzzle of Dagestani wrestling dominance.
Jones, who has been working with several top UFC fighters including Jack Della Maddalena in preparation for his upcoming bout against Islam Makhachev, believes the limited sample size of elite competition worked in Khabib’s favor. “There’s kind of less footage of Khabib because he was kind of fighting like bus drivers when he was like 16-0, you know, so you go back to that old footage and it’s hard to get a lot of material on him,” he noted.
The two-time ADCC silver medalist drew a stark contrast between Khabib and his protégé Islam Makhachev, who currently holds the lightweight championship. “Islam’s obviously having a much longer reign in the UFC, so we can see what’s worked, what hasn’t worked,” Jones observed. This extended exposure, according to Jones, provides more opportunities to identify weaknesses and develop counter-strategies.
Jones’ comments come at a particularly relevant time, as he’s been tasked with preparing fighters to face the Dagestani wrestling style that has dominated lightweight MMA for years. His work with fighters like Volkanovski and now Della Maddalena represents a systematic approach to cracking what many consider an unsolvable puzzle.
“Most people don’t adjust an error until they take a loss,” Jones explained, suggesting that Islam’s longer active career provides more data points for potential exploitation. He pointed to Islam’s recent performance against Charles Oliveira as evidence that the current champion isn’t invincible, noting that Islam “didn’t look as good as I thought” and “couldn’t really hold him down as well.”
The controversial statement reflects Jones’ broader philosophy about the mythical status accorded to certain fighters and regions. “People have this like god complex over fighters or regions or camps,” he said. “I think once you crack that sort of shield a bit, you can instill the confidence through technique that you can get back up in these situations.”
While Jones’ assessment of Khabib’s competition level may spark debate among MMA fans, his confidence in solving the Dagestani puzzle will soon be put to the test when Della Maddalena faces Islam Makhachev. If successful, it could validate Jones’ theory that Khabib’s early retirement preserved a legacy that might have been more vulnerable than previously believed.
Jones was there to promote CJI 2. CJI happens August 30th and 31st at the Thomas and Mack arena in Las Vegas.
CJI 2 complete roster:
CJI 2: Full list of confirmed competitors, team rosters, card matches
Craig Jones vs. Gable Stevenson
$100,000 Four-Woman Tournament
Helena Crevar — Polaris and WNO Champion
Adele Fornarino — 2024 ADCC double gold medalist
Ana Carolina Vieira — 2024 ADCC Champion 6x IBJJF World Champ
Sarah Galvao — 2025 IBJJF Grand Slam Winner (Brown Belt)
$1 million, Eight-Team Tournament
BJJ coach Eddie Bravo at the UFC Invitational 2
Eddie Bravo will coach the 10th Planet team at CJI 2 Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
10th Planet Roster
66 kg: Geo Martinez — 3x EBI champ
77 kg: Alan Sanchez — 2024 EBI champ
88 kg: PJ Barch — ADCC 2024 Bronze
99 kg: Ryan Aitken — 2024 PGF champ
+99 kg: Kyle Boehm — 2022 ADCC trials winner
Coach:Â Eddie Bravo
New Wave Roster
66 kg: Dorian Olivarez — 2023 ADCC trials winner
77 kg: Mica Galvao — 2024 Super Grand Slam Champion
88 kg: Giancarlo Bodoni — Two-time ADCC world champion
99 kg: Luke Griffith — 2024 ADCC silver medalist
+99 kg: Dan Manasoiu — 2023 ADCC trials winner
Coach:Â John Danaher
B-Team Roster
66 kg: Ethan Crelinsten — Polaris champ
77 kg: Jozef Chen — 2023 ADCC Trials winner
88 kg: Chris Wojcik — 2024 PGF Silver medalist
99 kg: Nick Rodriguez — CJI 1 openweight champion
+99 kg: Victor Hugo — 5-time IBJJF world champion (Wild card pick)
Coach:Â Nicky Ryan
Atos Roster
66 kg: Diego Pato — 6-time IBJJF World Champ (Wild card pick)
77 kg: Ronaldo Junior — 2023 IBJJF No Gi World Champion
88 kg: Lucas Barbosa — 6-time IBJJF world champion
99 kg: Kaynan Duarte — Reigning ADCC Double Champion
+99 kg: Felipe Pena — 2-time ADCC World Champion
Coach:Â Andre Galvao
Daisy Fresh
66 kg: Max Hanson — 2024 IBJJF No Gi Pan Champion
77 kg: Dante Leon — 2024 ADCC Absolute Bronze
88 kg: Jacob Couch — 2023 ADCC Trials Winner
99 kg: Michael Pixley — NCAA Div 2 Wrestling Champion
+99 kg: Brandon Reed — NAIA Wrestling Champion
Coach:Â Heath Pedigo
Team Australasia Roster
66 kg: Fabricio Andrey (Wild card pick) — 2021 IBJJF world champion
77 kg: Kenta Iwamoto — 3-time ADCC trials winner (Levi Jones-Leary — CJI 1 finalist)
88 kg: Lucas Kanard — 2024 ADCC trials winner
99 kg: Declan Moody (CJI 2 Trials winner) — 2024 ADCC trials winner
+99 kg: Belal Etiabari (CJI 2 Trials 2nd place)
Coach:Â Lachlan Giles
Team Americas Roster
66 kg:Â Gavin Corbe
77 kg: Deandre Corbe — 2025 Sapateiro Invitational champ
88 kg: Elijah Dorsey — 2024 ADCC Trials Winner
99 kg: Taylor Pearman — 2024 ADCC Trials Winner (Wild card pick)
+99 kg: Pat Downey — 2019 US National Wrestling champ
Coach:Â Greg Souders
Team Europe Roster
66 kg: Owen Jones — 2023 ADCC Trials winner
77 kg: Pawel Jaworski (CJI 2 EU Trials winner)
88 kg: Paul Ardila (CJI 2 EU Trials winner / Wild Card Pick)
99 kg: Charles Negromonte — 2024 ADCC Trials winner
+99 kg: Marcin Maciulewicz (CJI 2 EU Trials winner)
Coach:Â Faris Benlamkadem
