Craig Jones takes aim at Gordon Ryan’s partner as war of words re-ignites between the pair

Craig Jones and Gordon Ryan famously went from teammates to bitter rivals in 2021 following the split of their team, the Danaher Death Squad, headed by Kiwi coach John Danaher.

Jones and Ryan went their separate ways and created teams known as B-Team jiu-jitsu and New Wave, respectively. Since the split, the rivalry between the two athletes has only gotten bigger, as the Australian has traded words with 'The King' on numerous occasions.

It doesn't seem that the pair are looking to end their feud any time soon, as Jones recently took aim at his former teammate, as well as Ryan's partner, Nathalia Santoro.

Ryan took to Instagram to declare that Americans reign supreme when it comes to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, posting this:

"Americans always do it best."

Check out Gordon Ryan's post below:

Jones took to the comments section of the post and wrote this:

"Your mrs says otherwise"

Screenshot of Craig Jones' comment on Gordon Ryan's post

With both Jones and Ryan blaming each other for the split of the Danaher Death Squad, it seems that neither man will back down as they re-ignite their beef in 2025.

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Craig Jones teases Gordon Ryan's team involvement at CJI 2

The Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) took the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) world by storm in 2024 as the Australian sought to revolutionize athlete pay in the sport. The CJI took place on the same weekend as the biggest no-gi grappling tournament in the sport, the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships.

The ADCC World Championships takes place every two years and has long been regarded as the most prestigious tournament in the sport. However, with a first-place prize money of $10,000, many elite BJJ athletes are still struggling financially.

Jones wanted to change that and created the CJI, which saw the winner of the two weight categories receive $1 million each.

The second edition of the CJI will take place in 2025 and will feature a quintet-style team format instead of individuals. While discussing CJI 2, Jones teased that Gordon Ryan's New Wave team may feature in the tournament, saying this:

"For CJI 2, we're mixing it up. We're gonna do 8 teams battling for $1 million. Last time we found out who the two best athletes in the world were. That was Kade Ruotolo and Nick Rodriguez... Now we're going to find out who is the best team in the world? Atos, New Wave, B-Team... Whatever teams, and let's see who truly is the best team in the world."

Check out Craig Jones' comments below (9:30):