Craig Jones will return to the Karate Combat scene on April 20 when he faces off against UFC welterweight Rinat Fakhretdinov.
In February, the Australian grappling sensation will headline his second Pit Submission Series event after facing off against another UFC welterweight, Philip Rowe.
Jones vs. Fakhretdinov will be one of three submission grappling matches on the card. ONE Championship grappling star Osamah Almarwai will face off against Zayed Alkatheeri in the event's opening match.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu sensation Kaynan Duarte will clash with Pouya Rahmani before the card's main event.
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Karate Combat took to Instagram to announce the card and wrote this:
"Pit Submission Series returns at #KC45 | Dubai, UAE, April 20th! We have three epic grappling matches coming your way!"
See the post below:
Fans were thrilled by the news of the Australian's return to the competition, having secured an incredible flying triangle submission against Philip Rowe in his previous showing.
@bjj.worldtv wrote this:
"Damn this is crazy."
Another fan wrote this:
"Hell yeah! FEED THEM CAAANNSS!"
See the other fan reactions below:
![Screenshots of fan reactions to Craig Jones' next submission grappling matchup](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/eade6-17121389386473-1920.jpg 1920w)
Craig Jones shares unusually poignant perspective on the Russia-Ukraine conflict while near front-lines
Craig Jones' recent trip to the Ukraine has grabbed the attention of much of the grappling world.
The Australian has ventured to the Eastern European region to host several seminars with the aim of raising funds for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene in Ukraine.
Jones has documented much of his experiences in the region, including the consistent threat of air strikes. Last week, the BJJ star released footage that showed the devastation left by a bomb that had exploded roughly five minutes from his hotel in Kyiv.
In a more recent Instagram post, he shared an image of the Medal of Honor: European Assault game on Playstation Two, which revolves around the European conflict during World War Two, lying on the ground of a ruined building.
With the submission grappler known for his sense of humor and ability to joke about almost any subject, he shared some dark irony as he wrote this:
"Amongst the rubble of a Ukrainian village destroyed by Russian forces lays the same PS2 game I used to play growing up. I bet they didn’t think the military he fought alongside in this game would destroy his village less than 20 years after its release."
See Craig Jones' Instagram post below: