Who's CJI 2's Sugar Daddy?

Mark Zuckerberg

Why It Makes Sense:

• Publicly training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and recently competed in tournaments.
• Deep pockets, a net worth of 246.2 billion dollars.
• Whats a million when you have billions?
• Very passionate about BJJ/MMA, and has been seen training with Craig Jones.

Counterpoint: Zuck tends to keep his hobby spending quiet and could be too busy with Meta.

Joe Rogan

Why It Makes Sense:

• A long-time advocate of grappling and BJJ black belt under Eddie Bravo and Jean Jacques Machado.
• Massive platform with the Joe Rogan Experience, which regularly features grappling personalities.
• Known to support disruptive moves in the combat sports space (e.g., early UFC days, supporting Eddie Bravo's EBI).

"Craig's got something huge planned and I wouldn't be surprised if Joe's backing it behind the scenes," one fan theorized on Reddit.

Counterpoint: Rogan might offer promotion, but he typically avoids direct financial investments in sports leagues.

Elon Musk

Why It Makes Sense:

• Publicly teased a cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg, bringing BJJ and MMA into the global spotlight.
• Has very DEEP pockets, worth $414.9 billion
• Known for funding passion projects that are bold, controversial, and meme-friendly.
• Backing CJI 2 would align with Musk's love for disruption and trolling big institutions. Craig Jones, being the king of BJJ memes, would be a natural ally.

Counterpoint: Musk's plate is already full, running Tesla, SpaceX, X, and more. Plus, if he were involved, it's hard to imagine he'd stay out of the spotlight.

Derek Moneyberg

Why It Makes Sense:

• Recently announced he earned his BJJ black belt in only 3.5 years of training.
• I think he has money?
• Getting involved in the biggest jiu-jitsu tournament of the year would give him massive PR leverage in the Jiu Jitsu world, adding legitimacy to his black belt.

Counterpoint: While Moneyberg has might have the money, he's never been publicly tied to Craig and relativly new to the grappling scene.

John Danaher

Why It Makes Sense:

• The mastermind behind some of the most successful modern grapplers (Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, Nicky Rod), Danaher has more influence in jiu-jitsu than most organizations.
• Known for his methodical mind and obsession with elevating the sport's professional standards, he may see CJI as a clean slate to help shape jiu-jitsu's future.
• He's closely tied to Craig Jones and the B-Team lineage, even if they've branched out, and could be acting as a behind-the-scenes architect of the event's structure and legitimacy.
• Made tons of money from his instructionals and definitely has the capital to bankroll a high-stakes event like CJI 2

Counterpoint: Danaher is notoriously private and laser-focused on teaching. Investing in events doesn't quite fit his monk-like persona, unless, of course, he's doing it for the greater good of jiu-jitsu evolution.

Tom Hardy

Why It Makes Sense:

• The Venom and Dark Knight Rises star has become a surprisingly legit presence in the BJJ community, even winning gold at local tournaments in the UK.
• He's a vocal advocate for jiu-jitsu's mental health benefits and has trained consistently over the years, not just for movie roles, but out of personal passion.
• He's known to support causes he believes in, and helping elevate the sport with a massive prize pool and athlete-first structure fits his vibe.

Counterpoint: Hardy tends to stay out of the spotlight when it comes to his philanthropy and side projects. If he is funding CJI 2, he's doing it the same way he enters tournaments, low-key, sunglasses on, submitting people silently.

Billy Crafton

Why It Makes Sense:

• Fought on a AIGA card in Kazakhstan alongside Craig Jones and Seth Belisle.
• Under the radar but seemingly everywhere, often seen around gyms and events with Craig Jones, Seth Belisle, and even UFC stars like Jon Jones and Alexander Volkanovski.
• Whispers in the community suggest he's a quiet financier with deep pockets and strong connections across the jiu-jitsu world.
• His discreet presence makes him a prime candidate to be the "Sugar Daddy" behind CJI 2, if you were rich, connected, and didn't want the spotlight, this is exactly how you'd play it.

Counterpoint: He's so under-the-radar that it's hard to know whether he's bankrolling the event or just a generous supporter helping his friends. Until someone follows the money trail, Billy remains BJJ's most mysterious maybe-millionaire.

Michael Zenga

Why It Makes Sense:

• As a co-founder of BJJ Fanatics, Zenga helped build one of the biggest platforms in jiu-jitsu, both financially and culturally. He's no stranger to high-stakes moves in the grappling world.
• He's deeply connected to the sport's top athletes, coaches, and content creators, which makes him a perfect candidate to fund or help orchestrate CJI 2 behind the scenes.
• Backing a massive, athlete-first event like this would align with BJJ Fanatics' brand and would cement Zenga as not just a businessman, but a true patron of the sport.
• The prize pool, production quality, and stacked talent list scream "someone who knows the business of jiu-jitsu is involved." Zenga checks every box.

Counterpoint: He's a known figure in the space, so if he were behind it, why the secrecy? Then again, maybe he's just playing it quiet to let Craig run the show.

Dana White

Why It Makes Sense:

• As president of the UFC, Dana's no stranger to turning niche combat sports into global empires, and he's been flirting with grappling crossovers for years.
• He's already heavily invested in grappling, with new UFC-led series like UFC BJJ: Road to the Title and signing top grapplers to exclusive contracts.
• With UFC Fight Pass already hosting grappling events, investing in something like CJI would be an easy transition and a chance to monopolize yet another combat sport.

Counterpoint: Dana doesn't usually play in the shadows. If he were behind CJI 2, you'd expect full-on UFC-style promotion and branding everywhere.

AG Gregoroff

Why It Makes Sense:

• AG Gregoroff, CEO of Toehold, runs a flip-flop company that markets directly to the jiu-jitsu community, making him financially and culturally invested in the sport's growth.
• His brand thrives on jiu-jitsu visibility, so helping fund a massive, athlete-first event like CJI 2 would be a strategic way to double down on his target audience and gain cultural capital within the scene.
• Gregoroff has been involved in a very public feud with Gordon Ryan, including allegations that he mishandled or withheld large sums of money during their past business dealings. According to speculation on various forums, that missing money might just be what's bankrolling CJI 2, killing two birds with one stone.

Counterpoint: There's no solid proof that AG Gregoroff is financially backing the event. The rumors are interesting, but it's also possible he's just focused on making flip-flops.