New Wave was a surprise addition to the Craig Jones Invitational 2 (CJI 2), given their original team’s bitter split and rivalry with B-Team. The John Danaher led squad will indeed be joining the event’s $1 million Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) team tournament, and their representatives are reportedly finalized.
As Danaher told FloGrappling (HT: JitsMagazine), four of the five members of New Wave’s CJI 2 contingent are already set. Even without the injured Nicholas Meregali and the often sidelined BJJ great Gordon Ryan, their line up is still pretty deep.
While Ryan previously announced he’d rather take a “shotgun blast to the face” than join Craig Jones’ event, Danaher also noted how he isn’t sure if the BJJ superstar will even be able to compete again.
“Gordon (Ryan) is very sick at this point, so I don’t believe he’ll be competing again. Nicholas (Meregali) is very badly injured,” Danaher said. “His first shoulder surgery was not as successful as people were hoping for. So he had to do a second shoulder surgery, so he definitely won’t be ready in time. Those two are simply just not there, so that kind of makes some of the decisions easier.”
With Meregali and Ryan still sidelined, Danaher says most of his picks were obvious choices.
New Wave’s CJI 2 team will be led by the reigning two-time ADCC world champion Giancarlo Bodoni. He will naturally be their representative at 88 kg, where he won ADCC gold medals in 2022 and 2024.
ADCC 2024 silver medalist Luke Griffith, who co-headlines WNO 27 this April, will be taking the team’s slot at 99 kg. Two ADCC trials winners will fill the lightest and heaviest divisions, with Dorian Olivarez at 66 kg and “Big” Dan Manasoiu at the over 99 kg weight class.
New Wave’s fifth and final slot at 77 kg is the only one with options, and Danaher revealed it will go to an “internal trials” winner.
“(77 kg) would be the most difficult one because you have Oliver Taza, you have Davis Asare, you have Izaak Michell, and Jason Nolf, and also possibly a wildcard,” Danaher said. “I guess I’m speculating here, but I guess we’d have to have an internal trial in the gym because all of them want to go. (77 kg) is not an obvious choice, so we’d probably have to do an internal trial.”
The Australasia team will have their own unique CJI 2 trials event on May 10. There’s no word just yet on how New Wave will handle theirs, but it does seem like the team might not broadcast that live for the public.
CJI 2 is co-promoting with Quintet for their $1 million tournament, and the full list of confirmed competitors and team rosters for CJI 2 can be found here.
New Wave’s CJI 2 Team Roster
- 66 kg: Dorian Olivarez — 2023 ADCC trials winner
- 77 kg: (Internal Trials Winner)
- 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: John Danaher
For the latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and grappling-related news click here.