We have a major team entering the Craig Jones Invitational 2, as New Wave has confirmed their participation - but without a major piece. While New Wave will be one of the squads in contention for the grand prize but they will not have Gordon Ryan in their lineup as the ADCC Superfight Champion has already said publicly he won't participate.

Craig Jones announced their entry into the team-based event going down later this year after meeting with his former coach John Danaher to broker the deal. Jones left the squad in 2021, splitting off with others to found The B-Team, and would later go on to found the Craig Jones Invitational in 2024.

Gordon Ryan took to Instagram early Monday morning to share that he would not be participating but the team would be. New Wave will be one of the squads in contention for the first prize, with teams also already allocated for B-Team, 10th Planet, and 'misfit' crews representing North America, Europe, and the Oceanic regions. There are several major crews not yet represented but expected as the event draws closer.

The New Wave team has some contenders at every weight class and will enter the event as one of the likely favorites. They have ADCC medalists littered throughout the gym and continue to develop their junior members into world-class grapplers under Danaher's guidance. It seems likely that stars like Giancarlo Bodoni, Luke Griffith, Garry Tonon, Dan Manasoiu, Dorian Olivarez, and more could be in play here.

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