# Craig Jones

> Black Belt

## Overview

**Name:** Craig Jones

**Belt Rank:** Black Belt


## Bio

Craig Jones was born on July 17, 1991, in Adelaide, South Australia.

Growing up Jones was a very active kid, playing a variety of intensive sports such as Australian rules football and basketball while also briefly training in taekwondo and judo. His interest in rough playing activities was a sign of Craig’s frame of mind, as a teenager turned to mixed martial arts (MMA) and by the time of his 15th birthday dreamt of becoming an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter.

With the UFC in his sight, Craig joined his cousin Matt Jones’ BJJ academy (2006), a gym called ISOHEALTH. It was under Matt’s guidance that Craig started making a name for himself in Australia’s national grappling circuit, before joining the Maromba Academy in Melbourne (later named Absolute MMA), as a purple belt, where his tuition was then picked up by Lachlan Giles.

In December 2015, after an epic performance at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championships, Jones earned his brown belt. It was also around this time that Craig became a regular BJJ instructor. One year later Lachlan Giles promoted Craig to black belt. Jones also worked extensively with  John Danaher  in New York City, at team Renzo Gracie, where he became one of the well-known coach’s most prominent students on the competitive scene.

While climbing the ranks of jiu-jitsu, competing regularly nationally and internationally, Craig Jones also managed to graduate with a degree in Behavioural Science (Psychology).

DANAHER DEATH SQUAD BREAK-UP

In July 2021, coach John Danaher announced the end of the Danaher Death Squad as a unified training and competition team, alluding to “ the physical location of a future school, personality conflicts, conflicting values and an inevitable tension between the team brand and the growing individual brands of members ” as the main factors for the split ( original statement here ).

Later that year, during the Summer months, Craig Jones announced his new team, one formed alongside a few of his DDS training partners, namely Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten, and Nicky Rodriguez. This new group was labeled the “B-Team” with its training base being set in Austin, Texas.

Craig Jones Heel Hook Technique
## Gym Affiliations

- **B Team** (Austin, United States) — Head Instructor

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**Last Updated:** March 21, 2026

**Data Source:** BJJ.Space (https://bjj.space/people/craig-jones-5e26b53f09de)