Decorated heavyweight grappler Victor Hugo will compete for the B-Team as the wildcard pick at CJI 2.
The B-Team is quickly emerging as an early favorite to win the team portion of the second iteration of the wildly successful Craig Jones Invitational (CJI).
B-Team co-owner and CJI co-founder Craig Jones recently announced that his squad’s wildcard pick for CJI 2 will be filled by elite heavyweight grappler Victor Hugo.
Each team competing at the event is allowed one wildcard pick to be filled by an athlete who wouldn’t otherwise meet that team’s criteria (for example, being Brazilian and competing for the Australian team).
While Hugo is not a member of the B-Team, he is certainly no stranger to his teammates. The towering Brazilian trains in the same city – Austin, Texas – at Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu. What’s more, Hugo has faced the team’s 99kg representative, Nick Rodriguez, four times in competition and beaten him each time. Their most recent encounter took place earlier this year at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational, where Hugo scored a stunning rear-naked choke finish late in the match.
Hugo brings a wealth of high-level experience and accolades to the B-Team and CJI 2. He is a four-time IBJJF world champion in the gi and a one-time IBJJF no-gi world champion. He is also a two-time ADCC veteran and, in addition to Rodriguez, he boasts notable no-gi victories over the likes of Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu, “Big” Dan Manasoiu, and Vinicius Trator Ferreira.
The 28-year-old will be looking to redeem himself from a disappointingly early exit at the inaugural CJI, when he was on the receiving end of an Upset of the Year submission against Lucas Kanard.
Sylistically, Hugo possesses one of the most dynamic and well-rounded games the heavyweight division has ever seen. Despite his massive size, he is an expert guard player and a dangerous submission hunter.
Hugo joins Rodriguez, ADCC semifinalist Chris Wojcik, young phenom Jozef Chen, and respected veteran Ethan Crelinsten to complete the B-Team squad at CJI 2.
View the full and updated list of every athlete competing at CJI 2 here.
