"We should both be deported"- Craig Jones fires back at Ali Abdelaziz and challenges him to a grappling match

Craig Jones fired back at Ali Abdelaziz’s recent criticism after Jack Della Maddalena lost the welterweight throne to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. The Australian grappler answered the manager’s call for his deportation with a tongue-in-cheek offer.

He suggested they settle it on the mats with high stakes on the line. He took to Instagram and wrote:

"To be fair, we should both be deported. Let’s roll at @renzograciebjj blue basement, loser cuts up the green card. I’ll only use buggy chokes?"

Check out Craig Jones' Instagram post below:

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Abdelaziz had blasted Jones after UFC 322 and questioned his role in Della Maddalena’s preparation. Jones has spent years humorously challenging Dagestani grapplers and poking at their methods. A

Fighters often use the deportation narrative against Abdelaziz because it seemingly carries a heavy sting. There are allegations online that he once acted as a confidential informant after legal trouble, and that the government considered deporting him.

Conor McGregor brought this narrative to the global stage during the UFC 229 buildup, and others followed.

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What did Ali Abdelaziz say to Craig Jones after UFC 322?

Ali Abdelaziz claimed Craig Jones is not good for MMA after Jack Della Maddalena’s loss at UFC 322. Jones worked with the Australian welterweight ahead of his title defense against Islam Makhachev.

Abdelaziz argued that the jiu-jitsu specialist pushed Della Maddalena toward tactics that did not suit the matchup. Makhachev dominated the ground exchanges for most of the fight and shut down every submission attempt.

The prominent MMA manager said that Maddalena would have been better served focusing on getting back to his feet instead of chasing complex grappling setups. Speaking in an interview with Fox Sports Australia, he said:

“Hey Australia, this Craig Jones, please deport him. He makes guys lose. He’s not good for MMA. Jiu-jitsu is not good for MMA. I think Jack Della Maddalena could’ve done so much better today if he tried to [get] back up, but this buggy choke and all that stuff didn’t work. And [Craig] talked a lot of sh*t too. He’s nobody. He’s a jiu-jitsu guy who tries to be relevant using MMA guys.”

Edited by Abhishek Nambiar