Ever since the break up of the Danaher Death Squad, there have been two main camps of athletes from this divorce. Gordon Ryan, John Danaher, Garry Tonon and Oliver Taza formed New Wave jiu-jitsu which is situated in Austin, Texas
B-Team Jiu-Jitsu is a team set up by 4 primary members (as well as later additions that joined the B-Team). These 4 main members are Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, Nick Rodriguez and Ethan Crelinsten. This BJJ school is also located in Austin, Texas.
The name B-Team comes from a satirical take on the situation of the aforementioned break-up. John Danaher is considered the best BJJ coach in the world, whilst Gordon Ryan is considered to be the best no-gi competitor. Therefore it makes sense that the team who would consider themselves the second best to name themselves the B-Team.
This is a common theme in the career of Craig Jones who will often refer to himself as the second best and a person who never wins anything. Jones own brand of comedy has gained him a cult-like following online and allowed him to create a profitable Onlyfans account and branded rashguards that say “Mexican Ground Karate”.
Table of Contents
B-Team Members
Craig Jones
Craig Jones burst on to the scene of grappling in 2017. A relative unknown, Jones tapped both Murilo Santana and Leandro Lo back to back before being defeated by Keenan Cornelius.
Shortly after ADCC 2017, Craig Jones moved from his native Australia to the USA and began training with the Danaher Death Squad. In 2019, Jones acheived 2nd place at ADCC, losing to Matheus Diniz in the final.
Jones has various superfight wins under his belt and is well known as an elite competitor who specialises in Z-guard and leglock entries.
Nicky Ryan
The younger brother of Gordon Ryan, Nicky Ryan has been tipped as the next John Danaher. In fact both Danaher and Nicky Ryans current teammates all have the highest praise for the younger of the brothers, at one point claiming he was the best competitor in the gym other than his older brother.
Nicky Ryan has been competing in adult tournaments since he was a teenager and was considered a prodigy of the sport. Currently, his adult career has been somewhat hampered by injury so he has not competed as much when compared to other members of the B-Team.
Ethan Crelinsten
Having only began training BJJ aged 19 under coach Firas Zahibi, Crelinsten was a late starter in the sport.
Crelinsten is not as accomplished in competition when compared to his teammates, but has still qualified for ADCC and has wins over competitors such as Andrew Tackett and Marvin Castelle.
Nick Rodriguez
Known as the “black belt slayer”, Nick Rodriguez got this name by competing at ADCC as a blue belt and still defeating the likes of Cyborg, Orlando Sanchez and Mahamed Aly. As nobody knew who Nick Rodridguez was at this time, many were astonished by this accomplishment.
Since then, Rodriguez continued to train under Danaher until the formation of the B-Team. He is still not a black belt in BJJ, although at this point it doesn’t really matter since he has beaten so many elite grapplers.
Secondary B-Team Members
Izaak Michell
Another Australian that trained under Lachlan Jones, Izaak Michell is good friends with Craig Jones. His greatest accomplishment to date has been winning the IBJJF no-gi worlds at brown belt.
As Michell is still very young, he does not have the accomplishments of other B-Team members but still has wins over top level grapplers and is considered one of the best prospects for the future.
Izaak Michell was removed from the B-Team by Craig Jones in 2023. The reason why is not known.
Damien Johnson
Damien Johnson is yet another student of Garry Tonon and John Danaher who began beating accomplished black belts whilst still only being a purple belt.
The journey of Damien Johnson is a little different to the rest of the B-Team as he originally joined New Wave jiu-jitsu with both John Danaher and Gordon Ryan. However, after only 3-6 months of training with New Wave, he officially changed allegiance to the B-Team.
Robert Degle
Although not a permanent member of the B-Team, Degle regularly trains in the Austin gym. It is not known whether Degle has fallen out with New Wave jiu jitsu members, but he no longer trains under John Danaher.
What Is B-Team BJJ?
The B-Team gym is quite different from most other BJJ gyms. This is not a gym which is beginner friendly as it is full of elite athletes. For the most part, white belts are not allowed to join and neither are hobbyists. In addition to this, the B-Team gym focuses solely on no-gi grappling.
Compared to other BJJ gyms, this way of running a gym has not been done before, as almost every other school will accept any members, provided they are not dangerous and they pay their membership fees.
It seems as though Craig Jones, Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten and Nick Rodriguez do not want to spend their time teaching beginners the fundamentals of grappling and would rather test their skills against high level opposition. This is a similar way to how the Danaher Death Squad originally operated, with only elite grapplers being invited to sessions. The difference being, the B-Team gym does not currently offer beginner classes.
Why Did The B-Team BJJ Get Formed?
There is a lot of speculation about why the B-Team was formed in the first place. In reality, the truth has not yet been revealed and is likely a difference in opinions between members of B-Team and New Wave.
John Danaher and Gordon Ryan are clearly more financially successful than all B-Team members from their online instructionals which are said to net them at least 6-figures per year.
It could be that the B-Team simply wanted a way of making their own money, or it could be a personality clash between various members of each team. Whilst there is some friction between the B-Team and New Wave jiu-jitsu, it is not yet a full scale rivalry with enormous amounts of bad blood.
Who Is The Leader Of The BJJ B-Team?
There is not really a leader of the B-Team since all 4 key members names are on the wall in their own gym.
If you were to look at accomplishments at this point in all 4 grapplers careers, Craig Jones is clearly the most well known and has won the most superfights against top-tier opposition. Jones is also the most loud, outgoing and comical member, so is most often in the spotlight.
However, it seems as though all 4 members rule their gym equally and do not have a lead figure.
How Can I Join B-Team BJJ?
The best place to sign up for B-Team BJJ is through the official Instagram page or website. When the B-Team is accepting sign ups, you will be prompted to fill in a questionairre about your grappling experience.
These questions will generally be things such as belt level, wrestling experience, your past behaviour in previous gyms as well as your BJJ goals and accomplishments.
Once again, the B-Team is not for beginners and is a very high level grappling gym.
