Overview

• FloGrappling confirmed a signed contract for Sonnen to face Jones this weekend at CJI 2 in Las Vegas after Steveson exited with a toe/training injury.
• CJI 2 is set for August 30–31 at the Thomas & Mack Center, with an eight‑team $1,000,000 tournament and a $100,000 women’s bracket proceeding as planned.
• Gable Steveson was booked for a short‑notice MMA debut with LFA roughly 12 days after pulling out, which fueled public speculation from figures like Gordon Ryan and CJI commentator Alex Wendling.
• Craig Jones rebutted the speculation by accusing parties of breaching a contract and posted a screenshot that appeared to show Steveson liking Ryan’s post; no independent evidence of UFC orchestration has been presented in the coverage.
• Sonnen, 48, last faced Jones at ADCC 2017 where he lost by heel hook, and he is slated to call a Real American Freestyle Wrestling event on Saturday before flying to Las Vegas for the Sunday main event.