Ex-Penn State wrestling star invited to fight in historic $1 million prize grappling event

Former Penn State wrestling star Jason Nolf will continue his transition into combat sports this summer and potentially earn a massive payday in the process. This week, the three-time National Champion for the Nittany Lions was announced as a participant in August’s inaugural Craig Jones Invitational.

With a $3 million purse backed by the Fair Fight Foundation, the Craig Jones Invitational will award $1 million to the winner in each of its two weight classes, above and below 80 kg. The grand prize makes the tournament the highest-paying grappling event in history. Each competitor who shows up will earn $10,001.

Jason Nolf confirmed his invitation to the tournament via Instagram on Friday.

“It’s official! In August, I will be competing in Las Vegas in the [Craig Jones Invitational] for a chance at $1 million! Can my wrestling get it done??” wrote the Penn State wrestling great, who will compete in the under 80 kg division. “I think this is awesome and such a great opportunity for the grappling community.”

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The creator of this new historic tournament, Craig Jones, is a world-champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling competitor and coach.

Jones is one of the co-founders of the highly regarded B-Team Jiu-Jitsu gym, where Andrew Simmons, Nolf’s opponent in his professional grappling debut on June 9, trains. Nolf defeated Simmons via submission.

The Craig Jones Invitational will occur in Las Vegas on August 16 and 17.

“Just the beginning” for the ex-Penn State wrestling star?

J© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

After falling to NLWC teammate Kyle Dake at the 2024 Olympic Trial Championships in April, it was unclear if Jason Nolf planned to make his incursion into grappling a one-time occurrence or a full-on career shift.

But it seems more and more like the former Penn State wrestler will be following Bo Nickal into the world of combat sports.

Nolf has hinted as much, noting that his victorious debut was “just the beginning.”

While we won’t see him take the mat again for two months, Nolf has the opportunity to further announce his arrival on the grappling scene with a strong performance in August.

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