Craig Jones's Mexico gym: the Zamaya plan in Tulum

Quick answer: Craig Jones announced a B-Team partnership with Zamaya in Tulum, Mexico, in July 2026. The resort's announced opening date was September 17, with drop-in and longer training passes reported alongside accommodation options. For a trip, confirm the specific class or camp, its instructors, and exactly what your booking includes before treating the announcement as a complete itinerary.

The first images were of a building site. In July, Jones appeared on the unfinished floor of the future academy, while the promotional material showed the resort the developers intended to deliver. That is a useful starting point for understanding the Mexico project: an academy inside a much larger training destination, with construction and an opening plan still part of the story.

For a grappler, the appealing idea is easy to understand. Put the room, the mats, and other training facilities in one place, and a holiday can revolve around BJJ without every session requiring a separate trip across town. The details of that arrangement matter as much as the name attached to it.

The July announcement put B-Team in Tulum

Open Mat Locator's July report dates the joint announcement reel to July 1. It identifies Jones, B-Team, CJI, and Zamaya as collaborators on the post, and reports that Zamaya confirmed a September 17 opening date by email the following day.

The same report says the academy would accept drop-ins, weekly passes, and monthly passes without requiring a stay at the resort. That is the practical detail to separate from the resort imagery. A visiting grappler interested in a session may have a different purchase to make from someone booking accommodation and a camp.

Our earlier Craig Jones profile covers his wider place in grappling. Here the subject is narrower: what the announced Tulum academy could offer a visitor, and which questions remain attached to an actual booking.

The announcement should not be read as a guarantee that every person historically associated with B-Team will be teaching there on every date. A team name and an individual instructor's timetable are different pieces of information. Ask about the session you want to attend.

Dave Foran's project is larger than the BJJ room

BJJ Doc's July 4 account of the construction tour identifies former professional rugby player Dave Foran as the person behind Zamaya. It describes a project developed around several training disciplines, with a large central pavilion and a dedicated jiu-jitsu space.

The tour coverage describes the BJJ room as a 20-by-20-meter mat area on the upper floor of its building. That is 400 square meters of planned mat space. The number gives the announcement a scale, although it does not establish how many people will attend a particular class or how sessions will be organized.

The distinction between the academy and the surrounding resort is worth keeping. A visitor might be interested chiefly in no-gi training, while someone traveling with them wants other activities. The broader facility plan creates possibilities for that kind of trip without proving that every proposed activity fits every guest.

The facility plan mixes several kinds of training

Zamaya's published facility description separates the BJJ academy from its fight pavilion, strength gym, and spaces for yoga and Pilates. The fight pavilion is described with a boxing ring, an octagon, and heavy bags. A dedicated seminar room appears in the plan as well.

That arrangement is interesting because a BJJ trip does not have to mean a week of identical classes. Someone could want a grappling-focused stay while a companion prefers another activity. A group might want a seminar alongside ordinary training. Those are possible uses of the design, not promises about a package we have booked or attended.

Before combining activities, ask how they are scheduled and which ones your pass covers. Two attractive classes held at the same time do not become two available sessions just because both appear in the brochure. Leave room in the plan to eat, change clothes, and do the unremarkable work between activities.

The resort's promotional renderings should also be read as renderings. They show a design. The construction footage shows the site at the time it was filmed. Neither should be mislabeled as a report from a completed class.

Choose between a camp and ordinary academy access

A camp can bring its own teaching program, dates, and accommodation arrangement. A regular class pass may be a different product. Start by deciding which experience you actually want, then request the information for that one.

If seeing a particular instructor is the reason for the trip, confirm that person's advertised role on your dates. Ask whether the booking covers their sessions specifically or access to the academy's general timetable. Do not make a private lesson appear in your plans merely because the instructor is associated with the venue.

For ordinary training, ask which classes accept your experience level and whether advance booking is required. A recreational blue belt looking for manageable rounds and a competitor seeking a demanding camp may need different answers from the same academy.

Put the inclusions beside the price

A headline price is incomplete until you know the item being sold. Request an itemized description before comparing a training-only visit with a stay at the resort. Use the currency stated by the provider and ask about taxes or other charges rather than silently assuming they are included.

For a useful comparison, establish:

• Which BJJ sessions or camp days the booking covers, and whether reservation limits apply.

• Whether accommodation and meals are included, and the exact arrival and departure dates.

• Whether other training areas or recovery facilities require a separate pass.

• The cancellation, transfer, and refund terms attached to that particular purchase.

No price is quoted here because the July announcement is not enough to establish the cost of every later trip. A current offer should be checked directly with the provider for the dates and room arrangement you want.

Shared accommodation also deserves a clear conversation within your group. Agree on who is paying for what and how a cancellation would be handled. A friend saying they are interested is not the same as a confirmed room booking.

An opening date and a teaching calendar do different jobs

September 17 was the opening date announced in the July coverage. This article, dated September 11, treats it as that announced plan. It is not a review confirming that the resort has opened or that every part of the property is operating.

For a trip around an opening, ask which facilities and classes are expected to be available during your stay. The answer may be more specific than a single date on a promotional post. Request the academy timetable as well as accommodation confirmation.

Check what happens if a scheduled session or named instructor changes. This is useful for any destination camp, including an established venue. The financial and travel arrangements should make sense to you under the terms actually offered, rather than depending on assumptions nobody wrote down.

Plan the rest of Tulum around the training you booked

Zamaya's contact page locates the property at Avenida 15 Norte and Calle 8 Norte in Tulum, Quintana Roo. Use the accommodation or academy's confirmed address when arranging transport. A resort associated with Tulum should not be assumed to sit beside whichever beach restaurant you saved first.

Decide how the people traveling with you want to spend the days. If only one person trains BJJ, map the class times before agreeing on excursions or long meals elsewhere. A holiday can become awkward when one person's imagined training camp silently becomes everyone else's schedule.

Leave some flexibility after arrival. Travel, unpacking, and finding your way around the facility take time. There is no prize for filling every available session before you know how the week feels. Choose a plan that allows you to participate well in the classes you attend.

The same practical approach applies to laundry. Ask about it before packing as if one rashguard will cover a week of no-gi. Bring enough clean training clothing for the sessions you actually expect to do, with a workable plan for washing and drying it.

The BJJ travel and drop-in guide covers the everyday visitor arrangements to confirm alongside a destination academy's advertised facilities.

Judge the academy by the experience it offers on the mat

A recognizable instructor and a distinctive building can bring attention to a new academy. The visit itself will still consist of ordinary decisions: understanding the lesson, finding suitable partners, and training within the room's rules. Those details deserve space in your expectations.

Ask how newcomers are introduced and how the coach organizes rounds. If you are returning after time away, say that when requesting class information. If you want a particularly intense session, ask whether the program offers one rather than imposing that pace on whoever pairs with you.

A destination gym can be worth visiting without being the answer to every training need. You might enjoy the instruction and setting, then return to an academy at home with a different timetable and mix of partners. The useful question is what you want from this particular week.

The Tulum announcement provides a reason to investigate. The class details, booking terms, and eventual on-mat experience will provide the basis for a fuller judgment. We have not attended the facility for this article, and the construction coverage should not be mistaken for a personal recommendation based on a visit.

Main photo: BJJ Doc: Zamaya architectural rendering alongside a Craig Jones construction-tour still.

The takeaway

The Zamaya partnership puts Craig Jones and B-Team into a resort project built around several training disciplines. The reported option to train without staying on-site broadens the possible visit beyond a full accommodation package. For grapplers already considering Tulum, that is the detail worth following up.

Treat the September 17 opening as the announced plan available before this article's date, then confirm the exact program you want. A useful booking has clear dates, named inclusions, and a timetable that works for your trip. The announcement starts that planning; it does not finish it.

Compare the training options around your trip

Use the gym directory to explore places to train, then contact the relevant academy for its current visitor arrangements. Confirm access directly before building flights or accommodation around a class.

FAQ

Where is Craig Jones's announced Mexico gym? The July 2026 announcement places the B-Team academy at Zamaya in Tulum, Quintana Roo. The resort publishes its location at Avenida 15 Norte and Calle 8 Norte.

Do visitors have to stay at Zamaya to train? Open Mat Locator reported in July that Zamaya confirmed drop-in, weekly, and monthly training access without an accommodation requirement. Verify the current pass and class arrangements for your intended dates directly with the venue.

Will Craig Jones teach every class? The announcement does not establish that. If training with Jones personally is the reason for your visit, confirm the advertised instructor and dates for the specific camp or session before booking.

Was Zamaya already open when this article was dated? The July reports gave September 17 as the planned opening. This September 11 article describes the announcement and planning considerations; it does not claim to verify a completed opening or provide a firsthand class review.