Another outstanding regular season of the PGF has concluded! I’ll admit I wasn’t going to do a fantasy recap until Walo asked if I was going to do one. I’ve had some stuff at work, etc. that’s been kicking my butt so I was enjoying a break from the blog. But, we have some unfinished business. So, this post will wrap up the fantasy recaps for the season. It includes the answers to the three big questions we had last week, the results of the matches, and some “until next times” for the competitors who won’t be competing in the post-season tournament. As always, thanks the Brandon and Lindsey McCaghren and their team and the competitors for putting on such a great product for us all to enjoy.
Speaking of post-season tournament, be sure to buy your tickets early if you’re within striking distance of the Decatur, AL area. You can buy your tickets HERE. I know I’ll be there to cheer on the top 8 PGF competitors live on May 21st. I also know I’m going to be sure to keep the chill off by wearing my MATVIPER PGF HOODIE! Yes, I kept hassling Matviper and they made the hoodie. On 20 May, Decatur is supposed to have a low in the low 60s and have some winds and rain, so I’m going to trust my MATVIPER PGF SEASON 2 HOODIE to keep this Egghead warm. I think they really turned out great, I went with the dark heather one.
All right, now we can look back and see how accurate my prognostications were:
What are the storylines to follow in week 8?
- Who gets the final playoff spot for the Blue Team?
We discussed this issue at length on the McDojo Show this last week, but I’ll run through it again. Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson is currently in the fourth spot for the Blue Team, but he’s only five points ahead of Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau. Primeau faces Grayson Webster and Jake Elkins in the final week. If Primeau gets the kill against Webster, he can slide into that fourth position at the end of Block 14. Kemoy faces Hunter Colvin in block 14 (loss) and will face Evan “8-Mile” Stapler in block 15. If Primeau gets the kill against Webster, Kemoy will have to score a submission against Stapler, who has shown himself very capable of fighting off submissions. Here’s a more sinister question – if Primeau’s last match is after Kemoy v Stapler, does Jake enter into a little COLLUSION and let the fellow Southerner get a submission on him and get the ticket to the playoffs? Primeau is very, very sneaky and could pull out some prison rules action against Jake without any assistance. Regardless, it will be very interesting to see who gets that last playoff spot.
UPDATE: This question really had us all in anticipation. Kevin did what he needed, getting that KILL of Grayson, while Kemoy lost to Hunter. This win meant Kemoy had to get a submission against 8-Mile who has been tough to finish. Kemoy went back to the well and secured the bent armbar/americana from the scarf hold/kesa gatame/judo side control position – locking in his spot for the post-season tournament. I figured Jake Elkins and Kevin Primeau were too good to take part in any collusion to benefit the ‘Bama folks, but it was fun throwing in that monkey wrench on the front end.
2. Which Elkins will be on top after the regular season?
Big brother is on top of the standings, but only by 3 points. Matt faces MEGA Mike Johnson [KILL] and Stephen “Shoeless Joe” Eakin [KILL] which should mean 12 points. Jake faces Sam “the Good Guy” Barbosa [loss] and Kevin “the Liquid Terminator/Prison Rules/the Pete Rose of the PGF” Primeau [KILL] which would mean 6 points. If I’m right with these predictions, the Maneless one will pull ahead of his big brother and secure the second spot on the Red team.
UPDATE: As I predicted, Matt Elkins got the two kills, so little bro not only took big bro out during the regular season, but snuck past him to be the #2 seed as well!
3. WHO SHALL REIGN SUPREME????
Last season going into the final week, it was crazy – Nilo Burgener, Matt “the MANE” Elkins, and Elijah Carlton all had a chance at winning the regular season. Matt “the MANE whose middle name is WAYNE” Elkins snuck into that second spot. Elijah came out, even being sick and got the kills to win it all (and letting McWhorter take the damn fantasy title – MCWHORTER!!!!!). Currently, Hunter “the Professional” Colvin is the leader with 78 points. Elijah Carlton is in second, just a kill behind, at 72 points. Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa is another kill behind Elijah at 66 points. Both Colvin and Elijah should get submissions in their Block 14 matches – with Colvin submitting Kemoy and Elijah submitting JUDO. If Hunter submits Elijah, he wins outright. If Hunter and Elijah get their kills in block 14, then Elijah gets the kill against Colvin, it would be a tie (I’m guessing Elijah would be on top with the head to head win). Then there’s a bunch of other permutations out there, but I won’t go into all of them. Sam can’t get the #1 spot unless he can get a super dunk (7) and another kill and Hunter doesn’t get any points. But, Sam could get the number two spot if Elijah settles for a break against Judo and Sam gets two kills. Again, I won’t go into all of the permutations, but it will be fun to see how this all works out.
UPDATE: As mig-E, Joe Kai, and I all agreed – black belts have more “EXPERIENCE.” (McDojo Show inside joke ya’ll). I’ll leave my match analysis for below, but it was a great match and THE PROFESSIONAL came out on top, ending THE BAD GUY’S undefeated streak. I’ll pat myself on the back a little having called Sam Barbosa possibly sneaking into second place. Elijah got one kill, but Barbosa came back to edge Elijah out of second place by securing two kills.
FANTASY RESULTS:
Okay, the COLLUSION beneficiaries will have to lay some eggs for Egghead to be victorious this season. I feel like the Dang Buffalo Bills over here (for you youngsters, they went to four straight superbowls with Jim Kelly as their QB from 1991-1994 and lost all of them). I can feel good knowing McWhorter will not be victorious this year, but I’ll probably have to get my vengeance on Rudy Michaud next season. (seriously, who puts a clearly injured guy on their fantasy squad absent…COLLUSION?). Phillip Mathews got some double collusion with the blue team sneakiness early in the season and not updating his team so he could have a budget busting team later in the season – but he has to live with choosing to be in the chair force as opposed to being a real warrior, so that’s a bad enough fate and I won’t pile on (btw, the red crayons are the tastiest). So putting Stephen Eakin on my fantasy team cost me a grand, no biggie. I just hope Rudy Michaud does some serious super chats with his winnings. Congrats Rudy, you earned it.
UPDATE: The Commish has declared Phillip Mathews the winner and sent him the $1,000. Anything I say after announcing the winner will be considered sour grapes by many……well, here’s some sour grapes being made into some fermented wine – SHENANIGANS!!!!!!!!
First, both the teams ahead of “BLUE BELTS ARE PEOPLE TOO” were the recipients of the COLLUSION 6 points from when Stephen Eakin allowed Sam Barbosa to submit him in block 2 (week 2 of fantasy). Then later, Phillip Mathews was able to game the system through neglect and field a roster that was beyond the budget for the week – SHENANIGANS! If you take the 6 points off both and the extra points off of Freespiritphil, who was the winning team? BLUE BELTS ARE PEOPLE TOO!!!!! Yes, Egghead Warrior – the PEOPLE’S FANTASY PGF CHAMPION!!!!!!
Okay, back to some real talk, I have to take my hat off to Rudy Michaud II and his great spreadsheet (seen in the comments in the BrandonMC.ninja facebook group post for the final week show) – adding the confidence ratings to the different outcomes is the next level I wanted to get to with my team picking (but someone is usually a little preoccupied with blog posts…). It still took COLLUSION for Michaud II to beat me, but that wasn’t his fault (I still called that match correctly).
As for Phillip Mathews, you now join MCWHORTER infamy and I’m coming for you. Just like the Super Bowl champ curse, I’m guessing you’re down in the 40+ rankings next year with MCWHORTER. I might be the Buffalo Bills of Fantasy PGF, but I’m going to keep contending. I’m coming for you next season!
Now to look at how my other predictions panned out:
PGF Week 8 Matchups
BLOCK 14:
Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) v Joshua Gibbs (purple) – BREAK, Red 3. Edwards gets the footlock. Gibbs faced Regina, a lesser leg locker and made the poor decision to go to a leg lock shootout. I don’t think Gibbs makes that same mistake here, but Edwards is a leg lock killer. He’ll get to that 50/50 and secure the break.
UPDATE: BREAK, EDWARDS. Zack pulls guard, sweeps and tries for the baseball bat choke from the top. Zack gets Gibbs’ back – he can’t get the extra point. Zack transitions to a loose back triangle and settles for the arm bar before Gibbs can escape.
MEGA Mike Johnson (purple) v Mat “Maneless” Elkins (brown) – KILL, RED 6. These two roll regularly in Birmingham. Jake Elkins handled MEGA handily, so one has to think Matt will do the same.
UPDATE: BREAK, ELKINS. Mat sits. MEGA tries for the rolling kimura, but they scramble and end up in same position. MEGA goes for the knees slice, but Elkins executes a heel hook entry. Elkins gets the break.
Randy “Dumptruck/the Future” Roden (blue) v Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) – THE BATTLE FOR BLUE BELT SUPREMACY!!!! DRAW. HARD TO CALL. Stapler has that dog/dawg in him, but Roden is a BEAST, son. I think the only submission we’ve seen from Roden has been the arm triangle. We’ve also seen Stapler withstand the arm triangle from both a purple and black belt. I think Roden controls the match, but neither can secure the submission.
UPDATE: DRAW. Evan does a back break fall IMMEDIATELY and wags a finger at Randy, saying “you’re not getting that takedown!” It takes Roden two minutes to pass 8-Mile’s guard (he tried a cartwheel pass, threatening with a leg entry, etc.). After getting side control, Roden starts setting up the head and arm choke. After a minute and a half, Stapler tries to execute a buggy choke and ends up popping his own leg. Roden escapes the attempt and returns to standing and trying to pass Stapler’s guard. Stapler had a leg entry, but Roden escaped. With 45 seconds left, Roden went back to the well for that head and arm, then transitioned to a gift wrap attack. Stapler sweeps and it ends up in a scramble at the end.
Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) v James Regina (purple) – KILL, BLUE 6. Eakin smashes Regina and gets the kill. They’re both mma fighters, so they both have the killer instinct. Regardless, Eakin’s a bad man. He knows it and Regina will know it if he pushes Eakin. Eakin showed against Edwards that he knows how to handle the leg attack. Against a lesser leg locker, Eakin will smash the legs, pass and get that choke.
UPDATE: KILL, EAKIN. Eakin sat. He’s been saying he wanted to and it lets him avoid the wasted time wrestling. Regina looks to knee slice, but gets his knee stuck in the middle for a while. Regina looked to back step pass and Eakin swept, coming up into a dogfight and getting the knee tap. Eakin immediately passed to half, then mount. Eakin looked to setup the head and arm triangle. Regina swept on top, but Eakin didn’t let go. Eakin swept Regina and secured the head and arm from mount.
Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) v Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) – KILL, BLUE 6. Last season, everyone said Elijah Carlton was two levels above everyone else. Well, Kemoy is legit, but Colvin is probably a level above him. Colvin finds a way to Kemoy’s back and gets the kill.
UPDATE: KILL, COLVIN. Colvin who has good wrestling himself decides to sit guard which is a compliment to Kemoy’s wrestling. Colvin does some seated wrestling and sweeps Kemoy. Hunter does a back step pass, but Kemoy gets him back in half guard. Kemoy gets Colvin in a butterfly guard and has his arms locked around Colvin’s head. Kemoy looks to sweep, but Colvin posts with his forehead (big wrestler move). Colvin sneakily passes past the butterfly and locks in that kimura grip. He uses it to get the body triangle on the back of Kemoy. Colvin ends up with a RNC/face crush. There was a lot of HIGH-LEVEL grappling in this match on both sides. I hope it greats broken out so we can all go back to it later more easily.
JUDO Justin Williams (white) v Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – KILL, RED 6. JUDO has shown some serious choke defense. Carlton’s best chance at a kill might be to sit and attack JUDO with one of his triangle setups. Absent that strategy, I think Carlton could easily get frustrated by JUDO’s defense and settle for a leg lock. Plus, he knows he’s not winning on points for the regular season, so he might get the quick leg lock to save energy for Colvin.
UPDATE: KILL, BAD GUY. Elijah sits and quickly gets the ankle pick. Elijah passes to mount. Elijah uses the gift wrap to get to JUDO’s back. Elijah sinks in the body triangle and goes after that choke for the bonus points. But JUDO persists in his great choke defense. Eventually, Elijah gets the RNC.
Sam “the Good Guy” Barbosa (brown) v Jake “the Head” Elkins (purple) – BREAK, BLUE 3. We saw this matchup to crown Barbosa the inaugural 225 champ. I haven’t seen any reason to not believe the same thing will happen again. It could be fun to see a little wrestling at the beginning of the match. I’m a big fan of both these guys, but when it comes to jiu jitsu, Barbosa gets the win.
UPDATE: KILL BARBOSA. Sam decides to stand with Jake and gets single legged fairly quickly. Sam gets up into the dogfight position. Jake turns into it and tries for a messy guillotine. Sam able to get into the North-South position as Jake chases the single leg. Sam settles into side control, blocking Jake’s near hip with his arm (kind of scooped under Jake’s waist/hips). Jake turtles but gives Sam the front headlock. Sam pivots around and takes Jake’s back. Jake fights, but Sam gets the face crush.
Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple) v Grayson “the Southern Samurai” Webster – KILL, Blue 6. Kevin could go prison rules and settle for a break or Grayson could tire out Primeau and get a break himself. But I have a feeling Primeau will want to finish strong this season. Primeau needs this kill to have a shot at the post season. He’s called the Pete Rose of the PGF not only for betting on his competition but also for being Charlie Hustle. You got this Primeau.
UPDATE: KILL PRIMEAU. Primeau sits and acts likes he’s going for Grayson’s legs, but uses it to sweep. Grayson gets Primeau into half guard. Grayson puts in the lockdown and tries to get Primeau’s neck. Grayson gets Primeau’s neck, releasing the lockdown to get a full guard guillotine setup. Primeau tripods to relieve pressure and is fighting the choke with his hands. Grayson can’t finish and looks to transition to a bit of a hip bump sweep or kimura. Primeau passes to side control. Primeau acts likes he’s going for the far side arm, but uses the misdirection to sink in the North-South choke for the kill. This kill put Primeau ahead of Kemoy Anderson for the fourth spot on the blue team (and the spot in the post-season) heading into block 15.
Team Winner: I have the Blue team winning this one but it’s close.
UPDATE: Blue 24, Red 12.
BLOCK 15:
James Regina (purple) v Randy “Dumptruck/the Future” Roden (blue) – DRAW. Squidbilly said if he’d faced Roden at the end of the season, he wouldn’t have been able to catch Roden in a leg lock. Either that’s a compliment or possibly also based on seeing Regina not being able to secure the leg lock. I don’t think Regina can finish Roden and I don’t think Roden has the solid subs to finish Regina, so I think it’s a draw. Of note, Roden is still the future and will be deadly as the PGF crew mentors him in the next few years.
UPDATE: BREAK, REGINA. Regina sits. Roden has some nice movement but Regina catches him. Regina gets the heel hook finish within the minute for the extra point, ending on a high note. Regina, way to represent 10p KC! Your demeanor and sportsmanship speak well of all of you. I look forward to catching your future MMA fights.
MEGA Mike Johnson (purple) v Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – DRAW. Zack will likely sit or be taken down by MEGA. MEGA has great pressure and should be able to fight Edwards, keeping Edwards from elevating MEGA. I also factor in this match as the third match of the night. Even though Edwards is a warrior and will know it’s the last match, he’s likely also dealing with a roughed up back. I don’t see MEGA finishing because he has issues finishing. I don’t see Edwards finishing because of MEGA’s pressure and strength. So, I’m calling it a draw.
UPDATE: KILL, MEGA. They wrestle for about one minute. Zack tries to setup some guillotines, but is unsuccessful. MEGA gets the arm drag takedown. MEGA wraps Zack’s legs and gets the pass. MEGA is being really heavy in that side control (well, he is MEGA), but it looks like Zack may be in some pain. Zack bumps MEGA off him, but as Zack tries to stand, MEGA pushes him down. MEGA goes for the knee slice and continues to look to pass. Zack tries to regain his guard but gets stacked hard and has to verbally tap. We can’t say it enough. ZACK HAS BEEN A WARRIOR THIS SEASON PLAYING THROUGH INJURY AND PAIN. HATS OFF TO YOU, SIR!!! MEGA, YOU SHOWED US WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT – SMASHING MORTALS! HAHA! BUT SERIOUSLY, YOU HAVE A GREAT POSITIONAL GAME. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE NEXT ITERATION.
Matt “Maneless” Elkins (brown) v Stephen “Destroys Egghead’s Dream” Eakin (black) – KILL, RED 6. I think it’s a fairly even match, but since Eakin made me a fan then dashed my fantasy hopes, I’m calling it for Elkins. Sam Barbosa’s coach told him not to let Eakin on top of him. Elkins needs to pull guard. We could see why Barbosa’s coach said not to let Eakin on top. That said, Elkins has that wrestling from the ground. I’m a fan of both these guys and really appreciate all of Eakin’s extra media, but I’m going to have to pick against him for grumpy reasons.
UPDATE: KILL, ELKINS. Matt sits, but then does a technical standup and hops to Eakin’s head. Eakin defends all the right ways, but Elkins is able to get the mounted guillotine. Eakin pays Matt Elkins a great compliment, saying his chin strap was comparable to Josh Hinger’s.
Joshua Gibbs (purple) v Sam “the Good Guy” Barbosa (brown) – KILL, BLUE 6. It’s only a matter of time until Barbosa gets Gibbs’ back and secures the kill. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Gibbs is the type of competitor we need in the PGF. He’s a great guy who gives some defense, but learns a lot from the competition. I think we see some nascent great qualities in him, but he needs some more seasoning as a young purple belt.
UPDATE: KILL, BARBOSA. They wrestle. Barbosa gets the Russian tie to the Zangief throw. Barbosa goes for the twister pass from top half guard. Barbosa looks to be going for a North-South. Gibbs keeps fighting, so Barbosa switches to a darce setup. Gibbs fights more, but Barbosa is able to lock it up for the kill. GIBBS, YOU FOUGHT HARD AND ALWAYS HAD A SMILE IN THE INTERVIEWS. YOU EXHIBIT THE SPIRIT OF THOSE WHO TRULY LOVE JIU JITSU. BRAVO ZULU. I’M SURE I’LL MAKE THE TRIP DOWN YOUR WAY IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO LET YOU CHOKE OUT THE EGGHEAD.
Grayson “the Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) v JUDO Justin Williams (white) – BREAK, BLUE 3. Grayson is the superior athlete and grappler and should be able to handle his often time training partner.
UPDATE: DRAW JUDO gets a JUDO trip takedown. JUDO is able to pass Grayson’s guard. JUDO passes to mount. Grayson is able to oopa sweep JUDO. JUDO looks to put in the lockdown, but catches Grayson off balance and sweeps as well. JUDO is back in side control. JUDO isolates Grayson’s near arm with his legs and looks to finger walk up Grayson’s far elbow. Grayson is able to free his near arm and reestablish his frame. JUDO keeps looking to setup…wait for it…JUDO side control/kesa gatame/scarf hold. Grayson sweeps. JUDO puts in the lockdown. JUDO is able to oopa sweep again. Grayson looks to setup a triangle choke but JUDO postures. With less than a minute left, they go back to their feet. JUDO tries to JUDO throw/sweep, but Grayson stuffs it and ends up in top half. JUDO gets the electric chair sweep, but neither competitor can get a submission. With this draw, JUDO joins Season 1’s Mike Johnson (not MEGA) in the PGF no-win category, which is where most of us spectators are at as well, so we can’t knock the guy. JUDO, you’re the man in the arena. You got out there and gave it your all. You’re a better man for it. We appreciate you. GRAYSON, THE SOUTHERN SAMURAI, YOU KNOWINGLY STEPPED ON THE MATS WITH A LOT OF KILLERS AND FOUGHT HARD. AS I’M SURE YOU ALREADY KNOW FROM YOUR OTHER MARTIAL ART(S), IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOU BECOME THE HAMMER INSTEAD OF THE NAIL. WE’RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR CONTINUED GROWTH IN JIU JITSU AND TO SEEING FUTURE MATCHES.
Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) v Hunter “the Professional” Colvin – KILL, BLUE 6. I’ve believed from the get go – Colvin finds a way to get the kill against Carlton. They’ve been talking mad sh!t to each other both on the videos and on social media as of late. In the end, I have to go with the opinion of the PGF competitors and the knowledge that Colvin’s black belt equals “experience” (nod to you mig-E). Congrats to Carlton on his HIGH ROLLERZ win, but he’s not beating the black belch.
UPDATE: BREAK COLVIN. Elijah sits. Colvin tries to pass, at times engaging and later disengaging multiple times. Colvin slaps Elijah at least three times…I mean goes for aggressive collar ties but is a little short. This in and out goes on for about five minutes. Colvin looks to engage again. Elijah thinks he has his leg pummeled in, blocking Colvin’s arm, but Colvin is able to hop over for the flying kimura grip. Colvin flips his hips back on top to finish the kimura. Again, Elijah says his opponent ran away from him. I can see that call against some of his HIGH ROLLERZ opponents, but here Colvin seems to be trying to figure out Elijah’s guard. I think we’re seeing Elijah is on the cusp of some serious greatness here.
Evan “8-mile” Stapler (blue) v Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) – BLUE KILL 6. Stapler is coming off a very tough match against Roden. Kemoy is a beast and more experienced in grappling than Stapler. Kemoy gets the ankle pick and gets on top of Stapler. Kemoy finds a way to get the kill. It’s a bittersweet end for Kemoy. He had a lot of promise coming into this season. I was touting him as a contender for the championship. But Kemoy’s experience with different rule sets likely caused him to go for the superior positions/passing vice going hard for the submission. Kemoy has the capabilities, but another season might be necessary for him to unleash his “instant kill” mode ala Spiderman. Primeau will be rooting for 8-Mile to grit out a draw. If Stapler can get a submission or a draw, Primeau could sneak into the post season tournament.
UPDATE: BREAK, KEMOY Evan sits – either because of buggy choke pop or because he’s concerned about Kemoy’s wrestling. Kemoy gets to mount quickly. Kemoy sets up the head and arm triangle. Evan’s getting some serious reps defending this choke. Kemoy can’t get the head and arm so transition to side control. Kemoy transitions to the scarf hold/kesa gatame/JUDO side control and gets the bent armbar/Americana (I love that submission). With this win, Kemoy went back on top for the fourth post-season spot from the blue team, but Primeau was up in the last match.
Jake “the Head” Elkins (purple) v Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple) – BREAK, RED 3. Primeau is a beast, but Elkins will wear down the Rona-diminished Primeau. My bet is a kimura, but Elkins could get to mount and secure a choke.
UPDATE: BREAK, ELKINS. Primeu sits. Jake knee slice passes and starts going for a darce setup. Primeau bellies down a few times. Primeau rolls and takes Jake’s back with both standing. Primeau tries to hop on the backpack position, but Jake flips around to face Primeau. Jake tries the slide by, but Primeau tries to run away, exposing his back. Primeau tries a sort of granby to get away, but Jake pins Primeau’s shoulders to the ground in a weird crucifix, eventually getting a break. Honestly, you probably need to watch the match to figure out what happened. With that loss, Primeau was eliminated from the playoffs. PRIMEAU, THE PETE ROSE OF THE PGF, YOU GAVE IT YOUR ALL EVEN AFTER THE RONA AND HAVING TO NOT TRAIN. YOUR GRIT, YOUR TOUGHNESS HAS BEEN MENTIONED BY EVERY COMPETITOR. YOU’RE A BEAST. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BACK AT 100% FULL LIQUID TERMINATOR MODE.
Team Winner: I have the Blue team winning this one handily.
UPDATE: I was incorrect. It was Red 20, Blue 12
Here’s your bracket going into the post-season tournament:
Egghead Warrior's Blog 