Action, action, and more action…Brandon “BMAC” Mccaghren designed the Professional Grappling Federation to give fans the exciting matches they wanted. Currently still in the pre-season for Season 5, the PGF’s regular season and post-season tournament will take place October 29th – November 4th in Decatur, AL with all the action live-streamed on Brandon Mccaghren’s YouTube channel. This season, 185 lb and under men will have a chance to earn the belts in their respective weight classes. In the first four seasons of the PGF, Mccaghren has continually improved the PGF, optimizing the innovations he used to make the PGF the most exciting submission grappling. This post will discuss more news about the PGF but will first discuss those innovations – namely their match/scoring system, innovative camera work, advanced interactive community capabilities, and a full sports season (pre-season, regular season, and post-season).
- An inspired match and scoring/points system biased towards action. Competitors can ONLY SCORE points with a SUBMISSION. Each match is ONLY SIX MINUTES LONG! Competitors have to push the pace! Each competitor only has 12 matches in the regular season to accumulate as many points as possible, putting a premium on opening up their games. Competitors can score via Kills or Breaks. A “Kill” or choke gets a competitor 6 points; a “break” or joint lock earns a competitor 3 points. Per the “Elbow Genie” rule, if a competitor scores any submission within the first minute of the round, they get an extra point (putting an even higher premium on action). No referee decisions exist! Competitors either secure a submission or they don’t. To be clear, if competitors don’t score a submission in their match- it’s a loss. There are no ties – if neither person gets a submission it’s the same result as each of them – losing the fleeting opportunity to put points on the board. Since only the competitors finishing in the top eight of the score ranking will advance to the post-season tournament, the pressure is on every competitor to make the most of their opportunities. This scoring scheme encourages competitors to pass the guard (weighting kills twice as much as breaks), but with the Elbow Genie rule it also incentivizes quick submissions. The competitors have reacted to this scoring scheme by showing us great, exciting, high-paced jiu jitsu.
- Innovative camera work. Conscious Keelan and Isaac Stackhouse bring us unmatched camera work. With the rig Keelan first put forth in Season 1 and has perfected in subsequent seasons, the viewers constantly have the best seat in the house. Keelan used a gimbal to allow him to move around the action, often just barely outside of reach, to closely capture the grappling. We’ve all been frustrated watching a grappling competition online with only one stationary camera – it’s the worst. So often, the competitors will be on the edge of the screen and have their backs to the camera. The PGF has experienced jiu jitsu practitioners capturing the action from the mats. With talented grapplers behind the camera, these grapplers can anticipate how and where to move to maintain connection with the action. The end result is fans being able to fully follow and appreciate the competitors’ efforts without fear of losing sight of the action.
- Interactive community. The PGF is the most interactive submission grappling promotion out there. Besides live fans at the events, the live broadcasts over YouTube allow fans from all across the world to hop into the chat and participate in the PGF community. Fans can ask the commentators questions or provide inside information on competitors. Since the first season, fans have been able to compete in fantasy PGF, where fans become team managers and use their budgets to put together the best roster of PGF competitors who will score the most points via submission each night. In recent seasons, we’ve also seen the chat put out bounties where they pay the competitors money if they hit certain submissions; or just send super chats to reward competitors for outstanding work. These bounties and super chat rewards have become a very nice source of revenue for competitors. The Commissioner is such a believer in his fans that he’s allowed the chat to help make rulings on submissions (e.g. Kill or Break). The PGF first started during the pandemic which quickly meant interacting with fellow fans on the YouTube chat was many fans’ only opportunity to congregate around jiu jitsu. Even as medical restrictions have lifted and fans have been able to practice their own submersion grappling, the online community has only grown further. Whether supporting someone they know, cheering against a heel, or just hopping on to enjoy some very exciting jiu jitsu, fans quickly find themselves a part of a growing, welcoming community.
- Passionate staff. I’ll steal this point from “Handsome” Kevin Sherrill from season 3 and one of our qualifiers for Season 5. As a lifelong grappler (collegiate wrestler then added jiu jitsu), Handsome Kevin has been around grappling for a couple of decades. He remarked in multiple interviews that the passion the staff had translated to a great experience. Everyone “wants” to be at the PGF and are excited to make it a great success. The standout staff member from season 3 had to be Stephen “the Dream” Eakin. Eakin is the head of 10th Planet Perry and a black belt under Ritchie Boogie Martinez of the 10th Planet Freaks in San Diego. Serving as emcee, announcer, and post-match interviewer, Stephen has added a lot of flair and fun to the PGF. Whether he was getting the crowd excited for a match or pulling out nuggets of gold from the competitors after matches, Stephen put his everything into every aspect of his job. Of course, we have to mention the commentators. Lindsay Mccaghren and Matt Skaff have been calling the matches since the inaugural season. Both being 10th Planet Black Belts under Brandon Mccaghren, they have a real appreciation for competitors’ strategy and they have the experience to explain what’s happening to the fans. As long time training partners, they’ve always had great chemistry. Starting in season 3, they added a PGF superfan to the mix, with Egghead Warrior adding stats, prognostication, and a willingness to ask novice questions regarding the action to further help novice fans understand the action (blue belts are people too, but they sometimes need their black belts to explain things).
While all these aspects make the PGF a truly outstanding promotion, it wouldn’t be possible without the competitors. The last four seasons have seen competitors from as far West as California and as far East as Jacksonville, Florida. The PGF has seen standout white belts and dominating black belts. Every season seems to have at least one blue belt who becomes a fan favorite. The variety in belts has led to some lower belts being “dunked on” by more experience higher-belted competitors; however, it’s also led to storied upsets. But to get the acclaim of the fans, the competitors first have to earn a spot in the PGF. Currently, the only way to earn a spot into the PGF is to compete in the preseason.
The PGF preseason consists of qualifiers spread throughout the country. Qualifiers are normally run as a double-elimination tournament. Competitors can assure their spot in the PGF by submitting all their opponents en route to winning the qualifier. Just like the regular season, qualifier matches are six minutes long, pushing the pace. However, unlike the regular season, if a match goes to a draw, the Commissioner will decide who advances. Before each qualifier, the Commissioner admonishes every participant that this decision will be based on who he thinks is the more exciting grappler. Mccaghren finds more and more ways to incentivize action.
The first qualifier was in Wetumpka, Alabama (a suburb of Montgomery) with the second qualifier taking place at PGF Headquarters in Decatur, AL. Competitors still have multiple opportunities to earn a spot. On August 12th, 10th Planet Jacksonville will host a qualifier. On August 26th, One Nation Jiu Jitsu will host a qualifier. On 24 September, 10th Planet HQ will host a qualifier. On October 7, 10th Planet Huntsville will host a qualifier. The Commissioner has said he is looking to add qualifiers in Austin and other locations, but the details have not been finalized so make sure to subscribe to his YouTube Channel and follow him on Instagram (or check back here) to get the details on additional qualifiers when they become available. Prospective competitors should not delay registering for qualifiers. Season 5 is likely going to be similar in form and function as Season 3, meaning there are only 20 spots available for the men’s 185lb division . As of now (updated as of 21 Sept), 15 of the 20 spots are taken (or 75%). Season 3 runner-up Handsome Kevin Sherrill secured the first spot with the first qualifier win. During the second Season 5 qualifier, three competitors earned spots. Season 4 semi-finalist, Maximus “Rock Troll” Jolly out of 10th Planet Cookeville won the second qualifier earning the second spot. Multi-qualifier standout and 10th Planet Decatur student Sawyer Griffin earned an at-large bid, due in part to some ridiculous back takes he displayed. Rounding out our current roster is Carson Thigpen out of Renzo Gracie Nashville. Thigpen was an exciting prospect who qualified for Season 4 but had to bow out due to an injury. A college athlete showing serious quick-twitch muscle skill while going for folks legs, he could be a real spoiler this season. For a complete rundown of the roster, see the post below.
Once competitors make it to the regular season, the real action starts. First, before the season even starts, the coaches for the four teams will participate in a LIVE DRAFT! For the sports fans out there, we know live drafts can be special with soooo much anticipation. These drafts can see coaches load up on players they know and have coached, but they can also lead to overlooked players taking to the microphone and calling out the field. No matter what happens, it’s a great time.
After competitors receive their team assignments, they compete in three matches a night against other teams, essentially in a round-robin fashion. This scheme means every competitor will face every member of opposing teams…there’s no place for opposing team members to hide. Competitors also quickly start keeping track of who scores submissions, so the know how much more they have to turn up their effort. Again, all these matches will be live streamed on YouTube. After the season concludes, the top eight competitors will face off in the post-season tournament. In the post-season, competitors face off in a slightly new ruleset. These matches are submission only, but with Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) overtime rules. EBI rules means each competitor gets a chance at starting from an advantageous position (back control or spider-web [arm bar position]) and having two minutes to submit their opponent. In overtime whoever submits their opponent in less time or who can escape the fastest (in the case of no submissions) moves on to the next round. Eventually one competitor gets the ultimate prize- the PGF championship belt.
But really, it’s the fans who get the best prize – a phenomenally fun, exciting, and welcoming promotion. From the pre-season qualifiers to the regular season and post-season tournament, fans will come to know the competitors and find reasons to cheer for them. One thing fans won’t find in the PGF is a boring match. Even if a match goes to a draw, the competitors will be pushing the action. Brandon Mccaghren has formed the PGF to provide every possible incentive for exciting grappling matches, and he’s succeeded.
This article and its content may be disseminated/copied and distributed and/or used as the source for derivative works as long as some credit is given to this site (e.g. akin to a Creative Commons copyright). The PGF Insiders will always work to provide the latest and greatest information regarding the PGF and you can see their weekly podcasts on the McDojo Life YouTube Channel or Brandon Mccaghren’s channel (if a member). Special thanks to Walo Jay for all the great photos. Those interested in Walo’s work can check out his YouTube page (link is specifically to Walo’s Handsome Kevin short) and Walo’s website. Walo Jay has also agreed that anyone looking to promote the PGF may use his photos as long as credit is give.
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