PGF World 6 Power Rankings!

It’s almost HERE!!! PGF World 6 kicks off in Las Vegas on April 21st with the AUCTION DRAFT! The four legendary coaches of PGF World 6 will have to assemble their five-competitor teams by outbidding their opponents. The Team who wins the regular season will earn $100,000 to be split amongst them. Sure, every competitor will have 12 matches over four days where they will have to submit their opponents to earn points for the team, but it all starts with the auction draft.

Now, the order of the draft will be determined by the PGF World 6 power rankings. PGF World provided their initial rankings on their Instagram page. Shortly afterwards, Tim Freeman and his Inside BJJ Podcast team put out their preseason rankings. Finally, the Voice of the PGF (Matt Skaff) provided his own preseason rankings on his Grappling Discourse Podcast. Since PGF Season 3, the Editorial Board at Eggheadwarrior.com has always provided our own pre-draft rankings, and we’re doing it again. These rankings will be a little more involved that the others as we try to show our work with each pick. Now, to be fair, these rankings might not affect the official ones. Still, the Editorial Board at Eggheadwarrior.com has a strong track record for picking winners, so you might want to pay attention.

Disclaimer: The Editorial Board of Eggheadwarrior.com are fans of every PGF World 6 competitor. They are all a part of the PGF family. But every ranking has to have folks picked last. Also, submission grappling has no central resource for match footage or information. The board researches every competitor looking at bjjheroes.com, flograppling, UFC fight pass, enigma TV, smoothcomp. YouTube, and the always trusty “Google.” These rankings are only as good as the open source intelligence available on the internet. If readers have inside information, please share it with us and we may update our rankings.

Okay, enough prelude, onto the rankings!

#1 Andy Varela – A 10th Planet Black Belt under Casey Halstead at 10th Planet Las Vegas, Varela has the standard 10th Planet skills, but he drew inspiration from many other sources, leading to a truly unique grappling style. Many folks had picked Varela to win the ADCC West Coast Trials. While he didn’t win, he put on an amazing run. As you can see in his highlight video HERE, Varela showed he has the vibe and a game made for the PGF. Varela is exciting and always looking to push the action. He goes for subs, not points. Heck, he only had two points scored on him in the trials and no one even tried to submit him. Varela had to settle for third place in the trials, but he took out fellow PGF World 6 competitors John Combs and Max Hanson on his way to the bronze. He forced Combs into a DQ and he finished Hanson via RNC in less than two minutes. Varela was also a silver medalist in the 2022 ADCC West Coast Trials, where he won a match against our #2 ranked P.J. Barch (by Ref decision to be fair). He has wins multiple other competitors on this lineup including Davis Asare, Cam Hurd, etc. Varela has shown us over his career a desire to get the submission, a desire to mix it up with an exciting style. In this last ADCC West Coast Trials, Varela showed us his skills, but he’s definitely still hungry after having to settle for bronze. Varela is primed to put on a show during PGF World 6.

#2 P.J. Barch – Head coach and founder of 10th Planet South Bay, P.J. Barch is the first black belt under Richie “Boogie” Martinez. He’s a long-established competitor, facing only the toughest of competition. P. J. recently won the Polaris 170lb Grand Prix earning himself a tidy $20,000. Known for his outstanding wrestling, he compliments his standing game with devastating RNCs and sneaky leg attacks. The Butter Panther is a sure thing for the playoffs and for earning a team lots of points. Coaches should be looking at spending at least 30% if not more of their salary cap to get P.J. on their team.

#3 Elijah Carlton – Elijah is the face of the PGF; the Royce Gracie of the PGF. He has that quality that PGF Insider Miggy values most of all: EXPERIENCE. No one has as much experience in the PGF ruleset at Elijah. He is 51-1-5 (only one loss and five draws) in the PGF Regular Season and 8-1 in the PGF post season. Elijah has a 49% Kill rate and a 42% Break rate – he will rack up points. As a possible statistical anomaly, Elijah has more sub-one minute submission bonus points than the Elbow Genie Jonathan Roberts, the rule’s namesake. True, John Combs subbed Elijah with a triangle two years ago. He has split matches with Davis Asare (winning via heel hook at ADCC Denver Open and losing He’s the Sapateiro Challengers Open Weight Division Champion. A former Brown Belt High Rollerz champion (never beaten, just promoted to black belt). Since moving to the suburbs of Atlanta and training full time with his coach Sean Applegate, Elijah has taken on a more professional outlook and attitude toward grappling. With his crazy skills, insane PGF experience, and solid professional ethos and coaching, Elijah will be looking to prove he will remain the face of PGF World.

#4 Davis Asare – Asare is a purple belt training under John Danaher at New Wave Jiu Jitsu. Asare has been a super active competitor in the last two years. He got three submissions on his way to winning the silver medal for the ADCC European Trials. Asare secured two submissions to get the gold at ADCC Dead Sea Open 2024. He secured three submissions on his way to get gold at the ADCC Austin Open. He’s split matches at ADCC Opens with Combs, winning his first match by straight ankle lock and losing the second by triangle. He’s split matches with Elijah Carlton, losing by heel hook then winning by toe hold. Asare has an arm bar win over Kevin Beuhring. He has a decision win over PGF Season 5 runner-up Kemoy Anderson. One of the best things about Asare is he’s a submission hunter. He is the kind of grappler made for the PGF. PGF fans have seen what a New Wave student can do. In PGF Season 4, fellow New Wave product Reese LaFever earned the crown. Now, another young New Wave product is set to make his presence felt at PGF World 6. Given the well-known ability of New Wave to mold their students, one has to think Asare will be ready for everyone on this list come September 21st.

#5 John Combs – Combs is a black belt from Easton Training Center in Colorado. He’s a former ADCC West Coast Trials champion, a 2022 Sapoteiro Open Weight Champion, and a2023 ADCC Chicago Open champion. He was an all american wrestler in college, then started training jiu jitsu when he attended CU in Boulder. For the PGF, fans and coaches need to know Combs is a killing machine – well, in the PGF parlance. Combs is a choke (Kill in the PGF) specialist. His chokes are his weapons of choice, especially his guillotine. Watching his footage, PGF fans can anticipate a season similar to the ones Matt Elkins had in previous seasons, a choke/kill-heavy set of wins. Even if Combs does not get the most submissions, he’s likely to be able to match or exceed other competitors’ points since Kills are worth six points in the PGF and footlocks or any Breaks are only worth 3 points. Combs has nearly 200 jiu jitsu competition matches under his belt and VERY high percentage of his wins are via submission. And of those submissions, a very high percentage of them have been chokes. Combs is a rock-solid bet to score serious points for his team and to make the playoffs.

#6 Kevin Beuhring – Kevin Beuhring is a purple belt under Sean Applegate, at 10th Planet Atlanta. Kevin first entered the PGF scene during the Season 3 qualifiers. After about one year of training, still a white belt, Kevin traveled to the Jacksonville Qualifier. Kevin showed how dangerous a white belt can be as he submitted all of his opponents on his way to earning a roster spot in PGF Season 3. During the regular season he had black belts running away from him. Beuhring easily made the Season 3 finale tournament. Since PGF Season 3, Dangerous Kevin has been in continuous competition mode…and he’s been winning. To list off just a bit of Kevin’s resume he is the Sapateiro 170lb Champion (beating PGF World 6 competitor Max Hanson to get the belt), the Midwest Finishers 170lb Champion, a Summit Grappling 3x Absolute Champion and Grappler of the Year. Kevin holds the fastest submission record for five grappling promotions. Beuhring is an ADCC Open Silver Medalist and a Main Character Jiu Jitsu 170lb champion – winning via heel hook in 26 seconds. Most recently, PGF fans will remember Kevin taking out an entire opposing team in a five-on-five quintet battle during the PGF Season 5 Finale. He has some losses to others on this roster, but the field should not sleep on Kevin Beuhring. He’s constantly improving and has an almost preternatural connection to his coach when competing. Coach Applegate gives an instruction from the corner and Beuhring executes almost instantaneously. Kevin’s experience in the PGF, his great team at 10th Planet Atlanta, and his dedication to being a professional grappler make him a dangerous opponent for anyone during PGF World 6. Eggheadwarrior.com has written a full article recently on Kevin and it can be read HERE and Kevin’s interview with the PGF Insiders can be watched HERE.

#7 Max Hanson – Hanson is a black belt out of Pedigo/Adamas Gym where he’s been training with Dante Leon for years. He used to drive 1.5 hours each way, twice a day to get his training at Adamas while he still lived in Canada. Hanson bet on himself and moved to the United States to be able to train more after COVID hit. Many critics and fans expect Hanson to make a real move to the top of the jiu jitsu competitive scene very soon. He’s ad a lot of success. He has a submission win over fellow competitor Kieran Kichuk and a RNC on John Combs at the same tournament. Even though Hanson had a tough loss to Daniel Sathler via a flying triangle which turned into an armbar, he turned around as a substitute competitor in an Enigma competition well over his normal weight class and won the event. Hanson can’t be kept down. Heck, he’s decided to defend his 155lb and 170lb Finishers titles on the same night (and did defend them). To top it all off, Hanson has a super fight scheduled with ADCC East Coast Trials winner Elijah Dorsey for the day after the PGF! That’s the kind of intrepid confidence Max Hanson exhibits. Max’s plan is to give 100% to jiu jitsu, knowing he’ll succeed in the end if he just keeps giving it everything. Max is very dangerous and coaches and fans can be sure he’ll put up points against the competition this season. Max had a great interview with the PGF Insiders which can be seen HERE.

8. Kieran Kichuk – Kieran is a black belt, currently a member of the B Team in Austin, Texas. He had previously trained with Lloyd Irvin and his Medal Chasers. Starting at his first ADCC trials, Kieran had been on a track record of consistently finishing higher than he had previously, and hitting a number of submissions. He also notably won the 2022 Emerald City Invitational 155lb title. During the most recent ADCC West Coast Trials, Kieran started off well, but ran into a counter leg attack which injured him. As of now, Kichuk is still on the PGF Roster, but we are still waiting to make sure he’s 100% cleared. Kichuk has the mindset of a champion, using meditation, mindset, and his wiping of his feet when he enters the mat to trigger “The Bastard,” his competition alter ego that allows the very nice Kichuk to rip off his opponent’s appendages with glee. If Kichuk remains good to go for PGF World 6, he has a real chance to make the playoffs. Fans can look forward to interviews with a great, thoughtful competitor on the sidelines, and some ferocious attacks by The Bastard on the mats. Either way, the PGF World 6 audience should look forward to watching Kichuk’s work. Kieran had a great interview with the PGF Insiders which can be seen HERE.

#9. Renato Canuto – The black belt and head instructor at Hybrid Jiu Jitsu in Las Vegas is very exciting to watch. He does cartwheel/backflip passes; he has super quick shots and flying attacks. But, we’re worried he’s a point fighter. The Editorial board watched more than 4 hours of Renato Canuto no-gi matches…and saw only two submissions (a flying armbar against Joseph McKay in the 2021 No-Gi Worlds, and a flying armbar against Jake Shields at 3rd Coast Grappling two years go). Looking at the vast majority of matches online, the results were determined almost exclusively by points or referee’s decision. Now, Renato has regularly faced the upper echelons of competitors. He may be able to make quick work and submit the lower tiers of PGF World 6 competitors…maybe. For the lack of recent submission victories, the Editorial Board of Eggheadwarrior.com will be bucking the trend and will not have Renato Canuto making the playoffs.

#10 Mike John – The black belt out of 10th Planet Orange is a submission machine. The Editorial Board has watched film of him at Midwest Finishers (three RNCs (one in overtime) and one Elbow-Genie quick armbar); F2W(guillotine); Arte Suave Elite 24 (heelhook). But most importantly, one should note Mike John did not receive an invitation to PGF World 6 – he earned his spot by competing in the only qualifier. At the qualifier, he racked up four submissions. Mike John scored submissions over PGF Season 4 runner-up Dane Leak (RNC), a sub-minute leg lock on another competitor, and a leg lock on another fellow PGF World 6 competitor Jamie Carnall. Again, going to the qualifier, operating under PGF rules (including the new stalling rules), and claiming his spot – gives Mike John a huge leg up in these rankings. No one gave Mike John a spot, he had to fight for it – and one has to believe he’s going to make sure he makes an impact now that he’s on the roster.

#11 AJ Agazarm – Agazarm has a lot of accolades to his name: ADCC silver medalist, IBJJF No-Gi Champion, IBJJF Pans No-Gi Champion, West Coast Trials silver medalist, IBJJF European No-Gi Champion. He came up as a wrestler, ending his career at The Ohio State University, where he earned a degree in finance (so he’s smart as well). The reasons someone so accomplished and talented is ranked in the bottom half are (1) most these accolades were seven or more years ago, and (2) more importantly, the vast majority of Agazarm’s wins come from points, referee decisions, or advantages. He’s faced Renato Canuto twice, ending with a draw once and losing by advantage the other time. He’s faced John Combs twice, winning by ref decision and losing the other one by points. Wrestling and controlling someone are just the beginning of the formula for scoring points in the PGF – submissions are king. As with other competitors on this list, the question is whether Agazarm can de-program the points mentality after having competed with so much success in IBJJF and ADCC competitions where winning a match by points is a valid strategy.

#12 David Evers – You PGF Season 3, 170lb CHAMPION, David “Quadzilla” Evers! Evers is a newly minted black belt. You won’t find much of his competition footage, because as he put it, “I’m the only hobbyist on the roster.” But seriously, the man is special. He has a super unique body type which Kevin Beuhring, above, says “requires you to adjust every technique” to try to make it work on him. Evers won PGF Season 3 while also working his day job…as a NASA rocket scientist (okay, engineer but scientist rolls off the tongue better). To learn more about Evers, check out THIS ARTICLE or watch PGF Season 3 HERE. A number of competitors are going to overlook Evers (not a short joke, David – please don’t hurt the Editorial Board, sir)…and Evers will take their feet home with him. Evers also had a great interview with the PGF Insiders which can be seen HERE.

#13 Jett Thompson – The BOY WONDER!!! But seriously, this 17-year-old brown belt (yeah, he’s a minor so be careful what you say/do around the young man) will become a fan favorite this season. He has two wins over Ben Eddy. He had a loss at the recent ADCC West Coast Trials to PGF Veteran Nick Craton (who had a great run), but Thompson had Craton in trouble from the start. Don’t let Thompson’s Oklahoman manners fool you, he’s a killer. Thompson has been training since he was very young. He home schools so he can focus on jiu jitsu. He splits time training at The Forge BJJ in Oklahoma and spending at least one week a month traveling to Arlington, Texas to train exclusively with the Watkins Wrecking Crew. The word through the grapevine is multiple competitors had plenty of comments about Thompson when they found out he was on the roster…things like “damn, he’s tough,” “I’ve faced him and he’s no joke,” etc. Thompson represents all those kids who started jiu jitsu at a young age around the US about a decade ago as jiu jitsu was becoming more well-known and widespread. He’s going to be part of ushering in this new wave of killer jiu jitsu competitors that grew up eating, breathing, and living jiu jitsu. He’s got a chance to upset a lot of folks on this list. Jett had a great interview with the PGF Insiders that can be watched HERE.

#14 Ben Eddy – The 10th Planet Black Belt currently training out of 10th Planet Austin is extremely unique. He’s one of the best rubber guard players in the world. He’s the creator of the Hindulotine and he’s guaranteed he’ll hit at least four of them in the PGF. To be fair, he has hit the Hindulotine on John Combs in competition. Still, Eddy has dropped two matches to Jett Thompson above and lost to PGF Veteran Dane Leak in the recent ADCC West Coast Trials. He also has a number of losses recently in ADCC Opens. Eddy can be dangerous, but if his opponents can stay away from his rubber guard (and you have to imagine they are working those strategies), Eddy could score less points than many fans are estimating. HOWEVER, even if one argued Eddy only had one real weapon, being his rubber guard game – it’s a dang bazooka. Upon further review of the film, Ben Eddy enters into his rubber guard game very quickly, moving right for his Hindulotine or triangle variation. In past seasons of the PGF, competitors trying to play the rubber guard game have had issues progressing through their game within the six minute PGF rounds. Ben Eddy doesn’t have that problem. If he gets an overhook, he’s probably going to be able to move into his rubber guard game. Granted, every competitor on the PGF should know to watch out for Ben Eddy’s game, but can they stop it? Moreover, looking back at Eddy’s wins, they are almost exclusively submission victories. So, 14 it is. Admittedly, Eddy could very well overperform this number if he can hit a number of Hindulotines, but at the same time, there’s a lot of great wrestlers in the overall roster. If they can stay out of Eddy’s guard, he could also underperform. Either way, Eddy provides a unique and exciting element to PGF World 6.

#15 Samson Phommabout – Nicknamed “the Hustler” in PGF Season 4 because this man has so many irons in the fire – seriously, besides owning a barbershop, doing videography/photography including helping produce Subversiv, and his combat sports, he also has his own beverage company in phaze International. Samson is a mixed martial artist and jiu jitsu practitioner who has been on Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds and was number two in the regular season of PGF Season 4, earning a spot in the finale tournament. Just to earn his spot in PGF Season 4, he had to submit multi-season PGF veteran Mario Gaor and PGF Season 5 competitor Carson Thigpen. At the PGF World 6 Qualifier, he scored a quick an outside heel hook win before falling to eventual qualifier runner-up Jamie Carnall (and a subsequent ref decision to another competitor). In the ADCC Long Beach Open, Samson won his bracket, defeating ADCC Hall of Famer Baret Yoshida and scoring two quick submissions in subsequent round, including an Elbow-Genie (sub-one-minute) submission in the championship round. Samson has some great experience in the PGF format. He has the grit of a mma fighter and the smarts of a hustler. Samson will be dangerous this season.

#16 Daniel Sathler – A black belt under ADCC and IBJJF Hall of Famer Andre Galvao, Sathler is an up and coming jiu jitsu athlete. He got a highlight submission on Who’s Number One 22 against Max Hanson – hitting a flying triangle that he transitioned into an arm bar; he had also previously beat Max Hanson via points at the 2023 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds. Sathler has a on of experience, but it’s mostly in the gi and when no-gi it’s in the IBJJF. He’s super athletic and faces a room full of killers at ATOS, but he might end up with a bunch of draws. Overall in the matches tracked online, he shows a high submission rate, but trying to track down the film on these subs, and separating out the no-gi subs from the gi subs has proven very difficult. Sathler is definitely dangerous and every opponent shouldn’t underestimate his abilities, but the film just isn’t there to support a higher ranking.

#17 Cam Hurd – a purple belt out of Silver Back/Ascend Nova, Hurd is a PGF Season 5 veteran. Hurd started grappling through wrestling at the age of 5 and continued up through his time at NCAA Division 1 with Virginia Tech. After a few years in the workforce, he found jiu jitsu and his grappling DNA reawakened. While he had some issues with securing submissions during PGF Season 5, he’s shown the maturity and reflection that he needs to adjust his game for the PGF. He recently had a great run in the ADCC West Coast Trials. Now that the trials are over, he’s going to focus on the PGF and with his experience in the PGF, his decades grappling, and sheer physicality – he’s going to be fun to watch. PGF World fans can watch his interview with the PGF Insiders is HERE – his personality and genuine character will win the fans over this season, for sure.

#18 Nathan Haddad – He’s a brown belt representing Helio Soneca BJJ and Combat Core Sports in Louisville, Ky. Haddad had an awesome run in the -88kg division of the most recent East Coast Trials (even putting CJJ Worlds Champion Ryan Aitken is some serious peril). Haddad has a nice wrestling style, highlighted by throw-bys which sets him up to take the back and sink in those RNCs. Even the matches where he doesn’t get the submission, he’s normally on his opponent’s backs looking for the RNC. Given a little refinement on his RNC, Haddad should be racking up kills left and right. He’s an up-and-coming submission grappler. As a bonus, he’s a black belt and instructor in the Voice of the PGF, Matt Skaff’s favorite martial art: Krav Maga (old school PGF fans will get this reference).

#19 Kywan Gracie – Kywan is a black belt, training under PGF Coach and THE GOAT Roger Gracie in London. Kywan’s lower ranking is a result of the low sample size of recent competition footage. He only has two no-gi matches in the last five years available online. He was a part of Polaris 20, facing two monsters in Richie “Boogie” Martinez and Mason Fowler. Gracie was able to withstand the Boogie match, showing some great defense. Kywan showed a very slick flying armbar against Fowler, but Fowler defended and got the submission himself. Kywan is definitely skilled and a warrior (the man has fought in Bellator), but it’s hard to bank much on his submission-only, no-gi skills without more data.

#19

#20 Jamie Carnall – Everyone talks about the great jiu jitsu in Southern California, but Carnall is here to represent NorCal. Carnall’s been training for five years, ever since he had a serious injury mountain biking. He started at Avilla BJJ in Grass Valley and started cross-training at Precision Jiu Jitsu at purple belt. He’s recently started teaching at Subluxt Jiu Jitsu in Yuba City, California. But seriously, he looked great at the PGF World 6 Combine. He got a lot of submissions, including on some folks ranked above Carnall. Apparently Carnall is offended if he doesn’t have the highest number, according to his interview with Tim Freeman on the Inside BJJ Podcast. So, you get what you desire, Carnall. Carnall took this ranking in good stride, saying, “imagine being submitted by the 20th ranked guy.” Carnall is coming to Las Vegas to spoil some competitors’ weeks. He’s a wild man and should be a lot of fun for the fans to watch.

Well, there you have it – Egghead’s Power Rankings. Regardless of where the competitors end up on anyone’s list – they’ve all made it. They made the PGF World 6 roster with a chance at winning up to $40,000 individually ($20k for being part of the winning regular season team and $20k for winning the post-season finale tournament). Everyone on this list will be a part of the PGF World family and a part of changing the submission grappling game, so competitors can truly be professional athletes. As with every season, the Editorial Board at Eggheadwarrior.com will provide fantasy analysis before each day of the PGF Season, along with recaps after each day. The Fantasy league is free and fans can win real prizes by playing. Be sure to check out the beginning of the PGF World 6 season on April 21st LIVE AND FREE on Brandon Mccaghren’s YouTube page. Remember the Professional Grappling Federation is everything you love about sports, plus jiu jitsu!

News about PGF Season 6 will be continually revealed throughout the few weeks before the PGF premieres. To keep up with the latest news, check out the PGF Insiders Podcast on Brandon Mccaghren’s YouTube Channel. Of course be sure to check out the official PGF website: PGF World and follow @pgfworld on Instagram.

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. Special thanks to Walo Jay for all the great photos. Those interested in Walo’s work can check out his YouTube page and Walo’s website.