WINNER, WINNER, TV DINNER! Young Guns Unite at PGF 9!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! While everyone is still enjoying their turkey hangovers, let’s talk some PGF NEWS!!!

Anthony “Parker” Salisbury aka TV DINNER! just won the inaugural Alabama Twisters PGF World Qualifier this last Saturday. With his win, Parker secured a spot in the PGF Season 9 Draft. With this win, Parker is following in the footsteps of his friend and training partner – Jett Thompson. But in news broken during the Twisters qualifier, Parker might once again be a teammate of Jett’s, or Parker might face off against Jett in PGF Season 9. The once “Little Grapplers” are poised to make a real impression on PGF Season 9.

But let’s back up a bit, back in the Spring of 2024 the Professional Grappling Federation World Season 6 was starting to form. The PGF was making a big leap from humble Decatur, AL to their “unknown location” in Las Vegas, Nevada. The season would have a profound effect on the trajectory of the burgeoning professional submission grappling league. To ensure the league’s success, the season was filled with known quantities, big tournament winners, world champions, the representatives from the most respected gyms in the world…then there was “The Kid”. The original voice of the PGF, Matt Skaff (black belt instructor at 10th Planet Decatur and original PGF commentator) convinced the Commissioner, Brandon Mccagrhen, to include “The Kid” in the season. To see Jett’s pre-season interview with the PGF Insiders, look here. Well, to make a longer story short, Jett came up second in PGF Season 6, only seconds away from winning it outright even though he was only 17 years old. Jett returned for PGF Season 8, this time securing the strap, becoming the champion!

Before PGF Season 6, it was tough to find footage of Jett. But the Editorial Board at EggheadWarrior.com is relentless. Besides finding the match where Jett sat guard and found a quick shotgun armbar against Ben Eddy, we found “LITTLE GRAPPLERS # 4 – JETT & PARKER” by Mac Coplin. Coplin did an amazing job of providing profiles on two kids in a documentary style. Both kids from Oklahoma, training partners and friends, Jett & Parker. Coplin profiles the boys, their parents, their multiple coaches. If you want a view into two PGF grapplers before they hit it big in the PGF, you need to check it out. It’s a great look into the modern young men we’re starting to see on the professional grappling stage – and in this season of the PGF. Oh, did I mention Jett’s coming back for this season? Yes, he is, but let’s talk about his friend, and this latest PGF qualifier WINNER, Anthony Parker Salisbury aka TV Dinner!

Parker is a year or so younger than his friend Jett. He started training in Palm Springs, but when his family moved to Oklahoma, Parker continued his jiu jitsu journey. Now in Edmond Oklahoma, Parker trained at The Forge BJJ and Killer Bees Kickboxing training with Jett in both locations. Parker wanted to be a part of the PGF like his friend Jett. Parker first competed at PGF Season 6’s only qualifier in Las Vegas. Even though he was only 15, Parker still won one out of three matches. Of course, Parker was able to see what his friend and training partner did in PGF season 6 and his desire to join him in the PGF only grew. Undeterred, Parker competed at the PGF Season 7 Qualifier in Nashville even though that Season was 205lbs. Parker still saw some success winning one out of three matches against the much larger opponents.

But Parker found his moment at this last week’s Alabama Twisters PGF 9 Qualifier. Now, 17, Parker matched Jett’s age when he had his breakout moment in the PGF. Parker came out with a break in less than a minute, earning the moniker “TV Dinner” from PGF All-Star and smooth-talking Southern Sensei, Matt Elkins. Parker went on to win all five of his matches by break with multiple submissions in less than one minute. Parker showed very sneaky leglocks which he’s favored in every qualifier. For more news on the qualifier itself, checkout the article on the PGF website.

Now, Parker will join his friend Jett at the PGF which kicks off its regular season on March 4, 2026. PGF Season 9 will run for five straight Wednesdays of regular season, culminating on the 6th Wednesday with the Playoff tournament where a PGF9 Champion will earn the strap! Returning PGF8 Champ and PGF6 runner-up Jett Thompson has been signed by the Las Vegas Kings to a roster spot – so we already know where he’s headed (more later on this and other competitors signed to teams). But, Parker will be entering the PGF DRAFT which will be live on February 4, 2026. Last season, Jett was the #1 overall pick. Will Jett’s younger friend Parker match Jett’s spot as the number one pick in the draft? PGF fans will have to speculate for a couple of months on that question. Until then, the fans will get to find out who else will join Parker at the PGF Draft as the other five PGF Qualifiers unfold.

Remember, we have a week off then qualifiers going three weeks in a row in December. PGF Qualifier at ChewJitsu Open, Saturday, December 6, 2025, Gatlinburg Convention Center.  King of Subs PGF Open and Qualifier – Pasadena, Saturday, December 13, 2025, 10th Planet Pasadena. Las Vegas Kings PGF Season 9 Qualifier, Saturday, December 20, 2025, Dallas, TX. The PGF will take a little break for the holidays then hit PGF fans with the final three qualifiers. More about PGF Season 9 and the PGF Qualifiers can be found HERE.

For now, let’s get excited for Jett and Parker as the once little grapplers now hit the PGF Season 9 mats as professional grapplers. Don’t miss more PGF news both on this blog but also on the EggheadJiuJitsu YouTube Channel. Egghead will be bringing you PGF news, analysis, and special guests every Friday night leading up to the PGF Season. Thanks for reading and see you in the YouTube comments!

BTW, if you’re looking to get some new jiu jitsu gear, PGF World Season 6 Team Champion XMARTIAL has some great gear. I wrote a review of my XMartial shorts and rash guard HERE. If you use the coupon code “EGGHEAD,” you will get 15% off your order (and you’ll help me out a bit). XMARTIAL has some really fun rash guards and everyone I know loves their shorts. So check them out.