Egghead Warrior's Blog

10th Planet Black Belt and 10th Planet Decatur owner Brandon “BMAC” Mccaghren has begun season 3 of the Professional Grappling Federation. In season 3, the PGF has a preseason represented by six qualifiers in different locations, followed by a week-long regular season, and finally a post-season tournament. All facets of the PGF, including the competition and multiple weekly commentary shows are all available on BMAC’s YouTube Channel for free. Currently, we are in the preseason, where grapplers under 170 lbs. contend for the 16 spots in the PGF main season. The winner of each qualifier earns a spot alongside Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (PGF standout, High Rollerz tournament champion, and Submission Underground superfight winner). The remaining nine regular season contestant spots will be chosen by the PGF leadership from those who competed in the qualifiers. The PGF leadership will round out the league with a mix of belt levels and experience, giving priority to exciting, compelling competitors.

BMAC; his partner and videographer guru Conscious Keelan; and his wife, fellow 10th Planet Black Belt and PGF commentator Lindsey Mccaghren have already hosted two qualifiers in Decatur, AL and Lousiville, KY. The remaining qualifiers are in Ft Myers FL (24 July), Atlanta, GA (14 August), Jacksonville, FL (11 Sept), and Austin, TX (9 October). The regular season will be filmed and STREAMED LIVE (update as of 15 July) via YouTube over a week in November. For season 3, they are combining the competitor friendly week-long competition format while bringing back live streaming, live commentary, and interaction with the fans via the YouTube live chat feature. Moving it to one week of competition makes competing easier for those who live outside of the Decatur area as they only have to travel once and most folks can find a way to take a week off work. In season 2, we saw competitors from Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, as well as closer Southeastern states.

Those who earn spots in the regular season will be given quarters in a lake house in the Decatur area for one week in November. They will compete in three matches a night for the week, with the top eight scorers earning a berth to the post-season tournament. While BMAC (the Commish) has promised a College Game Day/Shark Week feel with all the coverage, fans should look forward to seeing the competitors go through experiential learning with Lonnie Jones (*crosses fingers*), competitor interviews before and after the matches, as well as likely increased behind the scenes footage a la The Ultimate Fighter.

The match time and scoring remains the same. The PGF forces action, limiting matches to six minutes with no overtime. Competitors only score by earning a submission – with Breaks (any joint lock) garnering three points for competitors, and Kills (any choke) earning six points for competitors. The “Elbow Genie Rule” is still in effect where competitors can earn an extra point for scoring a submission in the first minute of a match. The short match and scoring system puts a premium on attacking, almost eliminating stalling and draws. Draws are a loss for both competitors in the PGF as only the competitors with the top eight totals from the regular season earn spots in the post-season finale tournament.

Thus far, we have four known regular season participants. As noted, Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton has a spot. During the Decatur Qualifier, Jeovany Ortiz, a black belt from Jiu Jitsu Nation, secured the win, earning spot. Jeovany is a talented, young competitor with lots of competition experience for his age. He defeated five other competitors on the way to his win. The runner-up, David “Quadzilla” Evers is a purple belt out of 10th Planet Huntsville. He formerly trained under a Renzo Gracie black belt in Kansas. Evers showed the Commish something and earned the first at-large bid to the PGF Regular Season – taking out the Elbow Genie who many, including the Egghead Warrior, chose to win the qualifier probably helped. The final spot we know belongs to PGF OG Mario Gaor. The 10th Planet O’Fallon brown belt was a competitor in PGF Season 1. Since Mario weighs only 150 lbs, the 170 lb season 3 is much closer than the 195 lb limit competitors had in season 1. Mario beat two black belts and a two fellow PGF season 1 alumni to earn his spot, showcasing two very sick ankle locks and a wicked one-armed rear naked choke from a crucifix position.

While we have four known competitors who have earned the golden ticket to the PGF regular season, we have already had 42 participants in the qualifiers. Of the 39 other participants (Elijah didn’t have to participate in a qualifier), who has the best odds of getting one of the other at-large bids? Let’s look back at the qualifiers so far…

10th Planet Decatur Qualifier: 34 COMPETITORS!!!

Here’s the bracket from SmoothComp:

Here’s the top nine finishers:

I’ll start with the previously unknown folks. Carlos Andres (Summit Kickboxing but also Ironclad Wrestling) had very fun to watch wrestling. His quickness and scrambling made him very hard to handle. Carlos combined his wrestling with some serious leg locks for a compelling competitor profile. All the hardcore fans and seasoned bjj guys noted Carlos as a possibly interesting addition to the PGF. David “TaxMan” Cooper – I forgot the crazy tax nickname Walo Jay of the McDojo Show and PGF Insiders gave to Cooper, but it was funny. He had a very good showing, incorporating the shoulder crunch sweep the Elbow Genie showed off at IronClad Wrestling when he was a surprise instructor at Elijah’s seminar there. I like Cooper’s style and let’s face it – we need an elder statesman for the PGF. We had Stephen “Grey Goose” Mitchell in Season 1 and JUDO Justin Williams in Season 2 (technically younger than Stephen Eakin, but the gray hair earns the notation – heck both ya’ll are younger than me) – it seems like we need a competitor to carry the flame for us older jiu jitsu practitioners. Even if the older guy gets smoked more often than not, we can appreciate the fighting spirit. On that note, if there’s a jiu jitsu player named “Mike Johnson” out there, the PGF has one quota spot for a Mike Johnson in every season (somewhat inside joke, but look into it). Marcus Elkins didn’t end up in the top nine, but he was the most inquired about competitor after the qualifier according to the Commish. Marcus Elkins has a surname very familiar to PGF fans as he is the youngest brother of Jake Elkins (Season 2) and Matt Elkins (Seasons 1 and 2). Marcus, like his brothers and father, earned a state championship in wrestling in the great state of Alabama. Of course, when an Okie can double leg an Alabaman state champ in the PGF finale tournament, does that say a lot? (Sorry Matt, but had to say it – you can guillotine me later). Regardless, we have a compelling story with Marcus as he’s a wrestler, new to the jiu jitsu game but with a very well known name. If Marcus gets into the PGF and has a poor showing, will he be allowed at the adult table for Thanksgiving dinner? Likely not. Marcus showed a very nice darce and some good wrestling and jiu jistsu before being taken out by a leg lock. Marcus could thread the needle of skilled grappler who pushes the pace but could also fall prey and be dunked on by the top levels of the PGF folks – so he checks a lot of boxes for the Commish.

Okay, now onto the guys the PGF fans know and love. Of note, I’m going to discuss Isaac Stackhouse after the Louisville qualifier so don’t think I forgot about the Wandering Grappler. So, if I could only pick one retread from the PGF out of the Decatur Qualifier, it would be Jonathan “Elbow Genie” Roberts. He’s a black belt whose armbars are legendary in the PGF. He has a scoring rule named after him (or at least instituted due to him). He brings excitement and finishes to every match. He looks like an accountant, temporarily earning him the nickname “the Accountant” but Elbow Genie is better. BTW, he works in finance so he brings another source of identification for a new segment of viewers (yay nerds!). I know he’s resting up from some bursitis in his knee, but the Elbow Genie should find a way to another qualifier to help build his resume for a spot.

Kevin “the Pete Rose of the PGF, the Liquid Terminator” Primeau has a good case for being in this season as well. He was in both season 1 and 2 of the PGF. In season 2, Primeau battled through his matches with COVID-diminished cardio. He’s back to full Liquid Terminator power now and wants to cook his opponents with his pressure passing in season 3. Why wouldn’t Primeau get a spot? Well, the Commish has said he wants as much geographic diversity as possible. Technically, Primeau could be the one rep of 10th Planet Decatur (even though other folks visit, Primeau calls 10P Decatur home). Primeau has gone back to his pressure passing as opposed to his COVID-required sneakiness of season 2, but his passing has led to slower paced matches where he hasn’t secured as many submissions as one would hope. To be fair, the commentators thought it was a toss up to call who won Primeau’s match against Noah Randolph. Speaking of Noah, he has an outside chance at a spot. He’s progressed a lot since Season 1 – and even then, Noah was a fan favorite. Noah isn’t the liquid terminator, he’s the O.G. Terminator, showing no emotion and refusing to breath through his mouth ever ( James Nestor would be proud – google it). Noah is the master of the ninja choke. Just like Kevin Ferguson can hit darces from everywhere, Noah sees ninja chokes from all angles. Noah is still a minor with insane potential. I don’t think he makes the cut this time, but he’s likely a ready walk-on in case someone is injured (of course, he’d possibly have to miss school).

The Louisville Qualifier was smaller than expected with eight competitors, but showcased some very high level jiu jitsu. Here’s the competitors who hit the mats:

I was very high on the hometown favorite Matt “Scarecrow of Doom/SOD” Harrison. He earned his black belt under Nick “Chewjitsu” Albin after he participated in PGF Season 1. Since the qualifier was held in Chewjitsu’s Derby City MMA gym in Louisville, the SOD had a strong local fan presence including a mini SOD with full Scarecrow regalia. The SOD has a wicked guard, finishing many a competitor via triangle choke. It is so fearsome, Joshua Gibbs (Season 2 alumnus) did a jumping guard pull at the same time as the SOD in an attempt to not fall prey to the SOD’s guard (the double rainbow can be seen in BMAC’s brandonmc.ninja Facebook group). While the SOD didn’t kill it at the qualifier, he did well and his resume from season one could get him a spot – plus he could be one of those guys who performs better away from the home crowd.

Evan Dewitt, a black belt out of Derby City MMA, was mislabeled in the competition site. Regardless, he was somewhat of an unknown going into the qualifier. Still, he showed sick jiu jitsu with multiple quick submissions and a very game match against the eventual winner Mario Gaor in the final match. The Commish told Evan he had a good shot at a spot and those who watched the qualifier would likely agree. But would Evan’s jiu jitsu outweigh the SOD’s cachet? Tough call for the Commish, but spoken as a super fan, I’d probably like to see Evan if there can be only one Derby City MMA participant.

Joshua Gibbs was a contestant in Season 2. He had a good match against the SOD for the third place spot but lost the decision. Gibbs has a good spirit and is a great person, but I don’t think he’ll make it to Season 3. That said, Gibbs could be a great competitor to include in season six, seven, or eight. I think bringing alumnus back to see how they’ve grown and changed can be really interesting.

Eric Longar – brown belt formerly of 10th Planet Las Vegas, has consistently show great passing. He dominated Mario Gaor positionally for most of the round, but lost that first match of the qualifier via ankle lock. Longar is interesting. I noted his skills in PGF Season 1, but you could tell his size was too small for the league that season. Now with competitors 25 lbs smaller, he should have a more reasonable shot in matches.

Isaac Stackhouse – purple belt under Stephen Eakin at 10th Planet Perry, but as “The Wandering Grappler” he trains in multiple locations throughout the southeast. Isaac showed some good jiu jitsu in the Decatur Qualifier, but had a bad draw and faced the Scarecrow of Doom in his first match in the Louisville Qualifier. If you’re not prepared for the SOD, you’re going to get triangled and that’s what happened. Having the guy from behind the Dream Show come out on the other side of the camera and compete is an interesting narrative. Letting the observer, the documenter shine/have his time in the light. With Isaac’s mixed martial arts background and relentless pursuit of training opportunities, he should bring something very different to the PGF. Besides, if we don’t get a 10th Planet Perry member in the mix, we won’t have folks spamming circus tents like crazy in the chat…and we’d all miss that greatly (riiiiight).

Okay, that’s enough for now. I wanted to at least put something out there. I was hoping to try to make something other media outlets could pick up or cite (a la jiujitsutimes.com from last season), but the move (including having our AC go out) and work has been kicking my rear end a bit. I’ll see about cleaning this post up a bit later and maybe adding hyperlink to things like competitors’ intagram/youtube channels, etc., but it’ll have to wait. I owe you all some blog posts about my traincation I did at 10P Decatur the week prior to the Season 2 post-season tournament and I will get it done sooner rather than later. I think I have some good advice for folks wanting to travel to Decatur to train.

For now, I hope you all join me in watching the PGF Fort Myers Qualifier tomorrow (24 July) on BMAC’s YouTube channel. I’m bummed because the two competitors PGF Insider/McDojo Show sponsored for the qualifier BOTH cannot make it. Regardless, I’m looking forward to some great jiu jitsu and some methadone for us addicted PGF fans.

It’s almost here. We have less than FIVE DAYS until the PGS Season 2 Post-season Tournament.

Since fantasy is all over (yes, still a little bitter), I created a SUPER UNOFFICIAL bracket challenge. It’s free to play. If there’s enough participation, I’ll throw in a prize for the winner.

To say I’m excited for this tournament is an understatement. I drove 11 dang hours to see it live. I decided to make it into a train-cation. It’s the first I’ve made and I’m looking forward to it. So, if you have any issues with the content of this blog or any of my words on the McDojo show, you can find Egghead Warrior on the 10th Planet Decatur mats this week. I’ll probably put out some blog posts or other media about my experience with the train-cation. With only about one hour until my first class, I wanted to get this post wrapped up and put out there. So, here’s my PGF Season 2 Finale analysis…for now. I may update this post throughout the week so feel free to come back and check. Thanks for reading.

Ok, we’ll take it from the top:

ROUND 1:

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) v. Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) – While Stapler finished 6th overall in points this season, he ended up as the last member of the Red team to make it. Unfortunately for him, Stapler will be facing the #1 player from the Blue team and #1 overall. As Randy Roden said, Colvin is a “breathing, walking back take.” While Colvin’s main game was the kimura grip to back take to RNC during the regular season, I’m guessing we see him switch to leg locks for quick kills. We saw Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton take the same approach last season. Carlton was a triangle and choking machine during the regular season, but switched to his leg game when points didn’t matter in the tournament. 8-Mile has shown his grit this season, proving he’s hard to put away, but Colvin’s an assassin. In their first matchup, 8-Mile made an ill-timed attempt at an imanari roll, ending up in bottom position. Colvin did his patented kimura trap roll to a back take. Stapler hand fought for a while, denying Colvin the extra point. Still, Evan ended up like so many others, succumbing to the RNC/face crush.  Staple has shown grit and some real intelligence in analyzing opponents, but he won’t be able to stand up to Colvin’s skill and…(*cues mig-E*) EXPERIENCE.

Matt “the competitor formerly known as the Mane” Elkins (brown) v Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) – This match was one of the major speedbumps keeping me from putting out this post. I think Stephen Eakin was a popular upset pick for many folks. We all know Eakin is used to longer timed matches and struggled with the six-minute regular season PGF matches – struggled to get the kills we think he should have secured. With unlimited time, one would think Eakin could “cook” his opponent as long as he wanted, smothering the will out of his opponent. But, his opponent is one Matt “formerly known as the Mane” Elkins. Elkins isn’t going to be cooked. You have to think Matt Elkins has the wrestling advantage here, meaning he should start on top. Eakin has said his wrestling is mostly getting the opponent to make a mistake. I don’t think Matt’s going to make a mistake on his feet. We don’t have any evidence out there regarding Matt’s leg injury, but I have to think it’s gotten a lot better in the intervening three months. Still, I have to think Eakin with his black belt (*cues mig-E*) EXPERIENCE could get a sweep to get on top. Then, I watched Eakin compete at the Finishers Sub Only Absolutes (match starts at 51:44) on 8 May. His opponent Alec Hooben was a long guy who had Bellator MMA experience and had trained with 10P Bethlehem a fair amount. Eakin sat guard and tried to implement his lockdown game. Hooben countered with a guillotine play, eventually getting the pass. Hooben finished the match by getting a back triangle on Eakin, securing the arm bar from the position. Eakin talked about the match on his The Dream Show Live YouTube show on 12 May. Eakin discussed the guard pull to lockdown wasn’t the best idea against a long opponent. I really like watching Eakin’s shows whether it’s the behind the scenes of PGF Season 2 or the Dream Live show – Eakin is a real warrior who has some real introspection going on. He is very conscious of his abilities, fighting spirit, but also the position in life he finds himself. I think in that live, he talked about not accepting a retirement fight (in MMA) where he was served up some cream puff opponent – which really started me thinking about Rocky 3 and the handpicked opponents for Rocky. No, Eakin is a warrior-poet now. He is a bad man – I have no doubt. But, just like Tim Kennedy, he’s figuring out his body isn’t as responsive and more importantly, his goals are not the same as he was when he was younger. Now, Eakin is out there trying to compete and learn not just for his own edification and glory, but so he can teach others. Damn, I’m almost writing an essay on Eakin here, but he deserves it. The reason I bet on him so much in fantasy…I realize now, is not because he’s the best grappler, but he’s probably the best guy out there (tip of the cap to Papa Bear Elkins). Don’t get me wrong, Matt Elkins could have his own 30 for 30 after coming to the PGF (season 1) so soon after suffering serious brain injuries/or other trauma from mma. Elkins had a period where he couldn’t forward shoulder roll (not too long before PGF 1), but he persevered in that season and fought through an injury in this season. Okay, so after 568 words on this one match alone, I should probably pick a winner. It kills me, but I have to go with Elkins here. Sure, it’s the statistically right call anyway, but my heart wants Eakin to go out there and have a prolific run. I want Eakin to make it to the damn finals, if not win. But, Elkins is legit A.F. I said Elkins’ match against Kemoy Anderson would say a lot about him and BJJ in the Southeast. Well, Elkins said something. Matt will be the only Elkins in this tournament due to unforeseen circumstances and I have a feeling he’ll have a little extra pressure to show up and represent his clan.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) v Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) – This match should be VERY interesting. Both competitors have made their marks outside of the PGF since the regular season concluded. Elijah won the Brown Belt HIGH ROLLERZ competition. Kemoy won his division’s strap in the Fight 2 Win competition. Kemoy gave Elijah one of his best matches in the last two seasons. Elijah tried to say Kemoy was running from him the whole match, but Kemoy was just being smart. He was working on Elijah’s guard. Kemoy got the closest to passing Elijah’s guard, just after Hunter who passed and finished Elijah. I’ve watched all of Kemoy’s vlogs now (yes, you’re a handsome man, but no, I don’t roll like that – I had to mention it after an errant comment by Walo Jay). Anyway, I think there’s a chance Kemoy could pull off the upset. After the F2W win, Kemoy should be very confident which should help him. Still, it’s Elijah. You have to bet on Elijah until someone shows you that you shouldn’t. I called Hunter being that man. I could see a world where Kemoy wins this match…and it would be pretty rad; but I don’t think it happens. And to be fair, Elijah has been a persistent rep for the PGF. Having Elijah win the finale tournament would be a great story for the PGF. It’s been great having you on the PGF, Kemoy, but the editorial board for EggheadWarrior.com has to pick Elijah in this match.

Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) v Jake “Papa Bear” Elkins (purple) Kevin “Peter Rose of the PGF/ Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple)– Jake Elkins had another engagement so Kevin Primeau stepped up to take his place. I think all fans of the PGF are excited to see a recuperated, reinvigorated Kevin Primeau in the season finale tournament. Primeau came so close to securing that final playoff spot, it’s great seeing him be able to fill the gap left by Elkins. Many competitors were wary to face Primeau coming into this season – they all saw Primeau and Joe Kai’s one hour plus match in the Season 1 finale tournament (reminder – they were going for things the whole time; they didn’t rest). Primeau is a real grinder. He faced challenges going into the Season 2 regular season as he had recovered from COVID, but hadn’t really resumed training before the season started. Now, with the intervening months, we should see a recovered Primeau with the full energy to hit his Sao Paulo pass. Another thing going for Primeau is his predilection for straight ankle locks which have given Barbosa problems (see below). Barbosa may be the worst opponent for Primeau to face, however. Barbosa has a laid-back, almost “casual” style as Joe Kai mentioned in the commentary. Barbosa lulls opponents to sleep then flips a switch and goes for the kill. Primeau does some of that cagey grappling as well and we’ve seen him pull out the prison rules this regular season. This match should be full of action. Primeau will ensure Barbosa is fully awake and motivated for the rest of the tournament, but Primeau will be submitted. Primeau is as tough as they come, but Barbosa might be just a bit more technical and a tough s.o.b as well. In the end, Barbosa will get the submission.

SEMIFINALS:

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) v Matt “Maneless” Elkins (brown) – Elkins may have one of the best skillsets on paper to face Colvin. Elkins has the wrestling to end up on top. In their match during the regular season, Matt had to sit guard due to his injury. Matt’s sitting setup Colvin’s kimura roll/trap perfectly. Matt knows he can’t let Colvin get to that position. Still, Colvin is THE PROFESSIONAL. As the Commish noted after Colvin used his rolling kimura to submit a black belt in the No Gi Pans this last weekend, Colvin is CONSISTENT. Hunter has his game and can work it on just about anyone. Colvin should have everyone’s bet for winning. Sure, I could see folks making an upset pick here. But then, I bought into Elkins taking Elijah to the deep waters last season (as advertised in the promos leading up to the event) and Elkins found himself on the receiving end of a leg lock in less than two minutes. We could see Colvin go for leg locks in the post season like Elijah last season. Colvin has shown his leg lock game in other competitions with different rule sets. Elkins has been focused on the leg locks (offensive and I would imagine defensive) since the conclusion of PGF Season 1, but will the work be enough to fend off the Professional’s leg locks? The smart money is on Colvin, but there exists a world where Elkins uses his wrestling to get the front headlock on Colvin, securing the submission. Colvin could choose to sit, avoiding Elkins’ wrestling as he did against Randy “Dumptruck” Roden – but would Colvin be able to get the sweep against a more seasoned jiu jitsu player? I still have to pick Colvin, but this match is something we were all denied during the regular season: seeing a full force Matt Elkins against the best competitors of this season. Even injured, Elkins found ways to beat Kemoy Anderson and Stephen Eakin – now we should expect a real show as he tries to get his revenge for his regular season loss against Colvin.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) v Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) –Their match during the regular season was…interesting. Elijah was pulling some donkey guard b.s. then Sam jumps over the donkey to get Elijah’s back. Elijah eventually gets Barbosa via a straight ankle lock. Barbosa has only been submitted a handful of times before this match, mostly by black belt competitors. Elijah got the straight ankle lock and I think it popped a few times. Sam seemed like he was going in there just to see what Elijah had. Now, we saw Sam have a similar situation where he lost via straight ankle lock in the Mid South Classic 3 to Ryan Aitken (who also trains under Applegate at 10P Atlanta). So, do we think Barbosa has fixed his gap in handling the straight ankle lock or do the Atlanta guys have the fix in? If Barbosa comes in with improved ankle lock defense and with a more focused mindset, he could be dangerous. Sam could be a nice call for an upset, but going against Elijah is a risky proposition.

FINALS:

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) v. Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – The REMATCH! Elijah has a WICKED guard. Not counting the forward roll over Elijah’s donkey guard executed by Barbosa, Colvin was the only competitor to pass Elijah’s guard – and that took him almost four minutes. Kemoy Anderson is a runner up, getting close to passing Elijah’s guard after trying for three minutes, then Elijah switched to a leg lock. It’s seemed like every competitor’s strategy has been to try to take Elijah “to the deep water” like Matt Elkins mentioned leading up to the PGF Season 1 finale tournament (as Matt Skaff and Keelan Lawyer discussed on the Grappling Discourse Podcast). Again, we saw what looked like similar strategies by Kemoy and Colvin in their matches. Elijah says his opponents are running from him, but those two were decisively engaging and disengaging when they didn’t have the advantage. I’ve head instructors say “my grips, or no grips” – this idea might be the strategy Kemoy and Colvin were using. As the Professional, Colvin has the patience to engage and disengage as long as it takes to get his grips. Of course, I’d be interested in seeing how many slaps (*cough* I meant aggressive collar ties) the Commish lets happen in a no-time-limit rematch between these two. Given an opening, we’ve seen both these competitors seal the deal in a handful of seconds. Right now, I’m picking Colvin. As I’ve said all season, he has the pedigree, the (*cues mig-E*) EXPERIENCE, the mindset to win. But honestly, my confidence in this pick is starting to wain. Elijah should be really high off his High Rollerz win (yes, yes, pun intended) – but Elijah seems like the sort of athlete who really feeds off his confidence. He might have been a bit shaken after the loss in block 15, but I have to think the confidence is back in a big way after his wins in Las Vegas. Well, I’m sticking with the Colvin pick for now, but I reserve the right to update this blog post as the week progresses.

As always a HUGE thanks to BMAC and his team for putting together the PGF. It’s been a really great season and I know a lot of us are looking forward to Season 3 starting with the qualifiers.

If you’re anywhere near the Decatur area, you’d be a fool not to get tickets and watch the PGF Season 2 Finale live. Tickets are available HERE. I hear members of our editorial board and the McDojo Show will be present for autographs and pictures.

Today is a fairly chill day. The lawn is still good from when I mowed last (lawn takes almost a whole day). Kids and wife are wanting to bum around…ok. I had a pretty good 30-minute, chill run. I was pumped to find a bracket challenge website and was able to fairly quickly set one up for the finale tournament (pending Commish approval, I’ll put on group). Finished a big project at work and am in stasis on the house selling and buying stuff, so I figured I’d start writing my analysis of the PGF Season 2 Finale Tournament. In doing so, I started with the first match (Colvin v Stapler). I began writing my analysis, then I thought I should check out their match during the season. Much to Stapler’s credit, he faced two of the top competitors the first day of competition (real-life matches, not YouTube breakdown). So I started watching the Week 1 video again. As I started noting things, I figured – hell, why not binge the entire season and write a blog post about random things I notice while re-watching the entire season? Well, here we go…

OVERARCHING NOTE: Sons of Legion is an AWESOME band. I have all their songs on spotify on my playlist. I have them on my running/PT playlist. They’re very moto as many of my coworkers would say. It’s really cool their songs were a part of this season.

Week 1:

I love BMAC’s pep talk to the competitors. I think it set the tone for the season – HAVE FUN! While this season was filmed as a pseudo reality show, we didn’t have the drama of most reality shows. Sure, there was a little Stapler goon action, but it was minor.

Walkouts: while the walkouts were filmed later in the season, here’s my thoughts on the walkouts –

Sam Barbosa – the Nice Guy – with the huge smile and rocking the 10p symbol. You’d hardly suspect he could easily rip your arm off with his kimura or break your neck with his RNC. I see those glasses you’re trying to use to seem all Clark Kent-ish, Barbosa.

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin – “I’m walking up here and letting you see me. That’s all. My rolling will tell you all you need to know.” Dude’s the Professional. He doesn’t need an introduction. He doesn’t need hype. He’s the real deal. (yes, Kemoy and Walo, I might be “riding those nuts”).

Stephen “the Dream” Eakin – He really wanted to play to the audience the most. He was all about the professional wrestling-style talking smack, etc. His intro is great. First, he looks great, showing his weight loss for the PGF, then he acts like flexing hurts, maybe betraying his inner struggle. Eakin was so much fun in all aspects of the PGF (minus destroying my fantasy hopes). I hope he continues to be associated with the PGF.

Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson – walks up and starts bouncing in a fighting/wrestling stance. He’s in this thing for the competition, not to make friends (as he said in multiple later interviews). He’s the real deal. He’s a fighter with wrestling as a background. One does not simply mess with Kemoy.

Randy “the Future” Roden – Super self confident walkup. Then when he hits his mark, Roden rocks a backflip. Roden would continue to show his fluidity and athleticism throughout the season.

Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose of the PGF” Primeau – walks up possibly chewing on something. Primeau just looks at the camera, with an expression saying “I’M YOUR HUCKELBERRY” which works on multiple levels. First, Primeau is a stone cold killer like Doc Holliday, but he’s also afflicted (or was in the recent past) with the ‘Rona which has diminished him (also like Doc). Regardless, Primeau is here to compete. And everyone knows Primeau is a game competitor.

Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster is just chill when he walks up. He knows he’s a black belt in other arts and a formidable foe for any attacker. I noticed the Wolf on his left forearm – nice ink and a symbol he likes. Good stuff.

JUDO Justin Williams – He walks up calm and collected, putting the majestic, silver-streaked beard on display. By the time the promos were filmed, JUDO knew he was in a shark tank, but he remained strong – just as he showed us his heart in all his matches.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton – Elijah is channeling some Jeff Glover antics with his “crawl up?” We later saw Elijah use the Donkey Guard against Sam Barbosa to mixed results. Anyway, I got it – Elijah is the heel. I think the crazy walkup with the double birds (and out of focus) was a little over the top. Huge fan of Elijah and the production, but I think it fell a little flat here.

Matt Elkins – “I’ve been here before. I know what it takes. Let’s go.” Matt is arguably the most entertaining PGF competitor of both seasons. His interviews are top notch. His front headlock is “profesh!” In the intro, Matt’s saying, “I’m about this life. Bring it.” Elijah is the first into the PGF HOF; Colvin ran away with this season; but Matt could really be the face (and mouth) of the PGF as it hits the next level. Matt’s combination of wrestling and jiu jitsu makes all his matches fun to watch, even when he pulls guard due to lcl issues.

Zack Edwards – Zack’s playfulness and grand gesture gives a hint to what could have been. I think we all suspect Zack had at least a tweaked lower back to begin the season. Then, Zack repeatedly got stacked, further aggravating his injury. Regardless, Zack was a warrior who we all knew could make things happen in a moment’s notice. I look forward to seeing more from him.

Jake “Papa Bear” Elkins – I’ve admitted I’m a nerd before. I love Jake’s double guns in his boyish, fun walk in. Am I the only person who can see the Elkins Bros. driving a 1967 Chevy Impala and fighting the “supernatural” forces? Okay, that aside, it’s good to see Jake having fun.

Evan “8-Mile” Stapler – He rolls in (with a front shoulder roll) then starts bouncing around like he’s a wrestler warming up. Another bummer they didn’t make him hit his mark to be in focus, but the energy was what mattered. It did show Evan was all about making things happen, being dynamic. Maybe the lack of focus was a point that Evan didn’t care about the constraints of “polite” jiu jitsu? I’m probably reading too much into it, but it works.

Joshua Gibbs – Gibbs is very stolid, like he’s reporting to some Chief (Gibbs was never on ship, but still had to deal with Navy shenanigans I’m sure). He always gave his best, showing well for a baby purple belt (no offense as the writer of this blog is a Ronin blue belt).

James Regina – James rolls up. We see his big frame and he starts bouncing like the MMA fighter he is. He flashes the “10” for 10P.

MEGA Mike Johnson – He walks up with a little smile, almost as if he has a secret. Well, since he’s the hardest guy to find on the internet and was hiding a double gold in a purple belt tournament in Atlanta, yeah, he had a secret. Then he flexes those arms and you see biceps as large as many folks legs. Yeah, he’s going to show us what he’s about.

Okay, they show some interviews of competitors to start, I have to give Stephen Eakin some love for his “I’m a bad man… I’m going to paint some pretty pictures…” interview. It was awesome. We all know it was a little out of context, but it was really fun.

Elijah v Grayson – I got it. The heel hook was in your face and Grayson is a strapping young man. Still, Elijah settled for the quick break when he likely could have gotten the choke. Since Elijah fell into third place behind Sam Barbosa (by three points) – I’m thinking Elijah would want to have the opportunity for the kill back.

Matt Elkins v Randy “the Future” Roden – Double-overhook suplex to start the match (well within the first 15 seconds or so). Of note, two of the 10P blackbelts mention Elkins’ jiu jitsu is “black belt level” which begs the question… Also, Randy is chewing some gum which he did for the entirety of the season during matches. I hear it helps regulate your breathing. I’m interested in trying this method. Matt is trying to setup the Ashi Garame when his left leg is stuck in Roden’s leg and it gets tweaked, possibly straining or tearing Elkins’ LCL.

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin v Eva “8-Mile” Stapler – Joe Kai was asked what to watch for with Colvin’s game and he said….hey, mig-E can you help us out??? his “EXPERIENCE.” HAHAHA!

Looking back on my team from week 1 and knowing how Philip Mathews gamed the system (CHAIRFORCE!), maybe I should’ve just stopped updating my team?

Okay, now the kiddos want to play some games, so I’ll have to get back to my binge watching after I smoke them in some bean bag toss and monopoly. Be back shortly (as the Egghead is very good at those games, “you know what I’m sayin’?” – ref to Jake Elkins’ catch phrase).

Okay guys, this PGF season is almost over. I’ll probably put out one more blog post for the finale, but otherwise I’ll chill until the season 3 qualifiers start. This season has been awesome. The interviews pre and post match, the Lonnie Jones intermissions, the higher caliber of competitors – it’s all been goodness. Thanks to BMAC and his team, we’ve had another great season of submission grappling.

As we enter the final week (and last two blocks), let’s look at the current standings:

Okay, so what do we know currently?

1. The top four on the Red Team are set – Elijah, the Elkins Bros (season 3 coaches), and Evan 8-Mile Stapler are making the playoffs.
2. Hunter Colvin, Sam Barbosa, and Stephen Eakin will be in the playoffs for the Blue Team.

What are the storylines to follow in week 8?

1. 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.

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.

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.

FINALLY, let’s talk the fantasy standings

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 Matthews 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.

Now onto the fantasy analysis for this week:

For your consideration, each fantasy team has 7 possible spots with a total salary cap of $119 for the week (UPDATE: THE COMMISH TRIED TO MAKE IT HARDER ON US BY REDUCING IT A DOLLAR – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED COMMISH!).  Any left-over funds do not carry over to the next week. While one could hypothetically maximize their chances at success at playing all 7 roster spots, we often found during season 1 that sacrificing a roster spot to secure more “sure things” was the way to go.

SUPER PREMIUMS (you’re going to offset the expense by dropping a roster spot)

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) – $34; faces Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) [KILL] and Elijah Carlton (brown) [KILL] – 12 points. The “walking, breathing back take” will continue his dominance. Yeah, I’m calling his match against Carlton a kill.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – $32; faces – JUDO Justin Williams (white) [KILL] and Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) [LOSS] – 7 points.  Elijah finds a way to get the dunk on Williams but loses to Colvin. 

Sam “the Good Guy” Barbosa (brown) – $29; faces Jake “the Head” Elkins (purple) [BREAK] and Joshua Gibbs (purple) [KILL] – 9 points. Sam repeats his kimura victory against Jake Elkins and gets his RNC against Gibbs. 

Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) – $27; faces Sam “the Good Guy” Barbosa [loss] and Kevin “the Liquid Terminator/Prison Rules/the Pete Rose of the PGF” Primeau [KILL] – 6 points. The wrestling exchange could be fun with the first match, but Barbosa dispatched Elkins handily in the season 1 finale.  Elkins wears down the Rona-diminished Primeau and gets the kill.

Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) – $25; faces James Regina (purple) [KILL] and Matt “Maneless” Elkins [LOSS] – 6 points. After Eakin helped dash my fantasy championship hopes last week, I’m tempted to say two losses or draws. But, I’m still a big fan of Eakin – his style, his viewpoints, his philosophy.  If you aren’t checking out the Dream Show and the Dream Live Show, you’re missing out.  As a true blackbelt, Eakin not only knows a lot, but is constantly learning and adding to his wisdom.  It might sound odd, but Lonnie Jones was right last week when he said the ragtag group of grapplers were very articulate. As one of the elders, it makes sense Eakin has a refined (and constantly evolving) viewpoint. Anyway, I have to say he knows how to smash Regina.  As I said in my recap, I think Matt Elkins has been sandbagging us and might just have a sneaky answer for Eakin [it’s called the front headlock play, son! – please re-read that in a Matt Elkins accent].

Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) – $21; faces Hunter “the Professional” Colvin [LOSS] and Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) [KILL] – 6 points. Colvin is not a puzzle to be figured out, like Carlton’s guard; Colvin is a force of nature to be weathered. If you win, it’s by forcing a break instead of a kill. Kemoy is fierce, but Colvin is “the Professional.” I’m still a fan of Eva Stapler who has taken up for blue belts everywhere, but I have to admit, I’m kinda hoping Kemoy gets in there and takes all his frustrations from this season out on Stapler.  I know Stapler has shown remorse, but a bit of “RatedR” Purgatory could be good to burn away the goon sins of Stapler’s past matches. 

PREMIUMS

Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) – $18; faces MEGA Mike Johnson [KILL] and Stephen “Shoeless Joe” Eakin [KILL] – 12 points.  The Sandbagger will continue his dominance in the late frames of the PGF.  Matt and MEGA train together regularly, I’m sure so they should know each other’s games.  If Matt can choke out his brother, he can kill a MEGA.  Shoeless Joe hurt me last week, so I’m counting on Matt to get some payback for me (HAHA, just kidding, but Matt is dangerous and used to the PGF format).  Eakin could force the draw, but Matt really could pull out the kill.

Evan “8 Mile” Stapler (blue) – $17; faces Randy “Dumptruck/the FUTURE” Roden (blue) [LOSS] and Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) [LOSS] – 0 points.  Okay, so maybe I got a little sadenfreude going on with picking a fellow blue belt who has received acclaim to get a double loss.  8-Mile has shown great grit and determination throughout the season, even with some goon moves.  Even when the mat enforcers came for him, Stapler acquitted himself well. Eakin actually told BMAC he’s stealing Stapler, involving him in the latest MidSouth Classic.  So, back to the matches. The Battle for Blue Belt Badassery (like the alliteration?) should be pretty great.  If Evan tries to stand with Dumptruck, we could see another throw like Matt Elkins experienced. I’m calling it for Roden because he’s got the mat hours (I’m counting wrestling mats) and athleticism.  Kemoy hasn’t delivered on the promise we all saw in him coming into this season.  I think Kemoy may channel that frustration/cognitive dissonance into a smashing of a certain blue belt. 

Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) – $16; faces Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) [KILL] and Jake “the Head” Elkins (purple) [LOSS] – 6 points. Grayson is a beast and could force a Rona diminished Primeau to a draw, but I feel Primeau has something he wants to prove to himself and will take this opportunity to get the kill. Jake is just too physical for Primeau in his condition. Grayson will likely tire out Primeau, then he’ll still be tired heading into the match with Jake. Jake’s pressure will be too much at this time. 

AVERAGE

Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – $16; faces Joshua Gibbs (purple) [BREAK] and MEGA Mike Johnson (purple)  [DRAW] – 3 points. Hopefully, Gibbs learned his lesson from trying a leg lock shootout against Regina. Still, Edwards will likely get Gibbs in a leg lock entanglement and score the break, even money on it being in the first minute. MEGA has a very similar game to Stephen Eakin’s.  MEGA should be able to bring enough pressure to keep Edwards (who is still injured but soldiering through) from elevating him for leglocks. But we’ve seen MEGA have problems finishing matches and even Stephen Eakin had problems finishing Edwards, so I’m calling it a draw.

“MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) – $14 – aka the world’s most mysterious man; faces Matt “Maneless” Elkins [LOSS] and Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) [DRAW] – 0 points. MEGA is a game competitor but he’s facing two serious brown belts this week.  He could get the submission against Edwards if Edwards inverts and hurts himself further, but I think MEGA doesn’t gain any points in the last week.

BELOW AVERAGE

Joshua Gibbs (purple) – $12; faces Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) [LOSS] and Sam “the Good Guy” Barbosa (brown) [LOSS] – 0 points. Gibbs is a great guy but he faces two very game brown belts this week. Gibbs will keep fighting but have to settle for learning. 

Randy “the FUTURE” Roden (blue) – $12; faces Evan “8-mile” Stapler (blue) [DRAW] and James Regina (purple) [KILL] – 6 points.  I think we’ve only seen a head and arm triangle from Roden thus far. Stapler has been very hard to kill with the head and arm, so a draw is very possible.  Roden should be able to overpower Regina and get the kill.

PENNY STOCKS (NOT LIKELY TO MAKE YOU MUCH, BUT IF YOU HAVE MONEY LEFT IN YOUR POCKET…) – a reminder to all competitors, don’t take my comments personally. If I was competing, I would be squarely at the bottom of this category.

James Regina (purple) – $11; faces Stephen “the Dream” Eakin [LOSS] and Randy “Dumptruck” Roden [LOSS] – 0 points. Regina has had great spirits this season, but I think he’s been holding back in favor of his upcoming MMA match, but as it turns out, it seems Regina withdrew from the March 5th match anyway.

Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) – $10; faces Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple) [LOSS] and JUDO Justin Williams (white) [BREAK] – 3 points. Grayson faces a very tough Primeau. Grayson’s youth and strength could wear down Primeau, but old “Prison Rules”  Primeau likely has a solution to the problem. Grayson should have faced Williams many times before and should have a solution to JUDO’s defense.

Justin “Judo” Williams (white) – $8; faces Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton [LOSS] and Grayson “the Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) [LOSS] – 0 points. JUDO has been a great competitor this season, showing very strong defense throughout.  This week he’s facing one of the PGF’s best and a frequent training partner.  It’s just not JUDO’s week.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Team Winner: I have the Blue team winning this one but it’s close.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Team Winner: I have the Blue team winning this one handily.

Still pushing out the blog posts even while on vacation. Let the dedication of Egghead Warrior be known throughout the lands. HAHA

What did we learn from Week 7?

1. Evan Stapler may be a reforming goon, but he definitely has heart. He withstood two head and arm triangle attempts from two of the biggest competitors in the PGF. Well done, sir. Again, Stapler is making a mark for blue belts.

2. Edwards regained his spirit but is still nursing an injury. Lonnie Jones really helped get Edwards head straight. He came out to the mats the last few times with great vigor. After the match in block 12, he still left the mat a little hobbled after his quick win. By all accounts, Edwards will finish out the season strong.

3. Matt “Maneless” Elkins is a tried and true sandbagger. For the second season in a row, Matt Elkins has had a slow start, then started dominating opponents. While Elkins won’t get second place this season as he did last season, he has a decent shot at overtaking his brother for the second seed on the red team.

Now, we’ll take a look at how I called the matches and what really happened. Hey, I think I’m right most of the time. I can’t be right all the time…after all, “that’s why they play the game.”

PGF Week 7 Matchups

BLOCK 12:

Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) v JUDO Justin Williams (white) – KILL, Blue 6. DUNK. Sam will get the kill, but he’s been very relaxed so I am not sure if he’ll get the extra point.

UPDATE: BREAK BARBOSA, BLUE 3. The first TWISTER of season 2 – JUDO, get that man a burrito! In the pre-match interview, JUDO gave Barbosa some nice props for being a good coach. I think we’ve all heard Barbosa giving what I believe are great coaching points from the sideline. As JUDO said, the comments are not too complicated. They are quick, to the point, and plentiful – this same type of coaching method was used by John Wooden (constant feedback referenced by Daniel Coyle in “The Talent Code”). Okay, back to the match. Barbosa takes JUDO down quickly and gets to his favorite twister side control. Barbosa has problems getting the choke, so he does a sweet samurai roll. Barbosa decides to go for the TWISTER and earns himself a burrito. Seriously, Commish, can we get a bonus point or two for the TWISTER?

Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) v Hunter “The Professional” Colvin (black) – KILL, Blue 6. It’s a huge honor for me to prognosticate on matches featuring Stephen Eakin (see what I did there?). But, Colvin is a highly-anticipated, highly-pedigreed, younger, competitor in his grappling prime. They’re both black belts, but Colvin should have the better scramble and mobility. I have to think Colvin finds a way to get the sub. It may be a break, but I’m thinking he works his way for the KILL.

UPDATE: COLVIN KILL, BLUE 6 points. Colvin went for a flying guillotine and ends up having Eakin take him down with a bear hug (?) takedown. Colvin quickly uses a scissor sweep to get on top. Colvin uses his kimura trap and a chair sit to get to Eakin’s back with less than two minutes gone. Eakin hand fights, defending the choke for more than one minute Eakin is hoping to get Colvin frustrated, while also putting as much weight on Colvin as possible. Colvin starts to switch to the arm bar, but catches Eakin in a tight triangle from the back/side for the kill. 

Randy “the Future” Roden (blue) v Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) – DRAW. I think Roden’s athleticism has him able to evade Kemoy’s submissions. Kemoy’s triangles and positional strength keep him from getting submitted by Roden.  This match could go either way and should be very exciting to watch, but it won’t help anyone out in fantasy.

UPDATE: KEMOY BREAK, BLUE 3. Kemoy looks to sit and Roden goes for that ankle pick on Kemoy’s way down. This match was really exciting. Lots of great lockdown, butter half, and other guard work. Roden just keeps showing his athleticism and potential. Eventually, Kemoy gets a nice sweep and gets to kesa gatame/scarf hold/judo side control and gets the american using his legs. I love that submission! I hit it on a brown belt (nice for a lowly blue belt) on Thursday. I think my analysis was fairly accurate; Kemoy hit that submission with about 40 seconds left.

Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) v Grayson “the Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) – BREAK, 3 RED. Edwards gets the break. Grayson has solid choke defense and will frustrate Edwards if he goes for the choke. Given the size of Grayson, I think Edwards will settle for the leg lock.

UPDATE: EDWARDS BREAK, RED 4. Edwards keeps going for that flying guillotine. They end up on the ground and rolling around, Edwards gets the honey hole and the heel hook for the bonus point. 

Matt “Maneless” Elkins (brown) v Jake “the Head” Elkins (purple). – BREAK RED 3. The match of the night. The fans want this match. The competitors want this match. The only thing hurting this match is Matt’s injury.  We all want this match to happen with them at 100% – SOOOOO, when the both make the finale tournament, this match has to be run back (hint, hint, Commish).  Matt’s a front headlock master so I doubt he falls prey to it. I think Big Bro gets Little Bro with the kimura.

UPDATE: MANELESS KILL, RED 6. This match did not disappoint. If you haven’t watched it, watch it! It end with Matt countering Jake’s single leg attempt with a sweet back step to take Jake’s back. Matt secures the RNC/Crank for the kill, striking a blow for little brothers everywhere. As cool as this match was, I’d like to see a rematch with the two brothers at 100%. I really think they should be opposing coaches for PGF season 3 with a super fight in the PGF season 3 finale tournament. 

MEGA Mike Johnson (purple) v Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) – KILL RED 6.   Evan gets past the minute mark, getting a moral victory.  Unfortunately for Evan, he pisses off the teddy bear and gets full MEGA smashing power, leading to a kill.

UPDATE: DRAW. The moment happened. We saw a glimpse of it in the promos, but now we saw the entire exchange. MEGA wins the battle on the feet, getting 8-mile in a front headlock, dragging Stapler to the ground. MEGA is looking to pass when Stapler starts putting his hands on MEGA’s face. We can hear Matt Elkins say if Stapler does that to Matt, they’re throwing hands or words to that effect. There’s a point where MEGA goes red and then posts on Stapler’s throat with his forearm. Eventually, MEGA gets to the mount on Stapler. I was right that MEGA has the advantage on the feet and the positional battle. But, Stapler showed his grit and fought off the head and arm triangle attempts for more than two minutes. In the end, Skaff probably said it best – MEGA is used to the points rule set. MEGA reflected the point when he talked about being in control and winning the battle if points were involved. I also think MEGA wanted to hit the head and arm on Stapler to prove a point. To his credit, Stapler once again showed his grit.  But this time, after some talks with Papa Bear Elkins, Stapler showed a breakthrough in maturity, humility, and self-evaluation.

Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple) v Elijah “The Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – KILL, RED 6. Primeau’s loss to Elijah after sitting in PGF Season 1 totally changes Primeau’s game, leading to a phenomenal run. But Primeau doesn’t have his cardio and strength due to the Rona. Carlton needs to catch up to Colvin, so he focuses on the kill.

UPDATE: CARLTON BREAK, RED 3. Primeaus said he was trying an in-and-out game (not animal style – if you get that joke, you’ve lived in California). Carlton got a hold of Primeau and got a leg lock. Primeau is hard to choke, but not impossible. Carlton has the ability to get the kill against Primeau, especially a Rona-diminished Primeau. But Carlton settled for the break again. Carlton has to know he’s behind in points to Colvin. I wonder if Carlton has conceded the regular season win to Colvin and is now just focused on keeping his submission streak aline?

Joshua Gibbs (purple) v James Regina (purple) – BREAK, RED 3. Regina loves the leg game and he’s a more seasoned purple belt.  I think Regina goes with what he’s most familiar and gets the break.

UPDATE: REGINA BREAK, RED 4. Gibbs knows he made a mistake here. Quickly in to the match, Gibbs sits back for a leg, leading to a leg lock shootout. Generally, the guy with the longer legs wins a leg lock shootout, and Regina is 6’4”. Gibbs dives (Navy pun?) into Regina’s wheelhouse and suffes a quick leg lock loss. Regina gets the bonus point for the quick submission.

Team Winner: RED, by 9 points this week based on this block.

UPDATE: RED.

Block 13:

Grayson “the Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) v Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) – KILL, BLUE 6. Sam may take a bit, but he’ll get to Grayson’s back and get the RNC.

UPDATE: BARBOSA KILL, BLUE 7. Barbosa gets the takedown, reaching side control quickly. Sam gets the choke but misses the extra point by eight seconds. Sam pays Grayson a nice compliment, calling him a beast, but saying it’s just a matter of Mat Time (seriously, if you’re not listening to Skaff’s Grappling Discourse podcast, what’s wrong with you?). 

Joshua Gibbs (purple) v Matt “Maneless” Elkins (brown) – KILL, RED 6.  Matt’s too good, even off sitting guard. He’ll do some seated wrestling and eventually work that front headlock magic.

UPDATE: ELKINS KILL, RED 6. Maneless gets the kill within the minute for the bonus point. 

Jake “the HEAD” Elkins (purple) v Zach “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – KILL, RED 6. Jake needs to channel Stephen Eakin to get his weight down, not allowing Edwards to get his legs.  Luckily for Elkins, he’s a wrestler and 10P purple belt so he’s used to getting his weight low and defending leg locks. Kill might be a bit generous here, Elkins may resort to a kimura, but I think Elkins could still get the kill.

UPDATE: ELKINS KILL, RED 6. Elkins power pressure from the top game was made to fight the leg game. Elkins’ pressure is too much to get him elevated (a big part of Edwards’ leg game). Elkins gets the punch choke kill. 

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) v Randy “the Future” Roden (blue) – KILL, BLUE 6. Roden could force the break, but I think Colvin’s skills and traps are enough to allow him to find the kill against Roden.

UPDATE: COLVIN KILL, BLUE 6. “[COLVIN] is a breathing, walking back take,” according to Randy Roden. Roden called it. Colvin sat and found his way to Roden’s back, getting the RNC. Honestly, I want to watch this one a few more times. Colvin’s ability to get to the back is something to emulate.

JUDO Justin Williams (white) v Kevin “the Liquid Terminator) Primeau (purple) – KILL, BLUE 6. Kevin needs some moral and real victories.  JUDO has shown some great defense but Primeau is a beast, RONA or not.  I think Primeau gets the kill.

UPDATE: PRIMEAU KILL, BLUE 6. Primeau does a nice little throw and almost gets the north south choke for the dunk, but JUDO defends. They go back to the feet and we FINALLY GET A JUDO THROW! I think it was an outside sweep throw, but it’ll do. Primeau gets to side control again. They go back and forth a bit. Primeau ultimately settles into a modified JUDO side control and gets the diaphragm compression submission kill.

James Regina (purple) v MEGA Mike Johnson (purple) – KILL, RED 6. MEGA loves being on top. Regina likes to sit. MEGA will be happy.  MEGA on top is a very bad night for any competitor. MEGA happy to get the kill. Happy MEGA.

UPDATE: MEGA KILL, RED 6. MEGA gets the throw and ends up in mount. MEGA tries the punch choke, but Regina gets a nicely-timed sweep. Regina tries the leg attack but MEGA defends. Eventually, MEGA gets the head and arm triangle.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) v Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson – KILL, RED 6. I’m a fan of Kemoy, but he’s facing Mr. PGF. I think Elijah gets his triangle on Kemoy.  Sure, Sam defended in nicely, but Kemoy isn’t Sam. That triangle is vicious.

UPDATE: CARLTON BREAK, RED 3. I’ll let Elijah’s comments speak for themselves: “He ran from me for five minutes then I leg locked him,” or words to that effect. Kemoy – those are his words, not mine. I saw Kemoy being smart and as Kemoy said “trying to figure out the puzzle” that is Carlton’s guard. Kemoy did a great job of picking his spots and working towards passing Carlton’s guard without allowing Carlton to use his patented triangle setup. Ultimately, Kemoy couldn’t pass Carlton’s guard and Carlton did settle for the leg lock. Settling for another break, almost assures Colvin wins the regular season.

Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) v Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) – KILL, BLUE 6. The Dream has some stuff built up. Eakin is going to punish Stapler and extract the submission. Eakin has said he was always the “mat enforcer” and it’s time to remind a blue belt not to use goon moves.

UPDATE: DRAW. You’re killing me Eakin. This draw probably put the final nail in the coffin of my fantasy championship hopes. Eakin gave advice earlier in the week in how to beat himself (to Stapler) and Stapler listened. Stapler again showed he’s very hard to head and arm triangle. Forcing the draw was a big win for the blue belt. Eakin again said six minutes just doesn’t work for his style. He’s used to the 10-minute EBI rules and probably is used to having more time to cook his opponents. 

Team Winner: Damn, I have it as straight even in my estimates. So figure out which one I’m wrong on (looking at you Michaud) and figure it out.

UPDATE: Red gets another big team win – getting them another two team points this week. Carlton needs to thank his team and the matchmakers for helping keep him in the hunt.

Hey guys, a quick request: I don’t advertise or do this for money. It’s my hobby or midlife crisis as my man-child says. But I do want to promote one thing. The book below was written by a friend. He’s written a number of books, but given his martial arts, military, and international experience, I suggested he enter the post-apocalyptic fiction realm. It’s a great story that really invests you in the characters. It has a little science fiction (his favorite realm), but mostly is an adventure with lots of great survival tips in it. Please check out the preview. If it’s up your alley, please give it a whirl. Thanks. No pressure, I’m not keeping analytics here. Bonus: if you buy a book and don’t like it, bring it to the season 2 finale or after party if they don’t sell booze, and I’ll buy you a beer to make up for your loss.

BLOCK 12! BLOCK 12! BLOCK 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have a little kid on the Christmas Eve feeling going on? I know I do. (If you’re not a child of the 80s or earlier and didn’t just hear James Earl Jones’ voice say “I know I do,” please do yourself a favor and watch the original “Coming to America” movie).

Back to the thought at hand, we obviously have Elkins brothers matchup we’ve all been waiting for. I think the McDojo Show guys have been talking about a “Momma loves me more” shirt or something to that effect for the winner of the match. It should be fire and allegedly could lead to real fisticuffs as may or may not have happened before when they trained together. I’m sure if we all had some opportunity to get back at some upper classmen from high school, we would have a field day. Now, imagine that upper classmen lived in the same house. I think Matt wants some payback.  But, unfortunately, he’s injured.  Now, they start standing up and give a hug, but does Matt sit down?  Or does Matt say screw it, it’s worth a bum knee to take out big bro in the PGF?  We’ll see.

There’s plenty of other matches that should excite: Kemoy v Roden, Colvin v Eakin, MEGA Mike v 8-Mile, etc. But I’m not going to belabor the monologue.

Well, maybe I should question some things… Who puts a competitor who is so injured, his team is distraught, on their fantasy team? Who does this?

Could there be….

I’ll just let ya’ll decide how likely it was for someone to put an injured guy on their team. Seems a bit fishy over here…

And I’ll note, even though Rudy Michaud II is in the lead, he’s in the lead by 6 points. And if you look at his week 2 roster, who was there? One Sam Barbosa. Meaning, without…

I would be TIED for 1st. I’m sure Daniel Siriphongs will look back through all our histories to ensure we both had all the right points. But assuming only 1 collusion (and not the possible more), I should be tied for first, if not higher, still.

I will still warm my angry, dark, little heart with the notion that McWhorter is tied for 41st. HAHA! TAKE THAT MCWHORTER!

Now on to the analysis for this week:

For your consideration, each fantasy team has 7 possible spots with a total salary cap of $120 for the week.  Any left-over funds do not carry over to the next week. While one could hypothetically maximize their chances at success at playing all 7 roster spots, we often found during season 1 that sacrificing a roster spot to secure more “sure things” was the way to go.

SUPER PREMIUMS (you’re going to offset the expense by dropping a roster spot)

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) – $34; faces Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) [KILL] and Randy “the Future” Roden (blue) [KILL] – 12 points. Hard to call. We have our first black belt on black belt matchup of PGF Season 2.  I’m a huge fan of Eakin, but Colvin is younger, more athletic, and a killer (no disrespect, I’m 42 and face guys in their 20s every day, it’s life). I think Colvin gets to a choke with enough time to legitimately finish Eakin (no collusion). While Roden is the future and could force Colvin to settle for a break, I think Colvin’s skills are enough for him to get Roden’s back (for now) and get the kill.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – $32; faces – Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple) [KILL] and Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson [KILL] – 12 points.  Elijah isn’t going to like being behind. He has his eye on the prize.  This week, the cost is damn high, but probably worth it.

Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa (brown) – $29; faces JUDO Justin Williams (white) [KILL] and Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) [KILL] – 12 points. Sam will work his way to both their backs and get the RNC.

Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) – $27; faces Matt “Maneless” Elkins (brown) [BREAK] and Zach “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) [KILL] – 9 points. Matt’s the better Jake at jiu jitsu, but Matt’s hurt. Jake gets the top by default and gets a kimura because he’s big brother. Now, as a 10P Decatur purple belt, I think Jake may have enough leg lock defense to pull out the win against the Squidbilly. He will have to take a page out of Stephen Eakin’s book and make sure to keep his weight super low to stop Edwards from elevating him.

Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) – $25; faces Hunter Colvin (black) [DRAW] and Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) [KILL] – 6 points. Hard to call that first match, but Colvin has been a damn assassin the entire PGF. Colvin either gets the submission or forces the draw limiting Eakin’s fantasy value.

Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) – $21; faces Randy “The Future” Roden (blue) [DRAW] and Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) [LOSS]. Kemoy v Roden should be fun but I don’t think either has the ability to submit the other in six minutes. The Bad Guy will submit RatedR.

PREMIUMS

Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) – $18; faces Jake “the Head” Elkins (purple) [LOSS] and Joshua Gibbs (purple) [KILL] – 6 points.  I have to think Matt’s injury will give his big brother the win. Then Matt gets to take out some frustration on Gibbs.

Evan “8 Mile” Stapler (blue) – $17; faces MEGA Mike Johnson (purple) [LOSS] and Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) [LOSS]. Time to step off the Stapler hype train Joe Kai.  Stapler has performed well, getting many a win for us blue belts (though some in a Vagnar Rocha style).  Now, it’s time to pay the piper. MEGA will become a very pissed off teddy bear with Evan’s hands in his face.  MEGA is going to smash the man who cannot yet go to a bar.  Stephen Eakin, while a fan of #ALOT, isn’t going to stand for the goon stuff either.

Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) – $16; faces Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) [LOSS] and JUDO Justin Williams (white) [KILL] – 6 points. I feel like a broken record, but I would’ve liked to see a full strength Primeau get a chance to avenge his season 1 loss against Carlton.  As it stands, a RONA diminished Primeau falls to Carlton. JUDO is a much more attainable submission. Primeau will get that kill.

AVERAGE

Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – $16; faces Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) [BREAK] and Jake “the HEAD” Elkins (purple) [LOSS] – 3 points. Came outta nowhere last week. I think only Edwards, other competitors, and Rudy Michaud II knew it was coming (HMMMMMM….INTERESTING). This week, Edwards seems more predictable (tell me if I’m wrong Michaud). Webster has solid choke defense but would seem more susceptible to the leg lock. Elkins is proving himself a beast in PGF Season 2.

“MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) – $14 – aka the world’s most mysterious man; faces Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) [KILL] and James Regina (purple) [KILL] – 12 points. I think Evan is going to piss off the big teddy bear some refer to as MEGA and get in some trouble. A whole lotta man is gonna smash Stapler. Regina is game, but I think MEGA’s density will allow him to smash Regina’s guard and get to him. I think this week we see “what [MEGA] is all about” as MEGA would say.

BELOW AVERAGE

Joshua Gibbs (purple) – $12; faces James Regina (purple) [LOSS] and Matt “Maneless” Elkins [LOSS] – 0 points. Elkins is too good. Regina is beatable, but is a more seasoned purple belt and a MMA competitor (as well as long as hell). I’m giving the win to Regina out of respect for his mma, length, and some 10P loyalty.

Randy “the FUTURE” Roden (blue) – $12; faces Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) [DRAW] and Hunter “the Professional” Colvin [LOSS]. Roden is the future, but he’s facing some killers tonight.

PENNY STOCKS (NOT LIKELY TO MAKE YOU MUCH, BUT IF YOU HAVE MONEY LEFT IN YOUR POCKET…) – a reminder to all competitors, don’t take my comments personally. If I was competing, I would be squarely at the bottom of this category.

James Regina (purple) – $11; faces Joshua Gibbs (purple) [KILL] and MEGA Mike Johnson [LOSS] – 6 points. I think there’s a fair chance Regina goes for just a leg lock against Gibbs. I also think there’s an outside chance Gibbs gets a submission himself. But, I’m playing the percentages so I think Regina knows he needs a kill against Gibbs, but can’t handle the MEGA.

Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) – $10; faces Zach “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) [LOSS] and Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) [LOSS]. Grayson is still super cool and enjoying this experience while learning.

Justin “Judo” Williams (white) – $8; faces Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) [LOSS] and Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple) [LOSS] – 0 points. If I could have quick request of the Commish, I think having Stephen “Grey Goose” Mitchell interview JUDO Justin Williams could be fun. They really do both seem to be on a different wavelength than the mainstream folks.  A cool, chill wavelength, but it’s a different one nonetheless.

PGF Week 4 Matchups

BLOCK 12:

Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) v JUDO Justin Williams (white) – KILL, Blue 6. DUNK. Sam will get the kill, but he’s been very relaxed so I am not sure if he’ll get the extra point.

Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) v Hunter “The Professional” Colvin (black) – KILL, Blue 6. It’s a huge honor for me to prognosticate on matches featuring Stephen Eakin (see what I did there?). But, Colvin is a highly-anticipated, highly-pedigreed, younger, competitor in his grappling prime. They’re both black belts, but Colvin should have the better scramble and mobility. I have to think Colvin finds a way to get the sub. It may be a break, but I’m thinking he works his way for the KILL.

Randy “the Future” Roden (blue) v Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson (brown) – DRAW. I think Roden’s athleticism has him able to evade Kemoy’s submissions. Kemoy’s triangles and positional strength keep him from getting submitted by Roden.  This match could go either way and should be very exciting to watch, but it won’t help anyone out in fantasy.

Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) v Grayson “the Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) – BREAK, 3 RED. Edwards gets the break. Grayson has solid choke defense and will frustrate Edwards if he goes for the choke. Given the size of Grayson, I think Edwards will settle for the leg lock.

Matt “Maneless” Elkins (brown) v Jake “the Head” Elkins (purple). – BREAK RED 3. The match of the night. The fans want this match. The competitors want this match. The only thing hurting this match is Matt’s injury.  We all want this match to happen with them at 100% – SOOOOO, when the both make the finale tournament, this match has to be run back (hint, hint, Commish).  Matt’s a front headlock master so I doubt he falls prey to it. I think Big Bro gets Little Bro with the kimura.

MEGA Mike Johnson (purple) v Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) – KILL RED 6.   Evan gets past the minute mark, getting a moral victory.  Unfortunately for Evan, he pisses off the teddy bear and gets full MEGA smashing power, leading to a kill.

Kevin “Liquid Terminator” Primeau (purple) v Elijah “The Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – KILL, RED 6. Primeau’s loss to Elijah after sitting in PGF Season 1 totally changes Primeau’s game, leading to a phenomenal run. But Primeau doesn’t have his cardio and strength due to the Rona. Carlton needs to catch up to Colvin, so he focuses on the kill.

Joshua Gibbs (purple) v James Regina (purple) – BREAK, RED 3. Regina loves the leg game and he’s a more seasoned purple belt.  I think Regina goes with what he’s most familiar and gets the break.

Team Winner: RED, by 9 points this week based on this block.

Block 13:

Grayson “the Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) v Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) – KILL, BLUE 6. Sam may take a bit, but he’ll get to Grayson’s back and get the RNC.

Joshua Gibbs (purple) v Matt “Maneless” Elkins (brown) – KILL, RED 6.  Matt’s too good, even off sitting guard. He’ll do some seated wrestling and eventually work that front headlock magic.

Jake “the HEAD” Elkins (purple) v Zach “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – KILL, RED 6. Jake needs to channel Stephen Eakin to get his weight down, not allowing Edwards to get his legs.  Luckily for Elkins, he’s a wrestler and 10P purple belt so he’s used to getting his weight low and defending leg locks. Kill might be a bit generous here, Elkins may resort to a kimura, but I think Elkins could still get the kill.

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) v Randy “the Future” Roden (blue) – KILL, BLUE 6. Roden could force the break, but I think Colvin’s skills and traps are enough to allow him to find the kill against Roden.

JUDO Justin Williams (white) v Kevin “the Liquid Terminator) Primeau (purple) – KILL, BLUE 6. Kevin needs some moral and real victories.  JUDO has shown some great defense but Primeau is a beast, RONA or not.  I think Primeau gets the kill.

James Regina (purple) v MEGA Mike Johnson (purple) – KILL, RED 6. MEGA loves being on top. Regina likes to sit. MEGA will be happy.  MEGA on top is a very bad night for any competitor. MEGA happy to get the kill. Happy MEGA.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) v Kemoy “RatedR” Anderson – KILL, RED 6. I’m a fan of Kemoy, but he’s facing Mr. PGF. I think Elijah gets his triangle on Kemoy.  Sure, Sam defended in nicely, but Kemoy isn’t Sam. That triangle is vicious.

Evan “8-Mile” Stapler (blue) v Stephen “the Dream” Eakin (black) – KILL, BLUE 6. The Dream has some stuff built up. Eakin is going to punish Stapler and extract the submission. Eakin has said he was always the “mat enforcer” and it’s time to remind a blue belt not to use goon moves.

Team Winner: Damn, I have it as straight even in my estimates. So figure out which one I’m wrong on (looking at you Michaud) and figure it out.

What did we learn in Week 6? Instead of just being a recap of the week and how awesome my predictions were (which they were), I think I should put some extra analysis into these pieces. So, what did we learn this week?

1. Zack Edwards IS A WARRIOR!
2. Elijah Carlton is FOR REAL
3. Rand Roden is THE FUTURE

Zach Edwards IS A WARRIOR!

Zack Edwards has been fighting with injury this entire season. You could see his pain in matches against the likes of Evan Stapler and definitely at the end of his match against Sam Barbosa. But Zack has some rest and recuperation time (maybe that time in the hot tub with MEGA Mike from the previews?) and was reinvigorated by the lessons taught by Lonnie Jones. So, Zack comes out and gets a choke on Primeau (not an easy feat) and gets a break against JUDO Williams. Zack is back. The Zack we knew could get things done in the PGF. We’ll see if he can keep the momentum going, but this bounce back exemplifies his spirit. You’re good stuff, Edwards!

Elijah is FOR REAL.

Elijah took out Sam Barbosa. I don’t think Elijah was in any real defensive position the entire time. Elijah was going for the choke for most of the match then switched to the leg lock and get a quick tap (after a couple of pops….it’s okay, Sam says he’s had both ankles broken multiple times). Regardless, Elijah just took out the 225 Champ with authority. Elijah’s a bad man in this rule set.

Roden is THE FUTURE.

Here’s some serious props: Stephen Eakin sat the fastest in PGF history against Roden and Elijah Carlton settled for a break with TONS of time left. Both have given mad props to Roden. EVERYONE I’ve interviewed or been a part of interviewing has pointed out Roden as the most surprising, most improved, etc. of PGF Season 2. Randy “The FUTURE” Roden is going to be a big name in this sport in the very near future.

One last thing I learned, or a thing that really crystalized in my mind this week, these competitors are LEGIT and GREAT PEOPLE. Seriously, we haven’t heard of any drama except maybe a little grief for Stapler’s goon tactics. We have a great group of diverse, skilled, knowledgeable competitors. If you watch Eakin’s behind the scenes footage it shows what Roden talked about (the way these guys talk about jiu jitsu is amazing). You have many gym owners and coaches who are competing here. If you listen to their coaching of their teammates or friends, it’s eye opening. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m a nasty blue belt – and I aspire to see jiu jitsu the way these guys do. To be able to coach from the sidelines the way they do, it would be amazing.

It frustrates me the PGF hasn’t taken off as much as I thought it would this season. But, I know all of us who have seen it believe in the product. BMAC has some genius going on here and Conscious Keelan is still knocking out of the park with his filming. I think Stephen Eakin brought up a good point on his “live-ish” video this weekend. I think the commentators should be watching the matches live. You’re talking only three more people knowing results, but their reactions would be more immediate and they would have a sense of “the room.” I figure the commentators should either be commenting live with us fans watching or live with the competitors. If it’s live with us fans, I can send dumplings and they can interact with family members of competitors again. If it’s live with the competitors, they have more insight into what’s going on. Either option is better (but sadly I think the latter is the way). The commentators being hermetically sealed in this post-match, pre-stream situation doesn’t seem to add a lot of value.

Okay, that’s enough preamble. I had the guts of this recap done yesterday but wanted to be able to watch all of Eakin’s behind the scenes and live before posting this blog. Again, if you don’t like what I’m typing or saying, you might be able to take it to me on the 10th Planet Decatur mats shortly before the Season 2 finale…just maybe.

PGF Week 6 Matchups (predictions with UPDATES/comments on actual results):

BLOCK 10:

Joshua Gibbs (purple) v faces Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) – KILL, Blue 7. DUNK. I think the professional gets it done in less than one minute. Gibbs is one of those competitors who keeps a good spirit regardless of the situation. He knows what/who he’s up against and will give it his all. 

UPDATE: DUNK/KILL COLVIN, BLUE 6. Gibbs tried flying guillotine and got slammed for his effort. Colvin used his kimura to take Gibbs back (it’s like the Elijah Carlton triangle setup from Season 1 – they all know it’s coming, but have problems stopping it).  Colvin gets the RNC for 7 points.

Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) v Justin “Judo” Williams (white) – KILL, Red 6. Judo has really stalled out some competitors. But Elkins knows he needs the kill. He’s on the outside of the money and in the last tournament spot. He needs this kill to help secure his spot in the finale tournament. Elkins uses his “profesh” front headlock game to get the kill.

UPDATE:  ELKINS KILL. Matt sits as required by his injury. Matt gets an ankle pick from bottom and comes out on top. It looks like Matt has that Darce locked in with 23 seconds to go for the super dunk, buuuuuuut JUDO DEFENDS! Matt gets to the mount then JUDO escapes it. JUDO tries a rolling kimura and gets Matt on top. Matt stays in control the entire match.  Eventually, Matt gets the head and arm triangle. Matt celebrates by showing us all his “Christmas Pants” which were “majestic.”

Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) v faces Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) – KILL, Blue 6. I feel kinda bad picking this match. Edwards is powering through an obviously agonizing lower back injury and Primeau is still trying to find his cardio/power after the Rona. I’m going to pull a McDojo Show and go with my heart. Primeau gets his Sao Paolo pass early when he still has his cardio (remember first match of the night) and gets a head and arm triangle.  

UPDATE:  KILL EDWARDS. WHAT? Edwards starts wrestling? Kevin shows his favorite throw. Edwards works the scissor sweep. Edwards kimura grip to sweep. Back to Kevin on top standing. Edwards pops this triangle and gets a quick sub. He said it reminds him of some flograppling footage (Felipe v Barbosa?). Is Edwards back to normal? Could he fulfill the promise he had coming into this league? We’ll see.

James Regina (purple) v Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) – BREAK RED 3. Regina is a leg locker. Grayson fell to Elijah in a handful of seconds to a leglock, but that’s Elijah. Still, other than schools who just love to leg lock (looking at you 10P Freaks), most schools/students are hesitant to work leg locks for a while. While I say that, JUDO had some good leg lock defense against Regina, forcing Regina to get that sweet wristlock/straight arm bar. I have to think Regina collects himself on the day off and doesn’t get too excited on his leg entanglement entries, securing the break.

UPDATE:  BREAK+ REGINA. Regina pulls guard. Grayson keeps putting himself into triangle situations, looking for the bully pass.  He does it a second time and Regina triangle arm bar within the minute to get the bonus point.

Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa (brown) v Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – BREAK RED 3. The match of the night. I don’t want to put the results on it, but this match is Barbosa’s first one after suffering that “I can see my bone” injury during the paintball match. As I’ve pointed out before, Barbosa was scheming with Colvin and Eakin on how to take out Carlton. Elijah sits immediately – he knows Sam is too good to try to wrestle. Sam may try the rolling kimura but it didn’t work out for Caleb McCallister in the PGF Season 1 Finale Tournament (3:31:25 start). Honestly, I went back and watched that match because I was trying to think of who may have had Elijah in a bad spot. Elijah was in the superior position or neutral position the entire match. We have two competing PGF Fantasy Rules (publication forthcoming) – (1) You don’t bet against Elijah until someone beats him, and (2) If you don’t cheer for Barbosa, you don’t have a soul [his main goal is to open an orphanage]. So, I guess we put our fantasy dollars on Elijah, but cheer for Barbosa.

UPDATE:  BREAK CARLTON. WOW. WOW. WOW. Barbosa said there’s no way Carlton taps him – he said Chase Hannah tried for XX minutes and that guy can tap Carlton. Elijah’s prefight interview was PURE CONFIDENCE. The chat during this match was QUIET. I think most of us were holding our breath. Honestly, too much here for me to recap. It was insane. Of note, Barbosa shut down Carlton’s triangle setup multiple times. Eventually, Carlton gets the straight ankle lock with multiple pops allegedly.

Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) v faces Evan “The Bad New Guy” Stapler (blue) – KILL RED 6.  Papa Bear Elkins avenges his younger brother. Evan tried some of his uchi mata takedowns against Sam Barbosa and ended up on the bottom for his trouble…and that’s with Sam’s casual demeanor wrestling. I think Jake takes down Evan and puts the pressure on him. Again, I think there could be some of that 52 weeks of payback Matt Elkins promised given a little early here. Elkins got the 7 against Grayson and Gibbs, but I think 8-Mile has too much heart. Stapler lasts past the minute mark, getting a moral victory.

UPDATE:  BREAK, ELKINS. The Head Elkins was way nicer than anyone would’ve guessed. The Bad New Guy tried to stand with Elkins. Elkins could’ve slammed Stapler, but was gentle about it. At that point, Elkins was in a solid arm bar situation and chose to just take it for the four points rather than improve his position and go for the choke. I’m surprised he didn’t spend the whole round punishing Stapler, but we all have to remember Block 12 is this same night. Papa Bear might have been saving himself for the scrap with his little bro.

“MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) v Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) – KILL, BLUE 6. I think a lot has to do with who ends up on top. I like Kemoy’s ankle pick takedowns. Kemoy is coming off a nice win against Joshua Gibbs via triangle. MEGA is coming off that frustrating draw with Randy Roden. Yeah, I think Kemoy has the wrestling advantage and gets on top. He bullies MEGA a bit and gets the mounted triangle…which is a way of me hedging because I think there’s a chance MEGA could sweep, but still end up in a triangle. Kemoy loves the kimura, but I don’t think going for the kimura on MEGA is a great idea. I’ll stick by my gut and say KILL, KEMOY.

UPDATE:  DRAW. Walo Jay was right in his call of the draw. Kemoy seemed hesitant for the blast double. MEGA does the arm drag attempt getting Kemoy to pull guard. Kemoy goes from butterfly to closed guard. Kemoy tries an arm bar and gets bully passed for it. Kemoy gets a slick sweep, it looks like he’s trying to just get a butterfly hook in and MEGA’s weight is just right so Kemoy is able to topple MEGA. MEGA puts in the defensive lockdown, just stalling out. They get back to their feet. Kemoy shoots the blast double and MEGA tries to reverse. Kemoy scrambles on top. Kemoy gets to side control but can’t secure the submission in time.  Kemoy didn’t get the submission but was happy dominating a “BIG ASS GUY.”

Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) v Randy “Dumptruck” Roden (blue) – KILL, BLUE 6. Eakin knows Roden’s game by now. I think Eakin guaranteed the fastest sit to guard in the PGF during this match. Eakin sits guard and starts working his lockdown game. I’m excited to see the black belt’s lock down game – where folks can see it’s an attacking/at least sweeping position. Once Eakin gets that sweep and gets on top of Roden, he’ll keep that pressure on and secure the win. Eakin has to push hard for this kill. He’s only six points above Kemoy and 14 above Primeau. 14 points might seem like a lot, but that’s two quick kills. There’s a chance Roden uses his athleticism to avoid Eakin’s submissions, but I have to give it to the black belt in this one.

UPDATE:  EAKIN, KILL. In the running for the best match of the season, it highlighted the athleticism of Roden and the skills of Eakin. Eakin sat IMMEDIATELY (but Roden had a hand on his leg so Eakin gave him congrats on the takedown). Eakin was working that old school, dog fight, double dog fight game. Roden was showing insane athleticism WORKING that whizzer and at one point trying to lift Eakin to his feet off some double over hooks on the ground. It was insanity in the last minute. Eakin had what appeared to be a solid straight ankle lock but Roden escaped. They stand back up and Roden goes for his patented double overhook toss, but Eakin drops immediately, tucking his chin. Roden landed flat on his back with Eakin on top of him. Eakin goes for the head and arm with FOUR seconds left and gets the submission with TWO seconds left. WOW.WOW.WOW.WOW.

Team Winner: I have Blue by 6, but I also gave Primeau the kill when Edwards could catch Primeau in a leg lock. So, I’m really calling it a toss-up/within the margin of error (i.e. don’t pick players for the team points this week based on this block).

UPDATE:  RED by #ALOT.

Block 11:

Evan “the Bad New Guy” Stapler (blue) v Joshua Gibbs (purple) – KILL, RED  6. I think 8-Mile’s aggression and pressure secures him the win via head and arm triangle. Gibbs might use his extra experience to trick Stapler, but I just think Stapler’s going to continue his march to BLUE BELT GLORY! (gotta give a fellow blue belt some love). I’m actually almost more interested in seeing if he can get that uchi mata takedown to work on Gibbs.

UPDATE:  KILL, STAPLER. Gibbs might be the nicest guy in the league. Evan was trying to punish Gibbs. He was being a little dirty. He used an ear grind, used his chin on Gibbs’ face and eyes, etc. C’mon man. The Bad New Guy got the kill via head and arm triangle. Allegedly, Evan became a marked man after this match.

Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) v Sam “the Nice Guy” Barbosa (brown) – KILL, BLUE 6.  Primeau could have made this match hard for Barbosa if he wasn’t recovering. As it stands, Barbosa will wear down Primeau and get the RNC.

UPDATE:  KILL, BARBOSA. Primeau sat. Barbosa got a Japanese necktie/darce setup vice grip pretty quick. Primeau defended and almost got the sneaky straight arm lock but Barbosa got a leg in there. They roll and Primeau gest a sneaky, very sneaky Americana look and Barbosa YELPS. Primeau let go and asked if Barbosa was okay. Barbosa got back to the vice grip and got the submission. Many folks in the comments were asking if there was a verbal submission rule. Yelping on a pop…well, that’s good guy rules to stop, but the both played on so I guess it’s okay?

Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) v Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) – KILL, BLUE 6. This night may be harder than night one for Stephen Eakin. Eakin has Roden, Kemoy, then Colvin – GOOD GRIEF CHARLIE BROWN! Luckily for Eakin, Kemoy has MEGA Mike in his first match of the night and he should be tired from dealing with that side of beef. Eakin knows if he wants a shot at any money, he needs to win out the season. Kemoy wants to show everyone the hype he had coming into the PGF was warranted. I can’t say how this match is going to play out, so I’ll again take a page from my McDojo Show buddies and pick with my heat. Eakin gets the kill. Either Eakin gets on top and does the head and arm or he has to work his lockdown game to sweep, then get a choke.

UPDATE:  DRAW. So Eakin’s best wrestling is getting wrestlers to shoot and taking advantage of them. Kemoy seemed hesitant to fall into black belt traps. So, with 2:46 left, we finally get a blast double with a little left foot sweeping Eakin’s right foot takedown by Kemoy. Neither of these guys are the type to get submission quickly. Eakin working the lockdown game. Eakin looking to get the old school, gripping Kemoy’s toes, but Kemoy has the underhooks. It would have been a better match to watch if they’d just started on the ground. Eakin gets that beautiful dog fight sweep with less than 30 seconds left. Eakin tries for the head and arm, but doesn’t have enough time.

Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) v Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) – KILL, RED 6. The difference in BJJ time is key. Elkins sits to protect his knee and save himself for BLOCK 12!!! (If you know, you know). Elkins finds a way to sweep and gets a choke off his front headlock game. I don’t think he goes for the leg lock again. Elkins has been battling through his leg injury all season. He should know if he can secure that fourth spot on the red team, he’ll have time to heal up and show what he’s about in the PGF Season 2 finale tournament. I think Elkins knows he needs this kill to help cement his spot in the tournament.

UPDATE:  KILL, ELKINS. The smaller Elkins is no less of a handful as Grayson found out. Matt sits automatically. He tries for a bit of a leg lock then realizes he’s stressing his bad knee, then sweeps. Eventually, Elkins “activates front headlock mode” as Joe Kai said and gets the kill via guillotine. The Elkins brother got a new customer as Grayson had some very congratulatory words for them, showing some enlightenment for how important wrestling is in the submission grappling game. Grayson’s a serious class act. I’ll let Matt’s words on his appearance stand for themselves.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) v Randy “The FUTURE” Roden (blue) – KILL, RED 6. Elijah sits guard, nullifying Roden’s wrestling advantage. The Bad Guy finds a way to his patented triangle attack and executes beautifully. Roden might have seen the triangle attack before but still succumbs to it. Roden might be strong enough to push Elijah to force him to settle for a break (ala Mike “Manscape” Richey in season 1), but my money is on Elijah getting that triangle.

UPDATE: BREAK, CARLTON. His nickname is now THE FUTURE. We’re going to see Roden skyrocket up the rankings over the next handful of years. As the match starts, Elijah wants to wrestle a bit. Roden goes for the ankle pick but Elijah escapes. After about 12 seconds, Elijah decides to sit. They roll for a bit with Roden doing some very nice defensive work. Finally, Elijah decides it’s not worth trying for the kill and gets the leg lock. Elijah immediately gives props to Randy “THE FUTURE” Roden. Seriously, Roden’s going to be a force in the very near future.   

Justin “Judo” Williams v Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – BREAK, RED 3. JUDO has shown some good leg defense against Regina, but Edwards is on the next level of the leg game. Edwards sits guard, nullifying any JUDO throws/trips. Edwards gets the leg entanglement and the leg lock.

UPDATE: EDWARDS, BREAK. Zack gets to the top from the get go. Edwards works a little punch choke to get to the back take. JUDO defends against the RNC and gets past the one-minute mark. Edwards gets the reverse triangle, then forces the break.

Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) v James Regina (purple) – KILL, RED 6. Elkins is going to overpower all but the top of the top in this league. Regina will probably sit guard but Elkins trains under 10P Decatur and their purple belts have plenty of leg lock defense. Allowing Jake Elkins top position (if you had a choice) is probably a poor decision. Elkins likely gets to full mount and gets the head and arm triangle.

UPDATE:  KILL with bonus, ELKINS. Regina tries to stand but has a lazy collar tie and Jake executes the pass/slide by. Note: I wrestled one year varsity in H.S. because the needed a guy for the 189 lb division. I would weigh in with my baggy jeans and doc martins after having biscuits and gravy at my favorite breakfast joint. So, all my wrestling lingo is stolen from the commentators and the pre- and post- fight interviews. I just wanted to come clean on that one. That one year wrestling has paid dividends for so many years – it was worth getting my butt handed to me time and time again. I did get one pin (unfortunately the one match my dad couldn’t make) and I had some pretty impressive “strength moves” which showed my football and not-too-far-off-the-farm strength, but it was mostly learning by humility. Oh, wait, I was summarizing a match from the PGF….So, Elkins gets to Regina’s back and gets in the body triangle. Jake tries the short choke. Then he uses his outside hand to push off the defending hand and finish the RNC for the extra point.

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) v “MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) – KILL, BLUE 6. The Professional knows it’s way better to be on top of MEGA than below him. They stand for a second but Colvin gets a double leg to put MEGA on his back (50 seconds in). MEGA probably tries for his half guard game after first being in butterfly, but Colvin passes and gets the RNC. 

UPDATE:  Seriously, this is the face of a killer. He’s just figuring out how he’s going to get the finish. There’s no emotion in those eyes. I know we can see the color in his eyes, but this little bit of interview made me flash back to Jaws. Elijah has the sports player’s bravado, but Colvin is just a PROFESSIONAL. Okay, back to the match. Imagine that, Colvin got the double leg. He went for the kimura to try to get to the back. MEGA defends. Hunter looks to play knee on belly, then chair sat to the back take. MEGA hand fights to defend. Colvin gets the RNC just eight seconds past the extra point. This man is legit. Kemoy, I might be riding nuts here, but I think I’m right.

Team Winner: Red team takes it by 9 points. Red is ahead enough to have a complete flip of a kill and still get the team points.UPDATE:  Red got it again.

Kemoy Anderson suggested many members of the BrandonMC.ninja Facebook group were “really riding nuts in [the group]. ” As a quick refutation, I’ll remind everyone I made my prediction for the winner of PGF Season 2 well before the season. Here’s your eventual winner of PGF Season 2 (regular season):

So my nickname for Hunter Colvin – “The Professional” is both a nod to his competition pedigree (and EXPERIENCE as mig-E likes to point out), but he’s also a dang hitman. I keep going back to Hunter Colvin taking out Kyle Boehm via triangle arm bar (Kyle Boehm vs Hunter Colvin) – remember Kyle Boehm face Gordon Ryan at Who’s Number One. That’s top competition folks! So, I’m on the record saying Colvin is going to take it. I’m a fan of The Bad Guy, but I think The Professional has too much EXPERIENCE and skill.

Turning to some thoughts about this week overall, it’s not block 12 but it’s an Elkins world and we’re just living in it. I asked for some outside commentary regarding the Elkins chances in their matches this week and I received a response:

I believe we’ll easily see both Elkins brothers in the finale May 21-22. I’m very excited to see how far Matt goes with some time to heal his bum knee (I hear a grade 2 LCL tear can take 2-4 weeks to heal). Regardless, it’ll be great to see both in action. I’ve said it before, but I think at least one Elkins needs to be a part of every PGF, with Matt on commentator or coach duties (as long as he gets interviewed) being good enough. Still, I hear the youngest brother might be there for Season 3, which would be pretty cool.

Okay, now transitioning to more serious points:

TIMING NOTE: Block 10 starts day five (I believe they had the fourth day off, except for the Elkins brothers and their matches from day three who had makeups on the day off). Still, most of these guys should be fresh starting off on block 10.

Now on to the analysis for this week:

For your consideration, each fantasy team has 7 possible spots with a total salary cap of $120 for the week.  Any left-over funds do not carry over to the next week. While one could hypothetically maximize their chances at success at playing all 7 roster spots, we often found during season 1 that sacrificing a roster spot to secure more “sure things” was the way to go.

SUPER PREMIUMS (you’re going to offset the expense by dropping a roster spot)

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – $31; faces Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa (brown) [BREAK] and Randy “Dumptruck” Roden (blue) [KILL] – 9 points.  As Tony Ferguson says, “CHAMP SH!T ONLY!” Here we have the PGF Season 1 champ, currently 33-0 in the PGF, facing the inaugural 225 lb champ who won his title at the PGF Season 1 finale, four-man tournament. Okay, so here’s what the odds say – Carlton with his ridiculous legs, sits and gets Barbosa in a leg lock…OR, Barbosa finds a way to pass, perhaps rolling kimura (didn’t work for McCalester in PGF Finale, see below) to back take to RNC. The Blue team leaders are too keyed into Elijah’s triangle attack for them to fall prey to it. Sam’s coaching on the sidelines and analysis has been on point (ok, from a blue belt’s perspective). I think Elijah’s surprising leg lock game gets the break.  That said, Skaff said only four, world-class black belts have gotten Sam to submit. I’d put Colvin in that category, regardless of the COLLUSION. Still, the point of bringing up the collusion is Barbosa could have lasted. For Elijah to get the submission he has to get the leg lock or his triangle. Both those submissions seem hard to survive. I still have to give it to Elijah. For Roden, I think Elijah goes back to the well and gets that triangle. Even if Roden has been alerted to the triangle and seen Elijah’s video, I don’t know if he can get out of it. There’s an off-chance Elijah has to settle for two breaks if Roden’s defense is too strong. Given Elijah’s fantasy points recently and his expected points against this tough competition, I can only think:

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) – $31; faces Joshua Gibbs (purple) [KILL] and “MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) [KILL] – 13 points. Colvin gets the lead over Carlton by securing two kills over purple belts. As I’m trying to show through the pic, Colvin’s nickname isn’t just because of his competition, pedigree or “EXPERIENCE” as mig-E from the McDojo Show would like to point out. No, Colvin is a straight up ASSASSIN! Colvin gets both to the ground, passes their guard and secures the kill.

Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa (brown) – $28; faces Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) [LOSS] and Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) [KILL] – 6 points. See above for analysis of Champ showdown. Barbosa has the strength and cardio advantage over the RONA-diminished Primeau; Barbosa gets the kill.

Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) – $24; faces Randy “Dumptruck” Roden (blue) [KILL] and Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) [KILL] – 12 points. Even though Eakin didn’t have the fourth day off (had to face Jake Elkins), he still has had some rest since day three. I figure at this point, Eakin is still in shock/steaming from the Carlton match, but raring to go. Eakin’s day five may be the worst in the competition, featuring Roden, Kemoy, then Colvin (next episode). But, I think Eakin has learned he needs to give every match his all instead of leaving gas in the tank for later matches (e.g. should’ve gone after MEGA more despite having Carlton afterwards). Calling Eakin for two kills may be influenced by my enjoyment of his YouTube shows as well as my affinity for his original base camp, the 10P Freaks who still train some of my old training partners. Still, if I have to make a call, I’m going TEAM EAKIN (at least in the analysis, I still have to run numbers for the roster). After all, Eakin is still one of two black belts in this competition and runs his own school and tournaments. The wealth of knowledge and experience owned by Eakin should give him a nice edge, even over the younger, more athletic competition he faces tonight.

Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) – $24; faces Evan “8 Mile” Stapler (blue) [KILL] and James Regina (purple) [KILL] – 12 points. Papa Bear Elkins avenges the clan against Stapler, then smashes Regina after he sits. Elkins is putting on a grappling showcase.

Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) – $21; faces “MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) [KILL] and Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) [LOSS] – 6 points. My confidence rating in this evaluation is not the highest. Kemoy could get a kill or a draw/loss against MEGA – I doubt he can kimura those arms. Kemoy may find a sneaky sub against Eakin or lose. I know Kemoy will acquit himself well, but one kill is still an optimistic call.

PREMIUMS

Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) – $17; faces Justin “Judo” Williams (white) [KILL] and Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) [KILL] – 12 points. Here’s where Elkins shines. He’s got two lower belts who have one submission between the two of them. We all know he wants to save energy for BLOCK 12 (GET HERE ALREADY!), but he needs these kills. Maneless will get these kills.

Evan “8 Mile” Stapler (blue) – $16; faces Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) [LOSS] and Joshua Gibbs (purple) [KILL] – 6 points. Papa Bear Elkins gets some revenge for messing with his little brother…only he whups up on his little brother (IS BLOCK 12 HERE YET ALREADY? C’MON!). 8-Mile continues his Vagnar Rocha style attack and forces Gibbs to succumb to a kill.

Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) – $16; faces Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) [KILL] and Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa (brown) [LOSS] – 6 points. This estimation is admittedly the best possible outcome. We need to see Primeau’s price to see if it’s a value pick to put him on your roster.

AVERAGE

Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – $15; faces Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) [LOSS] and Justin “Judo” Williams (white) [BREAK] – 3 points. Before I get called out by Walo Jay again on the McDojo show, I’ll say there could be some inconsistency here. Edwards could pick up a break against Primeau. Edwards would have to wear Primeau down past the four minute mark and then secure a break…or if Primeau tried for another straight ankle lock v heel hook shootout which he would lose this time. Still, with Edwards injury, you can’t bet on him for fantasy…only to be a warrior and power through.

“MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) – $14 – aka the world’s most mysterious man; faces Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) [LOSS] and Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) [LOSS]. MEGA has definitely made a MEGA impression on the competitors and the fans. He’s a beast and not to be taken lightly. Still, he’s facing two pedigreed competitors in these blocks. Kemoy is LEGIT A.F. but has yet to show us his best stuff. I think that match could be his coming out party. If MEGA can force Kemoy to his back, MEGA still has to look out for those triangles Kemoy loves to use. I think the best MEGA gets in that match is a draw. As for facing, the Professional, MEGA doesn’t have a chance. He’s the Professional.

BELOW AVERAGE

Joshua Gibbs (purple) – $12; faces Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) [LOSS] and Evan “8 Mile” Stapler (blue) [LOSS] – 0 points. Gibbs seems like a genuine, great guy. He has some solid jiu jitsu but I’m not sure if he doesn’t have the mentality for the competition or is just a new purple belt in a tank with some killer upper belts. Regardless, my hat’s off to him for mixing it up with this group. But, I am not sure there’s another week left where he’s worth a start.

Randy “Dumptruck” Roden (blue) – $12; faces Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) [LOSS] and Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) [LOSS] – 0 points. Honestly, taking either of these matches to a draw would be a big win for Roden. Roden’s wrestling and top pressure should give Eakin a chance to show what the lockdown game is all about. I’m guessing the Bad Guy goes for the leg lock against Roden – he’ll decide discretion is the better part of valor in that match.

PENNY STOCKS (NOT LIKELY TO MAKE YOU MUCH, BUT IF YOU HAVE MONEY LEFT IN YOUR POCKET…) – a reminder to all competitors, don’t take my comments personally. If I was competing, I would be squarely at the bottom of this category.

Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) – $11; faces James Regina (purple) [LOSS] and Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) [LOSS] – 0 points. Grayson has shown nothing but class in this tournament and his reaction to the matches becoming public on social media. He’s congratulatory and looking to learn from each loss. His humble outlook on the tournament (I’m going to try to at least force the stall/draw) has not made him a fan favorite, but I can understand his natural, no b.s. take on a new blue belt taking on a bunch of seasoned competitors. I hope he continues his journey, which I’m sure he will, then meets 8-Mile in the finals of PGF Season 10.

James Regina (purple) – $11; faces Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) [BREAK] and Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) [LOSS] – 3 points. Regina may be an option at the right price. His leg lock game could get the Southern Samurai, but there’s very little chance he takes down The Head Elkins.

Justin “Judo” Williams (white) – $9; faces Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown){LOSS] and Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown)[LOSS] – 0 points. JUDO seems to be on another wavelength. He seems like a cool cat, but seems definitely out there in the interviews. Nevertheless, JUDO has never thrown in the towel, forcing his competitors to bring their best. I’d really like to see a solid JUDO throw before this season is done.

PGF Week 4 Matchups

BLOCK 10:

Joshua Gibbs (purple) v faces Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) – KILL, Blue 7. DUNK. I think the professional gets it done in less than one minute. Gibbs is one of those competitors who keeps a good spirit regardless of the situation. He knows what/who he’s up against and will give it his all.

Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) v Justin “Judo” Williams (white) – KILL, Red 6. Judo has really stalled out some competitors. But Elkins knows he needs the kill. He’s on the outside of the money and in the last tournament spot. He needs this kill to help secure his spot in the finale tournament. Elkins uses his “profesh” front headlock game to get the kill.

Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) v faces Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) – KILL, Blue 6. I feel kinda bad picking this match. Edwards is powering through an obviously agonizing lower back injury and Primeau is still trying to find his cardio/power after the Rona. I’m going to pull a McDojo Show and go with my heart. Primeau gets his Sao Paolo pass early when he still has his cardio (remember first match of the night) and gets a head and arm triangle.  

James Regina (purple) v Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) – BREAK RED 3. Regina is a leg locker. Grayson fell to Elijah in a handful of seconds to a leglock, but that’s Elijah. Still, other than schools who just love to leg lock (looking at you 10P Freaks), most schools/students are hesitant to work leg locks for a while. While I say that, JUDO had some good leg lock defense against Regina, forcing Regina to get that sweet wristlock/straight arm bar. I have to think Regina collects himself on the day off and doesn’t get too excited on his leg entanglement entries, securing the break.

Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa (brown) v Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) – BREAK RED 3. The match of the night. I don’t want to put the results on it, but this match is Barbosa’s first one after suffering that “I can see my bone” injury during the paintball match. As I’ve pointed out before, Barbosa was scheming with Colvin and Eakin on how to take out Carlton. Elijah sits immediately – he knows Sam is too good to try to wrestle. Sam may try the rolling kimura but it didn’t work out for Caleb McCallister in the PGF Season 1 Finale Tournament (3:31:25 start). Honestly, I went back and watched that match because I was trying to think of who may have had Elijah in a bad spot. Elijah was in the superior position or neutral position the entire match. We have two competing PGF Fantasy Rules (publication forthcoming) – (1) You don’t bet against Elijah until someone beats him, and (2) If you don’t cheer for Barbosa, you don’t have a soul [his main goal is to open an orphanage]. So, I guess we put our fantasy dollars on Elijah, but cheer for Barbosa.

Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) v faces Evan “8 Mile” Stapler (blue) – KILL RED 6.  Papa Bear Elkins avenges his younger brother. Evan tried some of his uchi mata takedowns against Sam Barbosa and ended up on the bottom for his trouble…and that’s with Sam’s casual demeanor wrestling. I think Jake takes down Evan and puts the pressure on him. Again, I think there could be some of that 52 weeks of payback Matt Elkins promised given a little early here. Elkins got the 7 against Grayson and Gibbs, but I think 8-Mile has too much heart. Stapler lasts past the minute mark, getting a moral victory.

“MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) v Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) – KILL, BLUE 6. I think a lot has to do with who ends up on top. I like Kemoy’s ankle pick takedowns. Kemoy is coming off a nice win against Joshua Gibbs via triangle. MEGA is coming off that frustrating draw with Randy Roden. Yeah, I think Kemoy has the wrestling advantage and gets on top. He bullies MEGA a bit and gets the mounted triangle…which is a way of me hedging because I think there’s a chance MEGA could sweep, but still end up in a triangle. Kemoy loves the kimura, but I don’t think going for the kimura on MEGA is a great idea. I’ll stick by my gut and say KILL, KEMOY.

Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) v Randy “Dumptruck” Roden (blue) – KILL, BLUE 6. Eakin knows Roden’s game by now. I think Eakin guaranteed the fastest sit to guard in the PGF during this match. Eakin sits guard and starts working his lockdown game. I’m excited to see the black belt’s lock down game – where folks can see it’s an attacking/at least sweeping position. Once Eakin gets that sweep and gets on top of Roden, he’ll keep that pressure on and secure the win. Eakin has to push hard for this kill. He’s only six points above Kemoy and 14 above Primeau. 14 points might seem like a lot, but that’s two quick kills. There’s a chance Roden uses his athleticism to avoid Eakin’s submissions, but I have to give it to the black belt in this one.

Team Winner: I have Blue by 6, but I also gave Primeau the kill when Edwards could catch Primeau in a leg lock. So, I’m really calling it a toss-up/within the margin of error (i.e. don’t pick players for the team points this week based on this block).

Block 11:

Evan “8 Mile” Stapler (blue) v Joshua Gibbs (purple) – KILL, RED  6. I think 8-Mile’s aggression and pressure secures him the win via head and arm triangle. Gibbs might use his extra experience to trick Stapler, but I just think Stapler’s going to continue his march to BLUE BELT GLORY! (gotta give a fellow blue belt some love). I’m actually almost more interested in seeing if he can get that uchi mata takedown to work on Gibbs.

Kevin “Liquid Terminator/Pete Rose” Primeau (purple) v Sam “the Kingpin” Barbosa (brown) – KILL, BLUE 6.  Primeau could have made this match hard for Barbosa if he wasn’t recovering. As it stands, Barbosa will wear down Primeau and get the RNC.

Kemoy “RatedR/the Bully” Anderson (brown) v Stephen “the Spoiler” Eakin (black) – KILL, BLUE 6. This night may be harder than night one for Stephen Eakin. Eakin has Roden, Kemoy, then Colvin – GOOD GRIEF CHARLIE BROWN! Luckily for Eakin, Kemoy has MEGA Mike in his first match of the night and he should be tired from dealing with that side of beef. Eakin knows if he wants a shot at any money, he needs to win out the season. Kemoy wants to show everyone the hype he had coming into the PGF was warranted. I can’t say how this match is going to play out, so I’ll again take a page from my McDojo Show buddies and pick with my heat. Eakin gets the kill. Either Eakin gets on top and does the head and arm or he has to work his lockdown game to sweep, then get a choke.

Grayson “Southern Samurai” Webster (blue) v Matt “Maneless/the Fade” Elkins (brown) – KILL, RED 6. The difference in BJJ time is key. Elkins sits to protect his knee and save himself for BLOCK 12!!! (If you know, you know). Elkins finds a way to sweep and gets a choke off his front headlock game. I don’t think he goes for the leg lock again. Elkins has been battling through his leg injury all season. He should know if he can secure that fourth spot on the red team, he’ll have time to heal up and show what he’s about in the PGF Season 2 finale tournament. I think Elkins knows he needs this kill to help cement his spot in the tournament.

Elijah “the Bad Guy” Carlton (brown) v Randy “Dumptruck” Roden (blue) – KILL, RED 6. Elijah sits guard, nullifying Roden’s wrestling advantage. The Bad Guy finds a way to his patented triangle attack and executes beautifully. Roden might have seen the triangle attack before but still succumbs to it. Roden might be strong enough to push Elijah to force him to settle for a break (ala Mike “Manscape” Richey in season 1), but my money is on Elijah getting that triangle.

Justin “Judo” Williams v Zack “Squidbilly” Edwards (brown) – BREAK, RED 3. JUDO has shown some good leg defense against Regina, but Edwards is on the next level of the leg game. Edwards sits guard, nullifying any JUDO throws/trips. Edwards gets the leg entanglement and the leg lock.

Jake “Head” Elkins (purple) v James Regina (purple) – KILL, RED 6. Elkins is going to overpower all but the top of the top in this league. Regina will probably sit guard but Elkins trains under 10P Decatur and their purple belts have plenty of leg lock defense. Allowing Jake Elkins top position (if you had a choice) is probably a poor decision. Elkins likely gets to full mount and gets the head and arm triangle.

Hunter “the Professional” Colvin (black) v “MEGA” Mike Johnson (purple) – KILL, BLUE 6. The Professional knows it’s way better to be on top of MEGA than below him. They stand for a second but Colvin gets a double leg to put MEGA on his back (50 seconds in). MEGA probably tries for his half guard game after first being in butterfly, but Colvin passes and gets the RNC. 

Team Winner: Red team takes it by 9 points. Red is ahead enough to have a complete flip of a kill and still get the team points.