DYNAMIC – the word encapsulates so much of the Professional Grappling Federation (PGF). By definition is means “(of a process or system) characterized by constant change, activity, or progress.” Looking at progress, every season has improved – the level of competition, production quality, venue, EVERYTHING. Looking at constant change, fans can just look at the leader boards throughout the season, with the competitors constantly going up and down the standings. But even with the dynamic nature of the standings, the top competitors have started to pull away from the pack. On any given day, a competitor can over perform or underperform, but given a large enough sample size, the top competitors have proven their reputations were well earned.
It’s tradition that every season, the PGF has a blue belt who breaks into the top eight and makes the finale. Also true to PGF tradition, some competitor comes out of nowhere and shocks everyone.
As we head into the final day of the PGF regular season, let’s look back at the best of day 3:
Elijah Carlton (Team Epic Roll) – Black Belt, 10th Planet Atlanta. You can’t stop Elijah, you can only hope to slow him down. After two of the top competitors in the PGF took Elijah to a draw on day one, Elijah has been on a tear. He has started to run away with the competition, sitting at 38 point. He had another three-submission night on day 3, adding a kill and two Elbow Genie Point worthy breaks. In the final day of the season, he faces Young Matthew Dewees, Fedor Nikolov, and David Cooper. Fans have to be excited to see the Fedor and Elijah match, anticipating a display of seriously high-level jiu jitsu. Regardless of the outcome of that match, Elijah should put up some more points and maintain his position atop the PGF standings.
Elijah Carlton starts sinking in the triangle against Buddha Mcclure.
MANTIS Travis Thomas (Team Level) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Decatur. Brandon Mccaghren told everyone that Travis Thomas was his dark horse to win this season of the PGF. Team Level Manager Nekiaya Jackson showed her belief by laying down $1100 for the 11th pick of the draft. BOTH have proven the naysayers wrong! To be fair, both had inside baseball on the professional mixed martial artist who just happens to be phenomenal at jiu jitsu (but if you watch his MMA matches, you’d think he was mainly a striker). Thomas has a preternatural ability to learn combat, whether jiu jitsu or mma fighting. It’s on the record he’s the fastest promoted student ever under Brandon Mccaghren (who has a reputation on making his students cook at their belt levels before promoting). Put plainly, Thomas is a star and we’re all seeing the nascent stages of an outstanding career. In the final day of the PGF, Thomas faces Landon Tourville, Noah Randolph, and Cam Hurd.
No one outside of 10th Planet Decatur could anticipate Thomas’ meteoric rise.
Landon Tourville (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt, Fathom BJJ. Once called the man of mystery because he had such little rolling footage online, he’s shown he belongs in the PGF. The GOAT of Day 1 had a solid day two with three submissions but ran into top competitors on Day 3. Landon had to face Elijah Carlton and Kemoy Anderson, receiving submissions from both. Landon still found a way to put points on the bar by arm crushing Luke Church. He sits at a very respectable fourth place heading into the final day of the season, but can he stay in the top 8? In the final day of the season, he faces Travis Thomas, Nick Craton, and Matt Elkins. These competitors represent some of the toughest opponents one could face in the PGF and they’re all still jockeying for position in the top eight themselves. If Landon can’t get a submission today, there’s a real possibility he might not make the playoffs.
Landon Tourville sinks in the arm crush against Cody “Moose” Fritz.
Nick Craton (Team Epic Roll) – Brown Belt at Adamas Jiu Jitsu, formerly of 10th Planet St. Paul. He got Josh Gibbs with a heel hook within the first minute to also gain the Elbow Genie Point. Then he used his awesome anaconda on Luke Church to get those six points for the kill. He was very close to having a three-submission day but despite threatening Young Matthew Dewees for the majority of the match, he just couldn’t finish him off. He started slow but after the third day is in third place. In the final day of the season, Craton faces Noah Randolph, Landon Tourville, and Sawyer Griffin. He should be able to score a couple of submissions to maintain his spot in the finale. As long as he makes the finale, he has every possibility to make a real run at the PGF title.
Nick Craton faced a super resilient Young Matthew Dewees in his first match of Day 3. Dewees forced the draw, but Craton was attacking the entire match.
Matt Elkins (Team Toe Hold Blue)– Black Belt, 10th Planet Birmingham. Many fans picked him to unseat Elijah Carlton as the king of the PGF. Elkins has had a slow start to the season. He’s built up a head of steam by getting an Elbow Genie Point kill on day two and securing two more kills on day 3. He’s tied for 7th and on the bubble heading into the final day of the season. Today he faces Sam Schwartzapfel, Sawyer Griffin, and Landon Tourville. All these competitors are either fighting to maintain or to break into the top eight. He needs to gets some submissions to ensure his spot in the finale and he’s facing very motivated competition. But over multiple seasons in the PGF, Elkins has proven he has the grit and killer instincts to finish strong.
In a highly anticipated rematch from the ADCC East Coast Trials, Matt Elkins and Cam Hurd kept the pace going the entire match. It ended up in a draw, but a draw that fans enjoyed and will likely watch again many times.
Fedor Nikolov (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet HQ (formerly 10th Planet St. Petersburg). Fedor had a very strong first day with multiple submissions. He slowed down a bit on day 2, only getting one break, but he got back to his multiple submission ways on day 3. He scored a kill via triangle and an armbar for nine points on the day. Fedor sits at sixth place, but needs to fight for more submissions to ensure he makes the playoffs. In the final day of the season, he faces a tough lineup in Kemoy Anderson, Elijah Carlton, and Moose Fritz. Fedor has two wins over Moose in the LA Qualifier, but everyone knows Moose has been looking to get one back. His other competitors will be motivated to either maintain or improve their seeding for the finale. But one has to imagine, in this scenario, Fedor will put his best jiu jitsu on display. Fans should be excited to see a motivated Fedor against high level competition today.
Fedor Nikolov hits the armbar against Luke Church Claunch.
Fans can expect another four plus hours of exciting matches tonight on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel as PGF Season 5, Day 4 will kick off LIVE at 4pm Central time. The FINALE roster and the Regular Season winner will be determined tonight!
THE CHAMP IS HERE! THE CHAMP IS HERE! THE CHAMP IS HERE! Elijah Carlton and a number of the other highly touted competitors showed why they were so highly regarded coming into the PGF Season. But our GOAT from Day 1 kept his impressive run going as well. Fans who missed Day 2 can catch up by watching it on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel. Let’s take a look at some of the standouts from Day 2.
Elijah Carlton (Team Epic Roll) – Black Belt, 10th Planet Atlanta–As Elijah himself has said, he’s inevitable. A couple of competitors were able to force draws, by either expertly defending or running from Elijah on day 1. Elijah’s competitors could do neither on day 2. The Jabroni Grappler secured two kills and a break to soar to the top of the standings.
Sam Schwartzapfel faces off against teammate Fedor Nikolov.
Sam Schwartzapfel (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet HQ– Picked to have an outstanding day on the first day, Sam only secured a break. Sam came back with a kill and a vicious break in the form of a crotch ripper. Sam now sits at 6th place and aims to stay in the top eight to make the finale.
Landon Tourville – Blue Belt, Fathom BJJ : The young blue belt continues to impress. He scored with a break in all three of his matches. Halfway through the PGF regular season, he’s in second place. As mentioned previously, Toe Hold Red Manager Matt Skaff only had to give Landon the league minimum of $100. He’s proving to the be steal of the draft.
Landon Tourville looking to leg lock Luke Church.
Nick Craton (Team Epic Roll) – Brown Belt at Adamas Jiu Jitsu, formerly of 10th Planet St. Paul. Craton came in as a dark horse to win the entire thing, but had a lackluster first day. Craton came out with a sense of urgency, leading off all of Day 2 with an Elbow Genie Anaconda, getting seven points. He secured another break to bring him up to 5th place. Now he’s in the hunt for the title again and will keep fighting for it the rest of the season.
Nick Craton had a great match with Kemoy Anderson.
The final part of the story is the emerging DOMINANCE of Team Epic Roll. At the end of the first day, they were in third place with only 22 team points. But on day 2, they put up 43 points! They now have a COMMANDING lead at 65 team points. Their next closest competitor is Team Level with 48 points. It looks like “the Yankees of the PGF” will run away with the team championship.
The leaders board has changed so many times. Expect the top eight to constantly change until the final block of the PGF regular season. Fans can expect another four plus hours of exciting matches tonight on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel as PGF Season 5, Day 3 will kick off LIVE at 4pm Central time. Fans will find out if another blue belt will shine or if the highly touted veterans take their turn at the top. Either way it will be exciting, so tune in to the show!
We’re getting close to show time for Day 3 and I know you need to set your teams. So, we’ll keep the preamble short. Look for a number of highly touted competitors to start putting up points as they have better schedules this week. Also, there’s been a number of injuries so make sure you understand who is actually competing as you don’t want someone who’s injured on your fantasy team and competitors facing replacement players should get a boost in their point totals by the end of the night. As always, may the odds be ever in your favor.
Elijah Carlton (Team Epic Roll) – Black Belt, 10th Planet Atlanta– $23. He faces Buddha Mcclure, Landon Tourville, and Sawyer Griffin. In his day 2 post interview Elijah said the key to winning is for the top tier contenders to get dunks on the lower ranked players. Landon Tourville has been a breakout star of Season 2, but we’ll see if it was just a good schedule or top-level skills when he faces Elijah. Expect Elijah to get three submissions today. – 15 points.
The Rock Troll Maximus Prime Jolly (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, Upper Cumberland MMA/10th Planet Cookeville – $21. He faces Jacob Lamar, Handsome Kevin Sherrill, and Kemoy Anderson. There’s a very real chance Lamar has to be out due to an eye poke from Day 2. Whether it’s Lamar or Alex Rodriguez replacing him, the Rock Troll should get a submission in that match. The other two matches will be very tough against other seasoned PGF veterans. – 6 points.
Fedor Nikolov (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet HQ (formerly 10th Planet St. Petersburg) – $21. He faces Luke Church, Cam Hurd, and Jacob Lamar. On paper he should get three submissions, but can he pick up his pace to handle the PGF’s six-minute rounds. I’d expect a kill against Lamar or Alex Rodriguez if he replaces him. A break against Church. A draw against Cam Hurd (but he could get a break in that match). – 9 points.
Matt Elkins (Team Toe Hold Blue)– Black Belt,10th Planet Birmingham – $20. He faces Cam Hurd, Luke Church, and Josh Gibbs. The Cam Hurd match is HIGHLY ANTICIPATED as a rematch from the ADCC East Coast Trials – Cam won by points. Now that it’s sub only, can Elkins get the PGF points on Cam? Elkins has to be feeling a true sense of urgency. He put seven points on the board on day 2, but he’s low in the rankings. If he doesn’t get at least two kills today, he may not make the finale. – 15 points.
Nick Craton (Team Epic Roll) – Brown Belt at Adamas Jiu Jitsu, formerly of 10th Planet St. Paul – $19. He faces Matthew Dewees, Josh Gibbs, and Luke Church. Expect a big day from Craton. Dewees has shown to be very resilient, but Craton is dangerous. I’m expecting two kills and a break. – 15 points.
Kemoy Anderson (Team Level) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet Austin (formerly 10th Planet El Paso) – $18. Kemoy faces Landon Tourville, Buddha Mcclure, Maximus Jolly. Kemoy’s strategy is clearly to maximize his points against the “lower-tier” opponents and to stall out or give no points when he faces his tougher opponents. Look for Kemoy to try to maximize his points today. But, Jolly and Tourville could prove more resilient than Kemoy expects, taking him to a draw. – 6 points.
MANTIS Travis Thomas (Team Level) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Decatur – $18. He faces Josh Gibbs, Matthew Dewees, and Sam Schwartz. Gibbs and Dewees have shown true grit in many of their matches but the sheer athleticism along with his formidable jiu jitsu skill should allow Thomas to get submissions against them. Schwartzapfel is a much tougher proposition and likely leads to a draw. – 12 points.
Anakin McMahan (Team Level) – Brown Belt, SubHounds – $17.Anakin being out after possibly having his foot broken by that toe hold that Paul Bahri put on him.
Handsome Kevin Sherrill (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, LHM/American Top Team Atlanta – $17. Handsome Kevin has a very favorable lineup today. Handsome Kevin knows he needs to get kills if he wants to make the finale, he NEEDS to score KILLS. He made the Season 3 Finale with only 4 Kills, but he also had a BUNCH of team points. With Epic Roll running away with the Team Points, Handsome Kevin is going to have to rely upon himself if he wants to make the finale. That said, it’s going to be a tall order to submit the Rock Troll. Maximus Jolly has never been submitted while in the PGF (his loss in the PGF Season 4 Finale was by EBI overtime ride time). – 12 points.
Cameron Hurd (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, Silver Back NOVA – $17. He faces MATT ELKINS, Fedor Nikolov, and David Cooper. The match against Matt Elkins is the HIGHLY ANTICIPATED rematch from ADCC East Coast Trials where Cam earned the win by points (takedown). But Elkins beat the best wrestler in PGF History (his brother Jake) by sitting and using his jiu jitsu. Look for Matt to sit and use his jiu jitsu to beat Cam. Fedor is another tough matchup where Cam is unlikely to score. Cam will need to get a Kill against Cooper if he wants to keep his post-season hopes alive. – 6 points
Sam Schwartzapfel (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet HQ and 10th Planet NYC – $17. He faces Moose Fritz, Paul Bahri, and Travis Thomas. Sam is in the finale for now, but can’t let up if he wants to make sure he’s in the show on Saturday. I think he gets the subs against Moose (they didn’t actually face each other at the LA qualifier) and Bahri, but Thomas forces the draw.
Jacob Lamar (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Black Belt, Cobra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – $16. Lamar suffered a torn cornea and can no longer participate in the PGF.
Noah Randolph – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Decatur He faces Maximus Jolly, David Cooper, Fedor Nikolov. Noah is very hard to submit, but he’s been susceptible to leg locks. He probably pulls out the win against Cooper, but either gets a draw or falls to Jolly and Nikolov. – 6 points
Landon Tourville (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt, Fathom BJJ – $12. He faces Kemoy Anderson, Elijah Carlton, and Moose Fritz. This lineup is a BIG step up in competition. He’s facing two seasoned veterans. Can the GOAT of Day 1 take the GOAT of the PGF? And Moose isn’t an easy win either. – 3 points.
Luke Church Claunch (Team Level) – Purple Belt at 10th Planet Decatur – $15. He faces Fedor Nikolov, Matt Elkins, and Nick Craton. Church is game, but not game enough to get a sub against this murderer’s row of opponents. – 0 points.
Cody “MOOSE” Fritz (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Santa Barbara – $14. He faces Sam Schwartzapfel, Sawyer Griffin, and Landon Tourville. Moose is already a fan favorite because of his personality and unorthodox style, but he’s going to have a tough time getting a submission today.– 0 points.
Tony “Buddha” McClure (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Blue Belt, Integrity BJJ and Fitness – $14. He faces Elijah Carlton, Kemoy Anderson, and Maximus Jolly. We love Buddha, but he’s not getting a submission today. – 0 points.
Paul Bahri (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville – $13. He faces Sawyer Griffin, Sam Schwartzapfel, and Matthew Dewees. He beat his good friend Dewees to win the Jacksonville qualifier, but that was a decision victory. He’s unlikely to get a submission today. – 0 points.
Matthew DeWees (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville – $13. He faces Nick Craton, Travis Thomas, and Paul Bahri. He’ll probably force a draw against Bahri, but will suffer losses to Craton and Thomas. – 0 points.
Joshua “Full Time” Gibbs (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt at Nomad Jiu Jitsu of Lynchburg, Va – $12. He faces Travis Thomas, Nick Craton, and Matt Elkins. All the PGF Insiders love Full Time but he’s likely to get submitted in all three matches. Besides, we have to pick against him because he’s beating us in Fantasy PGF – 0 points.
Carson ThigpenSawyer Griffin (Team Level) – Purple Belt at 10th Planet Decatur – $12. Sawyer steps in for Carson Thigpen on all schedules (BUT YOU MUST PUT SAWYER GRIFFIN ON YOUR ROSTER, NOT CARSON). He faces Paul Bahri, Moose Fritz, and Elijah Carlton. The match against Bahri should be non-stop action. He might surprise Moose, but will definitely suffer a loss to Elijah. – 6 points.
Alex Rodriguez (Unknown) – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Orange Park – $10. He’s not on the roster, but he might have to step in if someone is injured.
David Cooper – Blue Belt, Ironclad Wrestling. – $10 He faces Handsome Kevin Sherrill, Noah Randolph, and Cam Hurd. Unlikely to get a submission, but can help you round out your team.
There’s a concept called Regression to the Mean. Basically, those that overperform or underperform on one day are likely to reverse course and return to their baseline as time continues.
Some of the most highly touted picks like Elijah, Matt Elkins, and Handsome Kevin, put few if any points on the board on Day 1. While many of the tops picks will be facing each other once again on Day 2, they should have more opportunities for points. On the other hand, we had standouts Landon Tourville and the Rock Troll Maximus Jolly outperform many folks’ expectations (I had your back Maximus). Do they regress to the mean or do they keep disproving their detractors?
As the PGF Seasons have continued, making fantasy picks have has become more and more difficult. Managers have to analyze every matchup and know many of them could go either way or end up in draws. As competitor Nick Craton pointed out in the official PGF Season 5 Whatsapp Chat, this blog was wildly wrong on day 1. But everyone is learning more about this season’s competitors as the days go on. Managers who can adjust their assumptions correctly and quickly will have the best shot at the money and gear offered up by XMartial.com. Good Luck!
Elijah Carlton (Team Epic Roll) – Black Belt, 10th Planet Atlanta– $23 After doubling his career draws in one night, Elijah Carlton faces Matt Elkins, Josh Gibbs, and Luke Church. He faces Matt Elkins first. Against Matt Elkins, he has a patented Elijah Triangle in PGF Season Regular 1 and a heel hook in that postseason. In Season 2, Elijah got Matt with a RNC in regular season. Coming into this match, Elijah has 4 points and Matt has 0 points. Would’ve never guess it.Next he faces Josh Gibbs. In season 3, Josh held out for a long time, forcing Elijah to settle for a break, but he was threatened by a choke for long time. Finally he faces Luke Church. Luke has shown some unforseen skill, but Elijah should be able to get the kill. – 15 points
The Rock Troll Maximus Prime Jolly (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, Upper Cumberland MMA/10th Planet Cookeville – $21. The ever-exciting Rock Troll faces Young Matthew Dewees, Paul Bahri, and Travis Thomas. Young Matthew impressed with his resilience and skill on Day 1. While Dewees skillfully navigates his opponents’ leg attacks on Day 1, he hasn’t faced the Rock Troll’s speed and intensity. Maximus will likely get a break here. Then, he faces the other Duval competitor in Paul Bahri. Paul has a great athletic ability, but there’s a good chance Maximus will find one of those long limbs and take it home. Travis Thomas will be a real challenge. He’s shown himself as one of the most athletic PGF members, but also has greatly leveled up his leg and armbar game. Don’t count on points in that match. – 6 points.
Fedor Nikolov (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet HQ (formerly 10th Planet St. Petersburg) – $21. The steal of the PGF draft faces Carson Thigpen, Sam Schwartzapfel, and Matthew Dewees. He should be able to get submissions against Thigpen and Dewees, but Sam’s a tougher call. Sam and Fedor were teammates at 10PHQ. At the LA qualifier, Fedor and Sam split matches. Sam got the first win via decision. Then Fedor got a lightning quick leg lock in the second. In the final match, it was against a decision, going to Fedor. A draw is very likely. – 9 points.
Matt Elkins (Team Toe Hold Blue)– Black Belt,10th Planet Birmingham – $20. He faces Elijah Carlton, Kemoy Anderson, and Handsome Kevin Sherrill. This might be the toughest lineup anyone faces in the PGF. But if he wants to make the finale and make his claim for the PGF title, he’s going to have to put some points on the board. Against Elijah Carlton, he’s 0-3. Elkins got Kemoy with a guillotine in the PGF Season 2 regular season. Handsome Kevin and Elkins haven’t faced each other, but it should be great. Two former college wrestlers with great jiu jitsu skills. It’ll be interesting to see who can implement their game. – 9 points.
Nick Craton (Team Epic Roll) – Brown Belt at Adamas Jiu Jitsu, formerly of 10th Planet St. Paul – $19. He faces Buddha McClure, Handsome Kevin Sherrill, and Kemoy Anderson. He faces Buddha McClure, Handsome Kevin Sherrill, and Kemoy Anderson. Buddha is susceptible to leg locks so Nick should at least get a break. Craton is 2-0 against Kevin Sherrill, securing an Anaconda choke in their last match a few months ago. Kemoy will be hard to submit. He’s very cautious and deliberate- Craton might get another draw here. – 6 points.
Kemoy Anderson (Team Level) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet Austin (formerly 10th Planet El Paso) – $18. Kemoy faces Josh Gibbs, Matt Elkins, and Nick Craton. In their last matchup in Season 2, Kemoy got a triangle from bottom against Gibbs. He will likely get another submission in their match. Kemoy was guillotined by Matt Elkins in their season 2 match – so Kemoy may be very cautious leading to a draw. Again, Kemoy may force a draw against Craton due to respecting his leg locks. – 6 points.
MANTIS Travis Thomas (Team Level) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Decatur – $18. He faces Handsome Kevin Sherrill, Buddha Mcclure, and Maximus Jolly. Even with what he’s shown, I’m anticipating no points from his matches with Handsome Kevin and Maximus, but a break against Buddha. – 3 points.
Anakin McMahan (Team Level) – Brown Belt, SubHounds – $17. He faces Paul Bahri, Matthew Dewees, and Sam Schwartzapfel. Bahri and Dewees from 10th Planet Jacksonville (DUVAL!) have faced many great leg lockers, but Anakin has to think he has a good shot of submitting them. Sam Schwartzapfel will be tough, but Fedor was able to get a quick leglock against him. If Sam is smart, he went back and watched the LA qualifier to see how Fedor setup that submission. – 6 points.
Handsome Kevin Sherrill (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, LHM/American Top Team Atlanta – $17. He faces Travis Thomas, Nick Craton, and Matt Elkins. Today, he faces Travis Thomas, Nick Craton, and Matt Elkins. Whoever made the matches for Handsome Kevin must be jealous of his looks, because they didn’t do him any favors. Before the season started, I would’ve had Kevin getting a Kill against Travis. He still may, but I’m less confident of it. Nick Craton owns a 2-0 record against Handsome Kevin including an anaconda a few months ago. Handsome Kevin likely won’t score a submission. Likewise, I can’t pick a winner in the Matt Elkins match. – 6 points.
Cameron Hurd (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, Silver Back NOVA – $17. He faces Moose Fritz, Landon Tourville, and Carson Thigpen. He faces Moose Fritz, Landon Tourville, and Carson Thigpen Sawyer Griffin. Hurd will have problems with the unorthodox competitors Moose and Landon. Griffin has showed he’s not afraid to wrestle with D1 wrestlers (Handsome Kevin in Wetumpka qualifier) and Griffin has sneaky back takes. Even if Cam can dominate exchanges, can he finish his submissions? – 0 pints
Jacob Lamar (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Black Belt, Cobra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – $16. He faces Sam Schwartz, Carson Thigpen, and Landon Tourville. He faces Sam Schwartz, Sawyer Griffin, and Landon Tourville. All three of these competitors are tough and he’ll have to fight to get a submission against any one of them.
Landon Tourville (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt, Fathom BJJ – $12. Luke Church, Cam Hurd, and Jacob Lamar. He faces Luke Church, Cam Hurd, and Jacob Lamar. Church and Lamar are possible submissions for Landon. Hurd will be hard, but Tourville has proven his detractors wrong before. – 6 points.
Luke Church Claunch (Team Level) – Purple Belt at 10th Planet Decatur – $15. He faces Landon Tourville, Cam Hurd, and Elijah Carlton. Church has exceeded expectations so far, but the prospect of putting points on the board against these opponents isn’t looking good. – 0 points.
Cody “MOOSE” Fritz (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Santa Barbara – $14. He faces Cam Hurd, Luke Church, and Josh Gibbs. So now he’s facing a wrestler, a replacement player, and a former replacement player. He has a much better shot at getting subs today. – 6 points.
Tony “Buddha” McClure (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Blue Belt, Integrity BJJ and Fitness – $14. He faces Nick Craton, Travis Thomas, and Paul Bahri. He faces Nick Craton, Travis Thomas, and Paul Bahri. Unlikely to win against Craton or Thomas, but the match against Bahri should be really fun. Both are very athletic. Their match should be wild as they both try to prove themselves. – 0 points.
Paul Bahri (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville – $13. He faces Anakin McMahan, Maximus Jolly, and Buddha Mcclure. This lineup of opponents is a little better than day 1, but not by much. He could get some subs, but I’m not confident – so go with your gut. – 0 points.
Matthew DeWees (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville – $13. He faces Maximus Jolly, Anakin McMahan, and Fedor Nikolov. Young Matthew impressed on Day 1 but he’s getting a big step up in competition for day 2. He has potential to sneak in a sub but I’m not predicting one. – 0 points.
Joshua “Full Time” Gibbs (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt at Nomad Jiu Jitsu of Lynchburg, Va – $12. He faces Kemoy Anderson, Elijah Carlton, and Moose Fritz. He might force some draws here, but likely no subs of his own. – 0 points.
Carson ThigpenSawyer Griffin (Team Level) – Purple Belt at 10th Planet Decatur – $12. Sawyer steps in for Carson Thigpen. He faces Fedor Nikolov, Jacob Lamar, and Cam Hurd. While Sawyer is likely more rested than his opponents, they are tough. I think he can sneak a RNC against Lamar so he might be a nice pickup. – 6 points.
Every season, the level of competition in the Professional Grappling Federation ramps up. PGF Season 5 Day 1 proved no match is a foregone conclusion. It proved yet again, some blue belts’ stars will shine bright and some highly touted competitors can fade. Fans who missed Day 1 can catch up by watching it on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel. Let’s take a look at some of the standouts from Day 1.
Landon Tourville – Blue Belt, Fathom BJJ : Your Nashville Qualifier winner didn’t get much respect in the PGF Season 5 Live Draft. He went for the league minimum – $100. The Commissioner, Brandon Mccaghren, pointed out that even if Tourville doesn’t get any more points, Team Toe Hold Red led by Matt Skaff has more than gotten their money’s worth from Landon. Every season, the PGF has a blue belt who shines and becomes a star. Landon Tourville has made a great start. And he’s not shy about telling his detractors he came to win (as can be seen in the cover photo and his post-Day 1 interview). Landon Tourville leads all competitors with 11 points.
The Rock Troll Maximus Jolly stands victorious after securing a break against Anakin McMahan. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
A breakout star and fan favorite from PGF Season 4, some said the Rock Troll Maximus Jolly would be too undersized for Season 5. After all, Season 4 was 155 pounds compared to Season 5’s 185 pounds. The Rock Troll told his detractors jiu jitsu was meant for skilled smaller practitioners to be able to take on larger opponents…then he went on the mats and backed up those words. Jolly’s “grip it and rip it” style allowed him to secure two breaks in less than one minute getting him six points for the two breaks as well as an additional two Elbow Genie Points for the quick submissions. He comes in at third with nine points.
Fedor Nikolov locks in the dead orchard submission against Buddha Mcclure on Day 1 of PGF Season 5. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
Fedor Nikolov came into PGF Season 5 with a lot of buzz behind him. He won the Los Angeles Qualifier and in a student directly under Eddie Bravo. Still, somehow Team Toe Hold Red Manager was able to steal him for only $700 in the PGF Auction draft. Again, Skaff has been proven right with Fedor scoring a kill via rear-naked choke and a break via dead orchard. Fedor has shown he came to win the PGF and the buzz was well-earned. He left PGF Season 5 Day 1 in second place with 10 points.
While these three competitors had outstanding days, a number of highly touted players had few, if any points. As said at the beginning of this piece, the level of competition is ever growing in the PGF. Even though a number of the highly ranked competitors coming in the season didn’t put points on the board, they gave the fans exciting matches. Fans can expect another four plus hours of exciting matches tonight on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel as PGF Season 5, Day 2 will kick off LIVE at 4pm Central time. Fans will find out if another blue belt will shine or if the highly touted veterans take their turn at the top. Either way it will be exciting, so tune in to the show!
The editors at EggheadWarrior.com thank the PGF Insiders, and all the competitors for providing the content of this article. The PGF Insiders will always work to provide the latest and greatest information regarding the PGF and you can see their weekly podcasts on the McDojo Life YouTube Channel or Brandon Mccaghren’s channel (if a member). Special thanks to Walo Jay for all the great photos. Those interested in Walo’s work can check out his YouTube page (link is specifically to Walo’s Handsome Kevin short) and Walo’s website. Anyone wanting to promote the PGF can copy all or parts of this article and disseminate as desired, but please give some credit to EggheadWarrior.com.
The PGF starts off with some BANGERS tonight! To be very honest, the competitive level of the PGF increases every season and this one has increased more than the rest. Many of today’s matches are very hard to call and could go either way. But, even with imperfect information, we have to make our picks and assemble our fantasy teams.
For all the competitors and their home coaches reading these articles, remember, it’s all done out of love. Please don’t hurt Egghead when he finally gets to open mat.
Here’s the analysis:
Overarching advice: Team Epic Roll is OP or over-powered as my son would say. The Yankees of the PGF are likely to win every block of the PGF (meaning the Team who accumulates the most points through submissions in that block). Due to every team who wins the block getting an additional Team Point for their team, you will likely see every team member of Team Epic Roll get an extra three points each night. So, besides the analysis below, you should probably anticipate every member of Team Epic Roll getting essentially an additional Break every night.
SUPER PREMIUMS (you’re going to offset the expense by dropping a roster spot)
Elijah Carlton (Team Epic Roll) – Black Belt, 10th Planet Atlanta– $26 Elijah faces Moose Fritz, Handsome Kevin, and Kemoy Anderson. While he faces some stiff talent, it’s Elijah. Moose has been talking at Elijah both on his PGF Insiders interview and on the PGF 5 Whatsapp chat. Expect Elijah to take that personally and to find a way to score a Kill on the Young Moose. As for Handsome Kevin, he’s tough and knows Elijah’s games as they were both under Sean Applegate for a good bit. Expect Elijah to settle for a break. Likewise, Elijah had to settle for a break against Kemoy in Season 2 at about 4:36 seconds into the match, so expect another break in their match. Elijah – one kill, two breaks, three team points – 15 points.
Matt Elkins (Team Toe Hold Blue)– Black Belt,10th Planet Birmingham – $23. Elkins faces some more manageable competition. He first matches up against Nick Craton. Nick has killer breaking mechanics but is susceptible to heavy pressure from the top. Nick will get a break if he can get ahold of Elkins’ legs, but Elkins has a good chance to get on top of Nick and get the Kill. Next he faces Travis Thomas. They are both belted under Brandon Mccaghren and have rolled many times, I’m sure. I’d expect Elkins to “big brother” Thomas and to get the kill. Finally, Elkins faces a very athletic blue belt in Paul Bahri. Elkins’ experience will shine as he gets another kill. – 18 points.
Nick Craton (Team Epic Roll) – Brown Belt at Adamas Jiu Jitsu, formerly of 10th Planet St. Paul – $22. His first match against Matt Elkins will be instructional. As both are contenders for the PGF title, it will be tough. To be consistent, I’m guessing Craton won’t get any points in this match. Next Craton faces Paul Bahri. While Barhri goes against very solid people in the 10P Jacksonville gym, but Craton has killer finishing mechanics. I expect Craton to get a break in this match. Craton finally faces another dark horse in the form of Travis Thomas. If Craton can catch Handsome Kevin in his Anaconda (in another promotion a few months ago), he should be able to catch Thomas. – 9 points + 3 team points – 12 points.
Fedor Nikolov (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet HQ (formerly 10th Planet St. Petersburg) – $20 Fedor faces a dangerous Anakin McMahon in his first match. But coming from 10P HQ, he’s used to dangerous leg lockers. Expect a dead orchard in Anakin’s future as Fedor gets a break. I’m very torn on Fedor v Maximus, but Fedor gets the more high profile nod so I’m estimating another break here. Finally, Fedor faces Buddha Mcclure. Buddha is motivated but inexperienced compared to Fedor. Fedor will likely get another break. – 9 points.
The Rock Troll Maximus Prime Jolly (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, Upper Cumberland MMA/10th Planet Cookeville – $20. Maximus will answer the question whether being undersized matters when he faces Buddha Mcclure. Buddha is a very strong competitor – he has to get a permit for those guns. But, I expect Maximus to find a way to grab one of Buddha’s appendages and take it home. Against Fedor, Maximus will face a very dangerous opponent with lots of high-level experience. Maximus won’t get any points in that match. Finally, Maximus faces a dangerous opponent in Anakin McMahan. Both are the type of sub hunters that can take an appendage home in a split second. I think Anakin might be looking past the Rock Troll and the Rock Troll makes him pay with a break. – 6 points + 3 team points = 12 points.
Anakin McMahan (Team Level) – Brown Belt, SubHounds – $19. Anakin faces a very tough Fedor in his first match and likely won’t get any points. Next Anakin faces Budda Mcclure. Here it will depend on whose game wins out. Anakin only needs one opportunity to score a break and I think he’ll get it. Finally, he faces the Rock Troll – to be consistent I’m saying he gets no points, but he could just as easily get 3 points here. – 3 points.
Handsome Kevin Sherrill (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, LHM/American Top Team Atlanta – $18. In one of the most exciting matches of the night, Handsome Kevin faces Kemoy. This match of tough competitors could end in a draw, but both PGF veterans know they need to maximize points so they should both open up their games. I’m anticipating Handsome Kevin to find a way to get the break. Next Handsome Kevin faces Elijah Carlton – if anyone can get Elijah, it might be Handsome Kevin, but the chances aren’t good enough to bet on it. Finally, Handsome Kevin faces Moose Fritz. Here, the experience of Handsome Kevin should win the day and get him the Kill. – 9 points.
Kemoy Anderson (Team Level) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet Austin (formerly 10th Planet El Paso) – $18. Kemoy faces Handsome Kevin first and is likely not go get points out of the exchange. Next, he faces Moose Fritz. Kemoy’s size and strength as well as experience likely will lead to a break. Finally, Kemoy faces Elijah – a tough match. He lost in their last matchup and will likely not get points in this exchange.
Cameron Hurd (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, Silver Back NOVA – $17. Cam gets a good matchup against an experience black belt in Jacob Lamar. Cam’s wrestling and strength will allow him to get a good chance at a kill from the front headlock setup. Next, he faces Josh Gibbs. While Cam is TOUGH, Gibbs is resilient as can be. Gibbs almost forced Elijah to a draw in season 3, so it’s likely he can get a draw against Cam. Now with Cam’s strength, it’s also he could likely score a kill. Finally, he faces Kevin Church. Church has shown he’s hard to kill. Cam’s showing in this match will show whether he is conditioned to go for position over submission or whether he can get those submissions. If betting, I’d go with another draw. – 6 points + 3 team points. 9 points.
Sam Schwartzapfel (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet HQ and 10th Planet NYC – $17. As the last person on Epic Roll’s roster he gets some good matchups. He faces Young Matthew Dewees, Landon Tourville, and Carson Thigpen. Expect Sam to make a huge splash against these young men. – 18 points + 3 team points = 21 points.
MANTIS Travis Thomas (Team Level) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Decatur – $16. Travis faces another long and athletic competitor in Paul Bahri. We have to go with the purple belt over the blue belt and Travis with a break. Travis faces Matt Elkins next and likely falls to Elkins. Finally, he faces Nick Craton – a very dangerous opponent – and likely gets no points. – 3 points.
Jacob Lamar (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Black Belt, Cobra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – $16. Faces Cam Hurd first for no points. Then, he faces a super resilient Luke Church – I think Lamar will pull out some black belt wizardry and get a kill here. Finally, Lamar faces Josh Gibbs. Again you think some black belt magic and secure a break. – 9 points
Cody “MOOSE” Fritz (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Santa Barbara – $15. Fritz got Matt Elkins’ today. Meaning, three of the toughest opponents on the first day. He faces Elijah Carlton, Kemoy Anderson, and Handsome Kevin Sherrill – a MURDERS’ ROW. Don’t bet on Moose today even if you really like him like most of us do. – 0 points.
Luke Church (Team Level) – Purple Belt at 10th Planet Decatur – $15. He faces Josh Gibbs first. Both are super tough and will probably have a great match but not get a submission. Next he faces a seasoned black belt in Jacob Lamar which should get him no points. Finally, he faces Cam Hurd – again a TOUGH opponent. Don’t bet on any points from Church today. 0 points.
Carson Thigpen (Team Level) – Blue Belt at Renzo Gracie Nashville – $15. He’s always dangerous. While he’s facing a qualifier winner in Landon Tourville, I think Thigpen might pull out some stache magic and find a way to get a break. Next, he gets a rematch against Matthew Dewees. In the Nashville Qualifier, Dewees scored a nice submission on Thigpen. We have to expect the same tonight, or maybe a draw. Finally, he faces a killer in Sam Schwartzapfel – not a nice matchup for him. He’s likely only getting – 3 points.
Paul Bahri (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville – $14. The matchmakers were not nice to Paul today. He faces Travis Thomas, Nick Craton, and Matt Elkins. It’s tough to be a blue belt, even if they are people too (looking at you Brandon Mccaghren). Don’t bet on points from Paul tonight – 0 points.
Joshua “Full Time” Gibbs (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt at Nomad Jiu Jitsu of Lynchburg, Va – $14. Gibbs is a fan favorite. He faces Luke Church Claunche, Cam Hurd, and Jacob Lamar. While we expect Gibbs to put on great matches, showing his grit and determination, we don’t expect any points. – 0 points.
Tony “Buddha” McClure (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Blue Belt, Integrity BJJ and Fitness – $13. Buddha faces the Rock Troll Maximus Jolly, Anakin McMahan, and Fedor Nikolov. He could make something happen, but don’t expect to get any points from Buddha today. – 0 points.
Matthew DeWees (Team Toe Hold Blue) – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville – $13. Young Matthew faces Sam Schwartzapfel, Carson Thigpen, and Landon Tourville. He has little chance against Sam. At the Nashville qualifier, he subbed Carson and had a decision loss against Tourville. These last two competitors are both close to Dewees. It’s safest to estimate one break in these matches – 3 points.
Landon Tourville (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt, Fathom BJJ – $12. Landon faces Carson Thigpen, Sam Schwartzapfel, and Matthew Dewees. Landon has one of the smallest sample size of competition footage of the competitors. He got a decision win against Dewees in the qualifier he won. He could come out and get subs on Thigpen and Dewees. But it’s more likely he gets no points tonight. – 0 points.
Well, there you have it – the analysis for the first night’s action. We’ll know a lot more about the competitors after tonight. May the odds be ever in your favor.
PREMIUMS
Samson “The Hustler” Phommabout (brown belt) – Team Cantrell (Kemoy Anderson) – $18; Samson had about the toughest lineup of opponents on Day 1 leading to no points. Samson showed exactly how dangerous he is during Day 2. He secured a KILL as well as three BREAKS and even earned himself a Elbow Genie bonus point. He went from zero (points) to hero in the course of one day. His Day 2 performance moved him from tied for last to third place in the rankings. Folks who have done their research on Samson know Day 1 was a fluke. Samson will be putting more points on the board during the final day of the regular season.
AVERAGE
Jacob Arp – (purple) – Team Supernatural Survival Gear (Caleb McAllister) – $15; Arp hasn’t scored since the first day. He’s been in exciting matches which always have the fans happy to see him on the mats. As we’ve said, he’s coming after everyone, putting on a pace. He can come straight after you or sit back for that straight ankle lock. As a fan, I always look forward to seeing Arp on the mat. But as a fantasy manager, I’m not sure how bankable he is for fantasy points.
BELOW AVERAGE
Wesley Carter (brown) – Team Ironclad (Matt Elkins) – $10; Carter’s a gritty guy who can wrestle and go for legs. He’s really well-rounded. Carter has been a great teammate and tired out or taken to a draw his opponents. Still, he hasn’t scored a submission yet. He’s at the $10 mark because you have a good feeling he’ll at least get you the team point.
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.
Eric Longar (black) –Team Such N Such (Sean Applegate) – $9; It’s a crime he slid to the last round again this season. He’s a gym-owning black belt. Even in bigger seasons, Longar has shown us great passing and sweeps. Still, he can’t seem to get the submission. He hasn’t had a lot of reps this season, which might have kept him from getting in his groove. I’m reducing his to penny stock price – but penny stocks are highly volatile. We just saw Alex Hall go from zero points and penny stock to fourth place in the regular season standings. Given the right scenario, I have no doubt Longar could do the same thing.
The Professional Grappling Federation Season 5 Live Auction Draft did not exceed expectations, IT BLEW THEM AWAY! Rather than just a normal draft like the National Football League or a snake draft like so many fantasy football leagues, the PGF held an auction draft. The auction added multiple new dynamics, leading to an exciting event you can watch on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel. Any fan of sports and jiu jitsu will enjoy going to YouTube and watching the event, but to prepare your Fantasy picks for today, we need to discuss how the teams shook out (spoiler alert).
PGF Managers Matt Skaff, Nekiaya Jackson, Zoltan Bathory, Matt Wahlstrom, and Jackson Spry.
The four teams had one mission: assemble the best five-competitor team possible. The four teams are Team Epic Roll led by co-owners of Epic Roll Matt Wahlstrom and Zoltan Bathory; Team Toe Hold Red led by the 10th Planet Black Belt Matt Skaff; Team Level led by the first female champion of the PGF Nekiaya Jackson; and Team Toe Hold Blue led by PGF know-it-all Jackson Spry. UFC commentator and podcaster T.J. Desantis presided over the event. With PGF Co-founder and Commissioner Brandon Mccaghren and PGF Insider Egghead Warrior providing extra analysis and insight. Announcer Stephen Eakin led the auction, interviewing competitors, running the auction, and giving encouragement to the Managers to pay what competitors were worth. For the Auction draft, the Managers had a salary cap of $2500. After inquiries by the Managers, the Commissioner allowed the Managers to exceed the salary cap, but the extra money had to come out of their own pockets and would incur a 35% luxury tax which would go to the PGF. The order of the auction was set by the Mock Draft which occurred the week prior with the PGF Insiders conducting a snake draft of the competitors. Fans will have to go to the YouTube video for the player-by-player analysis of the draft. This article will only hit the overarching themes.
Stephen Eakin interviews Matt Elkins while as the PGF Managers bid on him. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
TEAM EPIC ROLL STOLE THE SHOW!Matt Wahlstrom and Zoltan Bathory cemented Team Epic Roll as the Yankees of the PGF. They had a salary cap of $2500, but decided their team was worth $5200 plus the extra $975 representing the 35% luxury tax going to the PGF. They took Elijah Carlton, the Royce Gracie of the PGF, and Nick Craton – representing two of the first three picks. As anticipated by many, Epic Roll secured their training partner and likely the best wrestler in this season in Cam Hurd. They jumped on submission hunter and Season 4 standout Rock Troll Maximus Jolly. Finally, they rounded out their team with former NJCCA All-American and 10PHQ purple belt Sam Schwartzapfel. This team is KILLER. We could be seeing another situation like Team Toehold from Season 3 where all the members of that team under Coach Sean Applegate made the playoffs. Not only is Team Epic Roll packed with top competitors, but they will also not have to face each other since they are on the same team. Besides the points competitors secure through submissions, competitors will also get Team Points. Each night there will be three blocks during each block fans will essentially see two team duels (e.g. Team Epic Roll v Team Toe Hold Red; Team Level v Team Toe Hold Blue). The Team accruing the most points in each block will earn a team point for each of their teammates. With this explanation done, it’s fair to say that Team Epic Roll will likely earn all 12 team points this season which also gives their team members a leg up in the race to the top 8 and the PGF Finale Tournament.
Team Toe Hold Red, led by Matt Skaff, “put together a low-key great team,” as Commissioner Brandon Mccaghren said. Skaff was visibly frustrated by being outbid by Team Epic Roll on many of his targeted players. But, after bidding up Team Epic Roll and others on many competitors, Skaff came away with a lot of value picks. Skaff STOLE Fedor Nikolov for $700. All the commentators agree it was the steal of the draft. He got PGF Veteran and true middle weight Kemoy Anderson for $750. And in a PGF FIRST, Skaff executed the a TRADE in the middle of the auction. Skaff realized Team Level Manager Nekiaya Jackson had exceeded her budget, so Skaff was able to trade Kemoy and some extra money to Nekiaya in exchange for Handsome Kevin Sherrill. In an interview with the Editorial Board of Eggheadwarrior.com, Skaff had said he was targeting Handsome Kevin in the draft. In Handsome Kevin, Team Toehold Red got a D1 wrestler (University of Northern Iowa) who had a SOLID Kill Rate in the PGF. Handome Kevin is super game and super analytical. Fedor and Handsome Kevin provide some serious anchors for Team Toe Hold Red. For his last three picks, Skaff only spent $400 to get two PGF Qualifier winners in Paul Bahri and Landon Tourville; and to get multi-season PGF veteran and PGF BATTLERAMA winner Joshua Gibbs. If these last three members compete up to their potential, they could give Team Epic Roll a challenge.
PGF Season 5 Commentators Brandon Mccaghren and T.J. Desantis along with analyst Egghead.
Jackson Spry did a solid job assembling Team Toe Hold Blue. Even at $900, one could make an argument that Matt Elkins was a steal. Elkins is a former college wrestler and former professional MMA fighter. He came in second in PGF Season 1 regular season after Elijah Carlton and made the PGF Season 2 Finale, securing a win there as well. Elkins has a 67% KILL RATE in the PGF, meaning 2/3 of the time he hits the mat, he gets his team six points or more. Spry got a competitor with no back down in him when he selected Cody “Moose” Fritz. Moose, who trains under Jeremiah Vance, hit a fly trap in the LA Qualifier and had a serious mind for the game. He’ll take the fight to any opponent, even the most highly touted ones. Spry somehow only spent $300 for the last black belt on the board in highly experienced competitor Jacob Lamar. Commissioner Brandon Mccagrhen said he’s know Lamar for a long time. He said Jacob is in the best shape of his life and ready to compete. He also picked up on two other competitors who were being overlooked. Buddha Mcclure won the PGF Huntsville qualifier, bringing wrestling and great strength to the team. He also excelled at the killing strokes part of the roll bot portion of the PGF Combine. He rounded out the team with Young Matthew Dewees from 10th Planet Jacksonville. Young Matthew was the runner-up at the Jacksonville qualifier, only losing by decision in the final round. He also went to the Nashville Qualifier where he showed great technique, only losing the eventual winner by decision. This team is solid, but not exceptional. They could challenge for the second spot in the final team rankings and are unlikely to come in last.
The first female champion of the PGF, Nekiaya Jackson representing Team Level, built a team that could excel or fall flat, really a feast or famine team. After her trade with Skaff and Team Toe Hold Red, Kemoy Anderson is Team Level’s anchor. He’s a returning Season 2 veteran who was a little undersized for that season but still made the Season Finale. He was a PGF Coach subsequently and a very active competitor. While he was stalled out some and forced into draws against the bigger opponents in Season 2, Kemoy will now be the larger competitor in his matches and will be able to use his size, strength, and formidable skill to put way more points on the board. With Anakin McMahan, Nekiaya got a competitor with a true killer instinct. He has multiple sub-30 second (really sub-15 second) submissions at ADCC Open tournaments. Nekiaya either has inside information on Travis Thomas or is too close as a member of the same gym to be objective. She spent $1100 on a later pick in Thomas. He’s a professional mma fighter, but doesn’t have many jiu jitsu matches available. Everyone who has rolled with Thomas has extolled his virtues, but $1100 seems like a lot of a team’s resources towards a somewhat unknown competitor. But, if he lives up to what the Commissioner has said, he could be a sleeper pick. Carson Thigpen is another competitor like Anakin McMahan – he’s pushing for a submission as soon as possible. He’ll rack up losses, but he’s also going to rack up points (including some wins he shouldn’t get on paper). Nekiaya picked up another insider pick in Luke “Church” Claunch. Church was a late replacement for a sick Sawyer Griffin, but Church had a great showing at the Huntsville Qualifier and did throw the medicine ball farther than any other competitor as he said on the stage. As said above, this team is feast or famine. They could rack up points like crazy or they could rack up losses like crazy…or they could do both. Regardless of their score at the end of the season, Team Level will always be exciting to watch.
The PGF Live Auction Draft entertained! It had drama, unexpected twists and turns, and a lot of great analysis. Everyone involved in the draft had a blast – Managers, Competitors, and the fans in the chat. Now, the qualifiers are over. The combine is over. The draft is over. Now, the Professional Grappling Federation Season 5 is ON! Starting TONIGHT, LIVE on Brandon Mccaghren’s YouTube Channel starting at 4pm Central time. Each competitor gets three matches a night and the fans will get 4-5 HOURS of free jiu jitsu competition content. As Walo Jay would say “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” It’s time to experience the Professional Grappling Federation in FULL SWING. After all “It’s everything you love about sports, with jiu jitsu.”
T.J. Desantis, Isaac Stackhouse, and Conscious Keelan work on the Draft production.
The editors at EggheadWarrior.com thank the PGF Insiders, and all the competitors for providing the content of this article. The PGF Insiders will always work to provide the latest and greatest information regarding the PGF and you can see their weekly podcasts on the McDojo Life YouTube Channel or Brandon Mccaghren’s channel (if a member). Special thanks to Walo Jay for all the great photos. Those interested in Walo’s work can check out his YouTube page (link is specifically to Walo’s Handsome Kevin short) and Walo’s website. Anyone wanting to promote the PGF can copy all or parts of this article and disseminate as desired, but please give some credit to EggheadWarrior.com.
An integral part of the NFL Draft, the Combine provides Teams with the ability to observe potential players in identical, if artificial, situations. Teams comparing “apples to apples” feel better prepared when weighing their picks and the resultant money they will spend on their new players. In the Professional Grappling Federation, the Managers had the opportunity to observe most of the Season 5 competitors perform in the four events of the PGF Scouting Combine today (29 Oct 2023). These events were grip strength, medicine ball throw, Rollbot breaking mechanics and kills, and catch-and-release (flow rolling).
PGF Competitors first stepped up and demonstrated their grip strength. Using a tool often implemented by physical therapists, the competitors chose one hand to squeeze the device as hard as possible. Some were humbled. Some amazed. In jiu jitsu, grips begin every technique. Winning the grip battle often leads to victory. Here, some lesser-known competitors turned some heads. Representing the county of Duval Florida, Paul Bahri and Matthew Dewees came in at second and third place with 120.8lbs and 117.8lbs of grip strength, respectively. But the competitor who amazed was Travis Thomas. Where most competitors in the low 100s, Travis Thomas registered 143.8lb of grip strength. Managers learned when “the Mantis” Travis Thomas gets ahold of his adversaries, they’re not getting away.
Paul Bahri tests his grip strength at the PGF Season 5 Combine. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
After testing the competitor’s grips, the PGF gave the competitors a chance to show their explosive power with the medicine ball throw. Competitors launched a medicine ball from the same spot and were measured on the distance before the ball first landed. Competitors used various techniques with some competitors trying multiple techniques. In the end, Travis Thomas once again ended up in the top three with 31.1 feet. Carson Thigpen tied Thomas also launching his medicine ball 31.1 feet, but it seems logical that a former collegiate baseball player knows how to throw a ball. Lucas “Church” Claunche likely improved his stock as a new competitor who was subbed in from Sawyer Griffin (under the weather, not injured). Church launched the medicine ball an impressive 33.5 feet.
With the two events testing athleticism out of the way, competitors had two events showcasing their skills. The first included the Roll Bot! The Roll Bot is a next-level grappling dummy. The quality build allows grapplers to truly test their mechanics, providing feedback with actual joint dislocations and breaks. The Roll Bot also has sensors located on each carotid artery testing pressure and whether the uke would tap, flat line, or suffer a “fatality.” Each competitor had to demonstrate an inside heel hook, outside heel hook, and an armbar – providing the Managers a chance to compare competitors” breaking mechanics. After showing off their breaking mechanics, competitors had to demonstrate their killing ability, by demonstrating their rear-naked chokes, triangles (traditional or mounted), head and arm triangles, and any submission of their choice. Of the competitors who participated, Sam Schwartsapfel, the Rock Troll Maximus Jolly, and Nick Craton greatly impressed. When it came to the Sam and Maximus once again impressed, but Cam Hurd and Buddha Tony McClure also opened some eyes. Craton showed DEVASTATING breaking mechanics. Cam and Buddha showed they had more to their games than wrestling, scoring multiple fatalities against the Roll Bot. Sam definitely made the best impression on the Roll Bot, showcasing scary breaking mechanics and multiple fatalities.
The Rock Troll Maximus “Prime” Jolly scores a FATALITY! on the Roll Bot. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
Finally, each competitor had one minute each against one of the reserve players to send any message to the managers they wanted. While many competitors showed very smooth flows from takedowns, to passes, to submissions, Handsome Kevin Sherrill provided the most impressive display. Handsome Kevin put on a clinic of takedowns for jiu jitsu. He made sure every manager remembered Handsome Kevin was a former D1 wrestler and state champion. But more than takedowns, Handsome Kevin showed he could achieve dominate positions off those takedowns.
Handsome Kevin Sherrill takes David Cooper to the ground during the catch-and-release (flow rolling) event of the PGF Season 5 Combine. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
Taking this new information and adding it to their previous research of the competitors, the Managers will have the opportunity to form their teams at 6pm Central TODAY (29 Oct 2023), streamed LIVE on Brandon Mccaghren’s YouTube Channel. Each of the four managers will have a budget of $2500 to assemble their teams. The Draft format follows the Auction-Style of so many fantasy football leagues. The order of the Auction was determined by the Mock Draft held by the PGF Insiders on 22 October. The order resulting from the mock draft set the order of the action. As Elijah Carlton was the first pick in the Mock Draft, he’s the first person on the auction block. Once on the block, each team will get a chance to bid on him with the highest bidder earning a new teammate. Managers must pay each of the five competitors on their teams at least $100, so the max a competitor could receive would be $2100 if the Managers stuck to the PGF budget. HOWEVER, Managers can exceed the $2500, but the Managers must cover any excess money they pay to their teams. Hypothetically, the PGF could have a Major League Baseball situation where the Yankees blow the salary cap and put together a MVP team.
With the dynamics of the multiple teams bidding, players making the case for themselves, the commentary, the comments from the fans and the interaction between all the entities – the PGF Season 5 Auction Draft should be EXCITING! By the end of the night, the teams will be assembled and the regular season schedule will be set. Let’s enjoy a wild draft and get ready for some PGF!!!!!!
I can’t have a draft board without this pick. If you haven’t seen Dr. Strangelove, you need to correct yourself.
IT’S DRAFT DAY!!!!! Well, almost draft day. It’s very nearly Mock Draft Day where the Professional Grappling Federation (PGF) Insiders PLUS a Special Guest – a PGF ALUMNUS – will step into the shoes of the PGF Season 5 Managers and draft some teams. This Mock Draft will be LIVE on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel this upcoming Sunday, 22 October. The Mock Draft will be done in a Snake Draft fashion where the order will go 1, 2, 3, 4, 4,3, 2, 1, 1…and so on. While this Mock Draft and the accompanying banter is highly entertaining, it also has real implications. The PGF Insiders and their Special Guest will be tracking how their teams do throughout the season with some bets on the line. But more importantly, the Mock Draft results will drive the Draft Order of the Real PGF Draft which will happen on 29 October. The Real PGF Season 5 Draft will be an AUCTION DRAFT. Where competitors will take their places on the auction blocks and the Managers will have to bid for them – with the highest bidder adding the new competitor on their team.
But before visiting the DRAFT Board, here are some overarching factors for how this board was constructed:
Ruleset: One of the true innovations of the PGF, Brandon Mccaghren designed a ruleset which DEMANDED actions and submissions. Competitors have a finite amount of matches with which to earn points towards their total in the hopes of making the post-season finale tournament. The matches are only six minutes driving the sense of urgency for competitors. The ONLY WAY for competitors to garner points during their matches is to SECURE A SUBMISSION – either a KILL (a choke for six points) or a BREAK (a joint lock for three points). Moreover, any submission within one minute gets the extra Elbow Genie Point (EGP). The PGF ruleset is singular. So many competitors who have trained to win wrestling-heavy ADCC matches or Who’s Number One matches that include decisions have exhibited some difficulties getting into the quick-submission mindset of the PGF. One saying in combat sports is “the rules make the match,” so maybe those competitors who compete in points-based matches or matches with decisions are only playing to the ruleset. Still, in the end, there are no decisions or points matches in the PGF; you either get a submission or the match earns you the same amount of points as a loss.
Jiu Jitsu Competition Math…or at least the the Transitive Property. If Grappler A beats Grappler B, and Grappler B beats Grappler C.; then, one can assume Grappler A can beat Grappler C. In football, detractors of this application of mathematics’ transitive property would say a team can beat any other team on “Any Given Sunday” or words to that effect. So, while this board considers this Jiu Jitsu transitive property, the Editorial Board for EggheadWarrior.com understands those comparisons are not perfect. Still, in a wicked environment of limited data, one must use some rubric for analysis.
Limited Data: This analysis is performed FROM AFAR. The Editorial Board at EggheadWarrior.com has limited resources like everyone. The vast majority of this analysis has to be done from afar. Just like you reading this post, this analysis is done from the vantage point of the other side of a screen. Only publicly available matches have been used in this analysis (yes, FloGrappling is behind a paywall, but heading up to this season the Editorial Board made the investment to allow for better analysis of competitors). Remember, if a competitor has had some amazing underground kumite matches proving he is the man who will win PGF Season or you happen to see the competitor every day in the gym and “know” they will win it all – great, you have an inside advantage. Again, this analysis is completed with imperfect information, but it’s the only way to do it.
DISCLAIMER: A la Bernardo Faria, it is a huge honor for the Editorial Board of EggheadWarrior.com to write about all the competitors of the PGF. We’re huge fans, arguably some of the first super fans of the PGF. We want everyone to have a great time and would be happy if any of the competitors won the whole thing. However, as journalists, we are trying to give as objective an opinion as possible as to how to rack and stack folks for the draft. If you look back to our boards in previous years, they did pretty well. If any competitor doesn’t like their ranking, then they have every right to prove their ranking wrong during the season and call out EggheadWarrior.com when they do so. That’s only fair. Okay, the disclaimer provided on the advice of counsel is now over.
Yes, I am one of the crazy journalists who hop on the mats with the competitors I analyze. Just know I try to be objective and it’s all out of love. Please don’t hurt me. Credit to @Jiu_Jitsu_rolls who I am pretty sure is Isaac Stackhouse.
While this board has rankings, the Editorial Board of EggheadWarrior.com has provided Tiers acknowledging some margin for error and that reasonable minds can disagree. Without further ado, here’s the DRAFT BOARD.
TIER 1 – THE SURE THINGS:
This tier will get you POINTS. In normal EggHeadWarrior.com fantasy pick analysis, they would be considered SUPER PREMIUMS – worth their expense and assured points winners but they may hurt your ability to fill out your team later on. Still, history has shown the “sure things” have driven teams to victory more often than not.
Seriously, no matter what you’ve heard, YOU CANNOT PICK AGAINST ELIJAH CARLTON IN THE PGF! He ran through the competition in Season 1 (members only) and ran through them all again (including multiple competitors this season) in Season 2 (with the exception of one gentleman). Then, Elijah came back and subbed almost everyone in Season 3 (only two draws before an injury forced him not to attend the finale). Elijah’s guard is preternatural. He has lightning quick leg locks and ridiculous triangle setups. Oh yeah, he can choke folks as well. He’s the Royce Gracie of the PGF and he will likely be the highest paid competitor this season (and rightly so).
That said, the Editorial Board at EggheadWarrior.com has come out saying they believe Matt Elkins could legitimately win this season. He has the college wrestling and mma background. But more importantly, the Commissioner, Brandon Mccaghren has said Elkins is 5X the grappler he was when we last saw him in Season 2. While others on this roster might be able to compete with Elkins’ wrestling pedigree, Elkins gets subs; moreover, he gets KILLS! The name of the game in the PGF is submissions and Elkins can get them for his team.
Okay, take a pause in your reading of this article and watch a quick breakdown of Fedor by the Commissioner and Master Eddie Bravo HERE. Eddie Bravo found the jiu jitsu equivalent of Ivan Drago from Rocky IV and made him his personal project. Previously the head instructor at 10th Planet Saint Petersburg (Russia), Fedor is now training out of 10th Planet HQ in Los Angeles directly training under the mad genius Eddie Bravo. You’ve seen Fedor with a 10th Planet CJJ Qualifier. You’ve probably seen him elsewhere. as he’s been in high-profile events. You likely haven’t seen this man smile as he’s the new PGF Terminator (much love to Noah Randolph and Kevin Primeau). His match against Haisam Rida at UFC Invitational showed Fedor has no problems handling strong opponents (Rida had more than 20lbs on Fedor), but he also has excellent EBI overtime skills which will come into play during the PGF Finale. Many folks are already calling Fedor the new Hunter Colvin of the PGF – meaning, he’s the professional grappler that’s going to come in and HANDLE everyone.
TIER 2 – THE SUBMISSION HUNTERS:
ABC: Always Be Closing. These competitors have shown serious submissions and an almost inherent desire to hunt for those submissions. They’re not happy to finish on top; they want to kill you or take one of your appendages home. These gentlemen might not “dominate fights,” but they’re almost assured to put points on the board.
The Minnesota Maniac is the consensus EggheahWarrior.com Editorial Board Dark Horse TO WIN IT ALL!!! He has sick leg attacks and lately has an awesome anaconda he works from a wrestle-up position. His swords are SHARP and ready to BREAK or KILL. If you want some examples look at his work HERE. EggheadWarrior.com researchers put timestamps in the comments to help everyone. Seriously, if Craton gets a hold of someone, they better “hold onto [their] butts” as Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Jurassic Park would say.
The Handsome Belt Title Holder needs no introduction, but if you are in the unaware, please check out this article. Handsome Kevin is not only the Handsome Belt Title Holder, he was also runner-up for the PGF Season 3 title. Handsome Kevin is a lifelong grappler: a state champion in Georgia, a former Division 1 wrestler at Northern Iowa, and a brown belt currently under LHM which is led by a group of black belts including your -99kg East Coast Trials Champion Paul Ardila. Formerly of 10th Planet Atlanta, he now runs his own group as well as training under LHM as well as cross training at half a dozen gyms in the Atlanta area. For PGF purposes, in his first season (Season 3), Handsome Kevin put up a 33% KILL rate, meaning he puts POINTS ON THE BOARD. Eventually, he was the PGF Season 3 runner-up. That was his first PGF experience, but now that he’s been through the gauntlet and understood the sub-only six-minute match system, one has to wager Handsome Kevin will put up even more points. He has the wrestling to control the fight with most competitors and the submissions from anywhere to handle the rest.
The Rock Troll has been training jiu jitsu since he was 12! That’s a whole life spent finding ways to BREAK or KILL folks. Maximus Prime was THE BREAKOUT STAR of PGF Season 4. The Rock Troll has entered multiple PGF Qualifiers over two seasons and FINISHED all his opponents. In PGF Season 4, the only Quintet format PGF Season, Maximus slew multiple opponents, multiple times. Opponents aren’t safe even when they think they are…the Rock Troll will grip and rip any appendage he finds handy to solid effect. He might be a little undersized for this season, but his game is made for being undersized. He can get KILLS, but his game is using his trunk to break other competitors appendages – and he will. Fans wanting to know more about the Rock Troll can check out THIS ARTICLE.
Moose hit the first fly trap seen in PGF history at the Los Angeles Qualifier. This man wakes up and CHOOSES VIOLENCE! (Kiaya – he’s the poster child for your brand). Watch him call out all the highly regarded PGF vets HERE. Admittedly, there’s little footage of him on the interwebs. His Instagram is the best source of footage on him outside of the Qualifier. This ranking may be a bit high given the sample size available on the Young Moose, but anyone who chooses violence every day and trains under Jeremiah Vance is going to be very dangerous. To be sure, fans of those ranked below may poo poo this ranking, but remember, the PGF rewards a killer instinct and the Young Moose has it.
TIER 3 – THE WRESTLERS:
Aristotle said “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Wrestling is the most grueling endeavor in which a man can engage. Wrestlers have earned pride in their wrestling abilities. This pride often leads to pride and “wrestle-offs” in matches. These gentlemen all have extremely good wrestling and solid fundamentals, but have shown some issues getting submission, relying on their wrestling and top pressure for wins via points or decision. This possible reliance won’t score points in the PGF and has weighed down their draft rankings. But if they can adopt the PGF mindset, they could wreck a lot of folks in this competition.
A veteran of PGF Season 2 and a Coach for PGF Season 4, Kemoy has a wide range of skills. He’s a solid wrestler, with tear-your-arm off kimuras, flying triangles, and quick guillotines. But Kemoy may not put us as many points in the PGF’s six-minute, sub-only format as one might think at first glance. Looking at his past 10 matches on FloGrappling, Kemoy has only one submission. Looking at his matches on Smoothcomp, he has three submissions, but overall mixed results over the last year. In PGF Season 2, he was 5-5-5, so evenly spread amongst wins, losses, and draws and his wins were about evenly split between kills and breaks. To be fair, Season 2 was at 220lb and Kemoy faced a lot of big guys; at the PGF Season 5 185lb weight class, Kemoy will have a better strength advantage. While Kemoy is super resilient against tough opponents and can punish other opponents, his experience in other formats with options for EBI overtimes or decision victories may have settled him into the habit of controlling more than finishing. Kemoy might overperform his Season 2 stats, but odds are he’s fighting to get to the finale as he did during PGF Season 2. Still, Kemoy has competed in one season and coached another. If he has internalized the PGF ruleset, the he’ll make the Finale with room to spare.
Cameron Hurd screams DESTROYER OF WORLDS! He’s a Virginia Tech wrestler whose passion for competition is SOLIDLY there. He’s the type of grappler that will launch opponents into the air or hit them with the Earth. He doesn’t care about boundaries. He’s willing to keep fighting until the ref pulls him off his opponent. At the same time, the researchers at Eggheadwarrior.com reviewed the first 15 Cameron Hurd matches found in FloGrappling. They found only two submissions. While Cameron Hurd won the majority of matches and almost always won the wrestling, he only secured one mounted guillotine and one head and arm choke. To be fair, two of those matches were against very strong competition in the form of Andy Varela and Kyle Chambers. In the Virginia regional scene, Hurd has had more submissions but still had a high rate of wins via points or decision. His wrestling and top pressure will wear down a number of his opponents this season. He will get a number of KILLS by wearing down his opponents will to fight. In the PGF, the two best previous wrestlers were Jake Elkins and Randy Roden. Jake was a purple belt who went 10-4-1 with a 40% KILL rate. Randy over his two-season career is 2-12-13 with a 4% KILL rate. The question for the Team Managers, Fans, and Fantasy Team Managers this season is will Cam more approximate the dominate wrestling along with submission of Jake Elkins or will he exhibit the dominant wrestling and resilience of Randy Roden, lacking the submissions? Faced with this question, the Editorial Board at EggheadWarrior.com ranks him 9th on the Board. But, to be sure, Cam has SERIOUS upside from this position. If he goes submission hunting early, he could be SCARY GOOD in the PGF ruleset.
Sam comes with a serious wrestling background as well. He was a NJCAA All American while attending Nassau Community College, then wrestled again at NYU. At the PGF Los Angeles Qualifier, Sam showed some serious positional dominance and great motor. His skill and work ethic garnered a decision win over Fedor above and an invite from that qualifier. He has some serious wins in his past including a win over Nathan Orchard in the 2022 ADCC West Coast Trials (4-0). He has submissions in his record including a nasty banana split which was the first sanction grappling match submission in New York history. While he might revert back to his wrestling roots, Sam has been directly taught and mentored by Eddie Bravo as can be seen HERE (btw, watch the video and be jealous of anyone who gets coached by Eddie Bravo). Anyone who has earned their blue and purple belts directly from Eddie Bravo is DANGEROUS. Sam could easily put this ranking to shame with a hard core PGF run.
TIER 4 – THE WILDCARDS:
These gentlemen have just enough information out there to suggest they can be VERY dangerous. The same information suggests these gentlemen could rack up a lot of losses. Drafts are often won in the later rounds and picking the right one of these competitors for a Manager’s team could lead them to victory.
Anakin has deemed himself the standard bearer for his gym, putting a lot of pressure on himself. But it’s his opponents who will be pressured. His gym prides themselves on back takes and leg breaks – and Anakin epitomizes their mantra. He’s exactly the type of athlete PGF fans will love. Of his 19 matches available on Flograppling, he scored 7 breaks, with 5 of them in less than one minute. If Anakin can keep those stats in the PGF, he’d rank 8th All Time in Break% and 2nd All Time in Elbow Genie Point%. But perhaps the match that really captures Anakin McMahan’s mentality is his match against Christian Tremayne in the ADCC Chicago Open. Tied 4-4 with 15 seconds left, Anakin didn’t try to get another point or stall for overtime – he scored a submission with five seconds left. Anakin’s going to have some losses for sure – anyone that hunts submissions like Anakin gives their opponents openings – but Anakin’s DEFINITELY going to rack up some exciting wins.
Travis is an up and coming MMA fighter. He’s the fastest promoted student from 10th Planet Decatur to both blue and purple belt. Like so many young men, he first didn’t know what to do with himself in adulthood. He lost his way for a bit. Rest assured, he’s found his path now. Thomas is a WARRIOR (full stop). He absorbs lessons at a ridiculously high rate. His athleticism and work ethic from MMA will make him DANGEROUS. He’s going to be the steal of the draft. This Purple belt has been submitting black belts visiting 10th Planet Decatur for some time. Given his MMA conditioning and grit as well as his insanely fast learning, The MANTIS is going to be A PROBLEM for his opponents this season!
Your PGF Huntsville Qualifier winner, Buddha had a great interview with the PGF Insiders. He’s been training jiu jitsu for less than three years. He was a part of a small, but highly qualified high school wrestling program at Mount Zion High School (state qualifiers all four years). Even Buddha would admit he’s finally reaching his grappling potential, having the mental blocks so many competitors have. Now that it’s all clicking, his athleticism, wrestling, and the subs he’s constantly improving will have him running over many of his competitors and doing that Buddha shuffle afterwards.
Jacob is a solid guy and has been in the fight game a minute. He knows his high-level competition time is growing thin. This realization makes him a very dangerous man. He’s amassed some great wins over the years but nothing recently demanding a higher ranking. Still, as he said in his interview, he thinks everything is coming together for a serious run at greatness. PGF fans have seen black belts go low in drafts previously; they’ve also seen these low round picks invigorated and motivated this way. Jacob isn’t shying a way from any challenges and will have a chip on his shoulder when facing the competitors of any Manager that passed on him. Any fan who wants to learn more about Jacob can watch his interview HERE.
TIER 5 – THE UPSIDES:
Rounding out the rest of the roster are gentlemen with limited footage available online. Many of them are new competitors, trying to make a name for themselves. One of them has already made himself a PGF legend and is looking for one last go at PGF glory. While these gentlemen are at the bottom of the draft board, they all share the hunger to prove they belong. This hunger will lead to exciting matches and finding ways to contribute to their teams.
Your PGF Nashville Qualifier winner, is an enigma. From the handful of matches available online, he’s an open-guard puller and a leg locker. His run at the Nashville Qualifier was masterful, especially for such a young man. He’s a question mark and could be a great value pick here.
16. Paul Bahri – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville
Looking at his previous matches available online, which number about two, Bahri will be voted most likely to have to be ordered to wear a rash guard. But seriously, he’s a serious athlete with non-stop cardio – what would you expect from a former semi-pro soccer player. Don’t get twisted with the mention of the sport soccer, he’s a beast of a competitor and will grind out matches. He won his way to the PGF at the Jacksonville Qualifier. Other than that qualifier, the researchers here can only find one other match online, a Submission Grappling Series match from more than one year ago. Rest assured, his coach and team at 10th Planet Jacksonville will have him primed for a solid run during this season. Fans that want to know more about Paul Bahri can look HERE.
17. Matthew DeWees – Blue Belt at 10th Planet Jacksonville
Young Matthew is just that – a newcomer to the jiu jitsu game. Still, he trains at a school known for PGF standouts such as Sam Barbosa and Manning Leverett. With those veterans mentoring him, he should definitely have an idea of what’s in store for him during the crucible that is the PGF. Young Matthew was the first qualifier to lose via tie to his friend ranked on above him – this was at the Jacksonville Qualifier. Young Matthew didn’t let that deter him, he traveled to the PGF Nashville Qualifier and put together some nice wins to secure an invitation to the regular season. He’s soft spoken, but don’t sleep on his skills. Fans who want to know more about Young Matthew can watch his PGF Insiders interview HERE.
A consummate fan of the PGF, he has lived and breathed PGF since it’s inception. He trains under the Commissioner and the Voice of the PGF. Earning a purple belt under them is akin to earning a brown belt most other places (they really love making folks “cook”). Sawyer has taken out both individuals ranked below him in the Decatur Qualifier. competition and he’s shown some ridiculous back takes. He even has a win in competition over the Rock Troll seen above. Sawyer is very, very disciplined in his training and diet; and as mentioned, a very serious student of the PGF. He’s going to surprise some folks and get some kills for sure this season. More information available in his full profile article HERE.
Thigpen is a submission hunter! But the BLUF is Carson Thigpen is a former college athlete with some serious quick twitch muscles and a competitive drive. He’s still a blue belt but every season a blue belt come along and wrecks a number of higher belts…this season it could be Carson Thigpen. He had some impressive showings at multiple qualifiers for Season 4 but suffered an injury just weeks before the regular season began, forcing him to pull out. Now, he’s earned his spot via his PGF Decatur Qualifier showing (see his win over Full Time Josh Gibbs HERE). Then he returned for some great action at the PGF Nashville Qualifier despite already having an invite (a G move). Carson has improved every day since his surgery. He really could be the blue belt that has a breakthrough performance as he has those never say die and don’t tell me I can’t attitudes. Fans can check out his full profile article HERE.
He’s last on the Board, but #1 in the Fans’ Hearts. Season 2 veteran and Winner of the Season 3 Such N SuchBATTLERAMA! (5:12:35), Gibbs got the nickname “Full Time” because he was originally drafted in the last round of Season 3, meaning he was a replacement/bench player. After a teammate suffered a season-ending injury on the first night, Josh Gibbs became FULL TIME as he replaced the injured teammate on the roster. Then, when the Such N SuchBATTLERAMA happened due to fans in the chat and the owner of Such N Such putting down the money, the replacement/bench competitors had a separate tournament for themselves. Serving as both a Full Time competitor and as a replacement player, Josh Gibbs became essentially DOUBLE TIME. In one of the most exciting matches in PGF history, Josh “Full Time” Gibbs won $1k as the BATTLERAMA champion. Gibbs has had limited success outside the BATTLERAMA, posting a regular season overall record of 3-18-5. But Gibbs has no quit in him. He’s a certified strength and conditioning trainer as well as a Navy veteran. Everyone had Matthew Boiles winning that BATTLERAMA, but Gibbs weathered the storm and submitted it. Plus, Gibbs won’t be facing opponents way heavier than him as he did in Season 2 as a baby purple belt. The more mature, brown belt likely will have some tricks up his sleeve for the rest of the competitors in this tier and maybe for some of the more highly toted ones as well. Gibbs is the last ranked on the board, but probably one of the greatest dudes in this list. He’s solid gold. He just had some bad days of competition in the qualifiers so he got this spot in the rundown.
There you have it. You’ve now seen the Big Board (seriously, watch Dr. Strangelove). If you disagree with these rankings, feel free to hop on Brandon Mccaghren’s Facebook Group to debate. Or better yet, tune into the PGF Insiders Mock Draft which will be LIVE on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel this upcoming Sunday, 22 October. The YouTube chat should be popping with banter about the picks.
Agree or disagree with the picks, be sure to tune into PGF Season 5 as it goes LIVE on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel on 29 October at 10am Central Time for the Combine and then again at 5pm for the LIVE DRAFT. Welcome to the Shark Week of Jiu Jitsu!
The editors at EggheadWarrior.com thank the PGF Insiders, and all the competitors for providing the content of this article. The PGF Insiders will always work to provide the latest and greatest information regarding the PGF and you can see their weekly podcasts on the McDojo Life YouTube Channel or Brandon Mccaghren’s channel (if a member). Special thanks to Walo Jay for all the great photos. Those interested in Walo’s work can check out his YouTube page (link is specifically to Walo’s Handsome Kevin short) and Walo’s website.
In sports, everyone sees the direct impact of coaches. They call the plays, yell corrections and encouragement at their players, and are generally seen as the leaders of the team. But the Managers, they are the maestros of the entire organization. They assemble the team, carefully balancing talent versus budget and looking for the right chemistry for a team to gel. The Managers have to scout the competition and the pool of talent available and form the team to win the championship. Acknowledging the role of the Manager, the Professional Grappling Federation’s four teams in Season 5 will have Managers, not coaches. These Managers include the Voice of the PGF, the First Female PGF Champion, a PGF Know-It-All, and an Epic Team including a Serial Entrepreneur and a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.
Before we get to these Managers, just a reminder, the PGF Season 5 begins October 29 at 10am Central Time brought to you LIVE on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel. At 10am, the 20 competitors (Roster HERE) will test themselves in a Pre-Draft Combine with multiple events. These Managers will be watching closely, weighing the field. Then, that evening at 5pm, the PGF will have a LIVE DRAFT! This draft will be an auction draft where each Manager below gets a budget of $2500 to assemble their five-man roster. The auction order will be determined by the MOCK DRAFT which will be also be LIVE on Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel on 22 October (the mock draft will be a snake draft but the result will be the order of the auction). The Managers will have to bid for each competitor and to the victor goes the spoils. In this dynamic environment, the Managers will greatly affect their teams chances of victory.
THE VOICE OF THE PGF:
Matt Skaff‘s voice first welcomed fans to the PGF in the first episode of its inaugural season. The first black belt under the Commissioner, Brandon Mccaghren, Skaff himself competed heavily up through his purple belt. Like so many, he had his eyes set on ADCC gold. But, some injuries and the inability for competitors to make a decent wage at the time competing in jiu jitsu led him down the coaching path. All fans of the PGF and everyone who has trained at 10th Planet Decatur are thankful Matt Skaff took this path. Lately, Skaff has turned his focus onto coaching 10th Planet Decatur’s competitive athletes in both jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. Some of his trainees include the first Female PGF Champion Nekiaya Jackson, PGF Season 5 competitor “the Mantis” Travis Thomas, and the Christian “Vanilla Gorilla” Echols who scored one of the biggest mma upsets in 2022. But what’s even more impressive than his coaching, Skaff has both a savant’s memory of jiu jitsu competitions and a very relatable way of explaining the action to listeners. Interested readers can easily check out all the previous seasons of the PGF or can visit Skaff’s outstanding jiu-jitsu podcast – The Grappling Discourse Podcast. In his podcast, he shares insights into competitions, how he looks at promoting students (listen up white and blue belts, he has two podcasts to help you know how to get promoted), and how the game is developing. As a coach of active competitors, as a true student of the game, one has to believe the Voice of the PGF will assemble a SCARY team.
The PGF’s Official Commentators from Season 1-4: 10th Planet Decatur Black Belts Lindsay Mccaghren and Matt Skaff lend their talented descriptions and banter to the PGF Season 4 Finale production. Pictured next to them is some weirdo who snuck in from the other side of the PGF live chat screen. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
THE FIRST FEMALE CHAMPION OF THE PGF:
The HOKAGE! Nekiaya Jackson was your First Female PGF Champion, winning the 135lb belt during PGF Season 4. Nekiaya is a brown belt, out of 10th Planet Decatur where she serves as a coach. Prior to the PGF, Nekiaya has earned success winning the 10th Planet Qualifier for the inaugural Medusa and ended up with a very respectable 1-1 showing in the first all-ladies event. Jackson was later invited to Medusa 2, earning second place in the competition. She recently won the ADCC Phoenix Open and is ranked 3rd in the -55kg ADCC rankings. She’s rising star in the jiu jitsu community. Part of her success in getting there is her relentless self-discipline and hard work. Okay, okay, they all say that. But truly, she has serious knowledge in strength, conditioning, nutrition, and recovery. With her competitive experience and knowledge in these areas, the Hokage might be able to not only pick a great team, but also keep them performing at a high level throughout the gauntlet that is the PGF. And all real football fans know, it’s not about who’s best, it’s about who’s healthy and performing going into the playoffs.
Nekiaya Jackson is the first female PGF champion, winning the 135 lb belt in PGF Season 4. She’s not only a high-level, national jiu jitsu competitor, she is also a trainer and expert in nutrition and recovery. Besides weighing the talent as she would her opponents, her added knowledge of recovery and nutrition may help guide her team to victory through the gauntlet that is the PGF. Photo Courtesy of Walo Jay.
THE PGF KNOW-IT-ALL:
Sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time to spark your passion. Jackson Spry has been training at 10th Planet Decatur for four years. When the PGF came along, hosted originally at 10th Planet Decatur, it was the first jiu jitsu competition he watched, sparking his real, enduring interest in jiu jitsu. It set a lot of things in motion for him including competing often and helping teach the kids’ class at 10th Planet Decatur. He’s a roommate of PGF Season 5 competitor Sawyer Griffin. The two roommates are your No-Neighbors when they provide analysis of jiujitsu and MMA competitions in their podcast. He’s a jiu jitsu and mma nerd, but more importantly, he’s a PGF Know-It-All. Absent the founders of the PGF, the Voice of the PGF, and the editorial board of EggheadWarrior.com, Jackson Spry knows more about the PGF than anyone according to the Commissioner. Moreover, he’s been spotted at PGF Qualifiers, clipboard in hand, taking notes on competitors. So, could this fairly new purple belt out manage three black belts and a nationally-competitive brown belt? Well, specialized knowledge like Spry’s has never really paid off, right? Well, we’ll see if Spry is the new leglocker amongst the old traditionalists; but it’s just possible that his specialized knowledge of the PGF along with his passion for this competition can help propel his team to victory.
The PGF Commissioner, Brandon Mccaghren, awarded Jackson Spry his purple belt. Training at 10th Planet Decatur, Spry has been near the center of the PGF action since it’s inception. Few people know more about the PGF than Jackson Spry. Photo courtesy of Jackson Spry.
THE EPIC TEAM: THE SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR AND THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL STAR:
According to Epic Roll’s website, Matt Wahlstrom is a “serial entrepreneur, a Former Off-road Racer, MMA fighter, and a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under Tom DeBlass.” That’s a lot to unpack. But maybe the more inspirational part of the story is his founding of Epic Roll. Around five years ago, Matt was looking for an additional stream of income for his family and started a drop-shipping business. He’d done all the research and had it all set up. It didn’t go anywhere. Then, after Matt had an awesome session at an open mat, he left thinking it was such an Epic Roll. The phrase struck a chord in him and led him to adjusting his business towards one of his real passions: jiu jitsu. In the five years since, he’s put his heart and soul into the business, growing it slowly, sending personally hand-written thank you notes with each order. Along this path, Matt met up with Zoltan “Zo” Bathory, founder of Five Finger Death Punch. Zo was raised in communist-controlled Hungary and started training judo around age of eight. Like so many youths, he wanted to be Bruce Lee, but the state sponsored judo as it was an Olympic sport, so attendance was free. Eventually Zo got his black belt in Judo. As a young adult, he emigrated to the United States with $200 in his pocket. Eventually, Zo became the Rock ‘n’ Roll Star he is today as a founding member of Five Finger Death Punch. Moreover, he is an active Jiu Jitsu competitor and Black Belt under Mica Cipili and Royler Gracie. Besides music and martial arts, Zo found himself handling marketing for his band, helping manage other talent, and running multiple brands himself. Zo and Matt found mutual respect and friendship and became business partners. With their synergy, Epic Roll has found new heights and seems to be constantly evolving and expanding. These gentlemen have turned a little t-shirt company into a true jiu jitsu brand, with far-reaching penetration in the market. On any given day, they could be anywhere in the country training with different highly-influential jiu jitsu individuals as they assemble their Epic Tribe, which includes “elite practitioners, celebrated champions, and dedicated athletes who have not only mastered the art but also wield considerable influence within the Jiu-Jitsu community.” It’s fair to say these gentlemen’s exposure to a wide variety of jiu jitsu talent is hard to match. With these teammates’ experience in combat sports, their experience building business teams and relationships, they seem the prototypical General Managers to build and shape a championship team. As a side note, I’m not doing these gentlemen justice. Please look up their many interviews online. I particularly like Matt’s interview here where he talks about building Epic Roll, including meeting Zo. Zo has a great interview here, talking about his background, the relationship between music and jiu jitsu and so many other things. The players drafted by these gentlemen will definitely learn a lot from them.
Epic Roll business partners Zoltan “Zo” Bathory, founder of Five Finger Death Punch and judo and jiu jitsu black belt; and founder of Epic Roll and serial entrepreneur, Matt Wahlstrom plan on bringing their wealth and breadth of experience in the jiu jitsu community to bear on the PGF. They’ver permeated the jiu jitsu community as competitors, as brand owners, and are now assembling their own Epic Tribe of jiu jitsu who “include elite practitioners, celebrated champions, and dedicated athletes who have not only mastered the art but also wield considerable influence within the Jiu-Jitsu community. ”
The PGF remains the Shark Week of Jiu Jitsu. Starting on the 29th of October with the Combine and the Draft, fans have a week full of LIVE jiu jitsu waiting for them. During this gauntlet, competitors will have three matches each a night, on Monday – Thursday, then the top eight will advance to the Post-Season Finale Tournament on Saturday. On the mats, every jiu jitsu practitioner is ultimately alone. But, which team wins and which competitors face each other, and the overall support these competitors have will be shaped by these managers. Be sure to tune in to Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel on 29 October at 10am Central time to see it all kick off and see how these Managers lead.
The editors at EggheadWarrior.com thank the PGF Insiders, and all the competitors for providing the content of this article. The PGF Insiders will always work to provide the latest and greatest information regarding the PGF and you can see their weekly podcasts on the McDojo Life YouTube Channel or Brandon Mccaghren’s channel (if a member). Special thanks to Walo Jay for all the great photos. Those interested in Walo’s work can check out his YouTube page (link is specifically to Walo’s Handsome Kevin short) and Walo’s website.
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