LET’S GO! The PGF Finale is TODAY at 4pm Central time. We have the PGF Season 5 Finale Tournament where the top eight regular season finishers will face off in the Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) rules format single-elimination tournament. The winner of that tournament will be crowned the Season 5, 185 lb PGF champion. But there’s so much more happening today. There’s a four-team Quintet style tournament and Nekiaya Jackson returns to the mats to defend her 135lb female PGF championship belt in a four-person female tournament. Visit PGFHOME.com to find out how to purchase the pay per view or join Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel at the Jedi level.
For the Quintet tournament, we have teams from 10th Planet Decatur, 10th Planet Atlanta, Ironclad Wrestling, and Not Bad Combat facing off. 10th Planet Decatur's main coach is the Commissioner Brandon Mccaghren. 10th Planet Atlanta's main coach is Sean Applegate. Ironclad Wrestling is led by the Elkins brothers (Jake and Matt). Handsome Kevin Sherrill is the head of Not Bad Combat. These competitors all know each other and all of them will be fighting for the pride of their coaches and bragging rights.
The Ladies 135lb Championship Tournament has Nekiaya Jackson returning to defend her title. She'll face off against Darby Jones in the first round. On the other side of the bracket, Chelsea Spurlin and Anna Dobbins will compete for a chance to make the championship match. Nekiaya has to be the clear betting favorite, but the other ladies might have something to say about that.
Thanks to XMartial.com, the BATTLERAMA is returning! The four PGF Season 5 alternate competitors were all given a chance to compete for an up to $2500 prize, with XMartial offering to match up to $1250 of donations from the live chat. While the exact amount is unknown at this time, the last BATTLERAMA champion PGF Season 5 competitor Josh Gibbs walked away with $1,000 which was more than most of the Season 3 competitors. The four competitors will be PGF Season 5 replacement players Alex Rodriguez, Luke Church Claunch, Sawyer Griffin, and Noah Randolph. Luke Church actually came in to become a regular season player when Sawyer was sick at the beginning of the season, but Sawyer had to come in to replace an injured Anakin McMahan. Noah Randolph was in the stands watching the PGF on day 1, but got called up to be a regular player when Jacob Lamar was injured and needed a substitute. In the first round Alex Rodriguez and Sawyer Griffin will face off. Then Luke Church and Noah Randolph will vie for a chance to make the BATTLERAMA final match.
Of course, the event everyone is really tuning into watch is the PGF Season 5 Finale Tournament. Here's the bracket:
#1 Elijah Carlton (Team Epic Roll) – Black Belt, 10th Planet Atlanta
VERSUS
#8 Sam Schwartzapfel (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet HQ and 10th Planet NYC
Matt Elkins had to bow out of the finale tournament so the next man up, Sam Schwartzapfel, stepped in to face the Jabroni grappler. As it turns out, finishing first actually makes Elijah have a tougher match than if he had finished second. We talked about how the stacked Epic Roll team made finishing in the top eight easier and also robbed the fans of some great matches. Well, we're going to get one of those great matches we wanted to see. Elijah is the PGF GOAT but he's facing a D1 wrestler with a great truck game. There's a real chance Sam could force Elijah into EBI overtime for the first time. If Elijah can't get a sub, we'll all see how good his EBI overtime game. Sam is a real threat here.
#3 Nick Craton (Team Epic Roll) – Brown Belt at Adamas Jiu Jitsu, (formerly of 10th Planet St. Paul)
VERSUS
#6 Fedor Nikolov (Team Toe Hold Red) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet HQ (formerly 10th Planet St. Petersburg)
Both Fedor and the Minnesota Maniac were highly touted coming into the PGF season. Fedor has shown a methodical, stoic approach to jiu jitsu, but had some problems getting finished within the six-minute matches of the PGF regular season. With the 10 minute EBI format of the PGF Season Finale tournament, Fedor should feel right at home and be able to implement his normal game. Coming into the PGF Season, Craton was known for his dangerous leg lock breaking mechanics and a phenomenal anaconda. Craton showed all the PGF fans relentless leglock entries but experienced some problems finishing off the attacks against a number of opponents. At any moment either of these competitors could lock in a submission. Expect a quiet crowd as they anticipate a lightning quick submission from either competitor.
#2 MANTIS Travis Thomas (Team Level) – Purple Belt, 10th Planet Decatur
VERSUS
#7 Landon Tourville (Team Toe Hold Red) – Blue Belt, Fathom BJJ
In a match of the breakout performers of PGF Season 5, The Mantis Travis Thomas faces Landon Tourville. Every season, a blue belt enters the PGF and shows that belt rankings mean a lot less than even a few years ago. Tourville laid claim to the that role. Thomas, known for being the top ranked mixed martial artist in the Southeast, had little grappling footage coming into the season. Other than his loss to Handsome Kevin Sherrill in the Handsome Daddy Belt competition at the PGF Season 4 Finale, fans could find little footage of Thomas. The 10th Planet Decatur members warned everyone who would listen that Thomas had a real chance at winning this season. Thomas proved them right. Thomas subbed Tourville with a triangle in their match on the final day of the regular season, so the Mantis has to be the favorite in this match.
#4 The Rock Troll Maximus Prime Jolly (Team Epic Roll) – Purple Belt, Upper Cumberland MMA/10th Planet Cookeville
VERSUS
#5 Kemoy Anderson (Team Level) – Brown Belt, 10th Planet Austin (formerly 10th Planet El Paso).
Kemoy has been overlooked before the season and underappreciated during the season. He changed gears between his time as a Season 2 competitor to his matches in this season. Kemoy brought a very deliberate approach which wasn't as flashy, until he decided to strike, which normally ended up with his opponents tapping out. Undersized for this season, the Rock Troll Maximus Jolly's "grip it and rip it" style proved that jiu jitsu really is meant for smaller individuals with skill to take out larger opponents. He had a bit of a hiccup on day 3, acting out sorts, but got back to his Rock Troll days on the final day of the season, securing three submissions. During that day 3 hiccup, Kemoy gave the Rock Troll his first submission loss in both of his PGF seasons. All signs indicate a VERY motivated Rock Troll entering this match looking to get that loss back, but he'll have to prove his jiu jitsu can take out one of the largest and most skilled competitors in the league.
The fantasy season is done so we won't worry about prognostication in the post. The only sure thing is the PGF Season 5 Finale will blow everyone away. It's going to be hours of phenomenal jiu jitsu, great walkouts and interviews led by Stephen Eakin, and outstanding commentary by Brandon Mccaghren and T.J. Desantis. But wait, there's more! Brandon Mccaghren will be making an announcement that will shake up professional jiu jitsu for years to come. Fans need to make sure to join the fun and watch the PGF Finale today. Visit PGFHOME.com to find out how to purchase the pay per view or join Brandon Mccaghren‘s YouTube Channel at the Jedi level.
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