In PGF Season 5, the Voice of the PGF, Matt Skaff left the commentary table and took a main role as a manager for one of the four PGF teams. In April, the PGF will return for season 6 as we discussed here. All indications point to this upcoming season of the PGF being HUGE! It will likely attract national, if not international talent. Still, the PGF has built not only the most exciting format for submission grappling, but also built storylines for competitors. With its pre-season, season, and post-season, fans have built relationships with PGF competitors. So, what if we build the ultimate PGF fans' team to take on all newcomers? Who from PGF history could both make 170lb (PGF season 6 weight class) and could give some big-time talent a run for their money? Let's give it a shot!
Thus far, we only really know that PGF Season is happening in Las Vegas, in April, and will be at 170lb. We also know the one announced competitor will be PGF Season 3 Champion David "Quadzilla" Evers who will be defending his title. Ok, so we need to make some assumptions before drafting our team. First, let's assume the season will be roughly like season 5 - four teams of five players. For the sake of argument, let's also assume each team will get a bench/replacement player. So, we can look at drafting six players to the All-PGF Team.
Pick #1 - David "Quadzilla" Evers - well, we can't sleep on the returning champ. Quadzilla sported a 50% break rate in PGF Season 3's regular season, meaning that half the time he hit the mats he was breaking his opponent's joints. He also sported a 25% Elbow Genie Point score, meaning that in one out of four matches, he finished his opponent in less than one minute. Having come from both more traditional and 10th Planet backgrounds, Evers can take someone's leg home, but still has those traditional submissions as well. Since moving back to Texas, he's been emphasizing work on wrestling, so his opponents can't just anticipate the Quadzilla sitting guard immediately anymore. Evers is built like a spark plug, meaning he'll be a challenge for many opponents as they adjust to a competitor of his build. Sure, he was the fist announced PGF Season 6 competitor, but there was no way the Eggheadwarrior.com Editorial board was going to sleep on this rocket scientist.
Pick #2 - Elijah "the Jabroni Grappler" Carlton. The King of the PGF, Elijah Carlton won the regular season and post-season tournament in Season 1. He has only lost to one person in the PGF - eventual PGF Season 2 (225lb season) winner Hunter Colvin. The Jabroni came back for Season 3 (170lb) and won the regular season before bowing out due to an injury. Season 4's 155lb weight limit was just a little to small for Elijah, but he came back for Season 5, winning the regular season and post-season tournament in the 185lb weight class. Elijah has answered all of our questions. We've known of his deadly triangle setups since season 1 which have proved almost unstoppable even in later seasons. But Elijah has also showcased his killer leg locks, wicked back takes to rear-naked chokes, and even proved his Eddie Bravo Inviational (EBI) overtime skills could help him secure a championship. As Walo Jay has said many times, until someone beats Elijah, you have to bet on him.
Pick #3 - Jonathan "the Elbow Genie" Roberts. Perhaps the competitor with the most beautiful jiu jitsu in PGF history, Jonathan "the Elbow Genie" Roberts has a dang PGF rule named after him! In season 1 of the PGF, Roberts was submitting EVERYONE! Not only submitting them, he was finishing them lightning fast. The problem was Roberts submission of choice was arm bars from everywhere. In PGF Season 1, a Kill (or choke) was worth 7 points and a break (arm bar, leg lock, etc.) was only worth 3 points. So, despite dispatching his opponents with unmatched speed, Roberts was on the outside looking in halfway through the regular season. The Elbow Genie isn't a heralded competitor outside the PGF, but he'll catch a lot of unsuspecting opponents. Trust me.
Pick #4 - Handsome Kevin Sherrill - the PGF Season 3 runner up would make a fine addition to our team. As detailed HERE, Handsome Kevin is a lifelong grappler. He's a state champion wrestler from Georgia and took his skills to Division 1 for the University of Northern Iowa. After finishing his wrestling career, he transitioned to jiu jitsu, training under great coaches like Coach Sean Applegate of 10th Planet Atlanta, Roan “Jucão” Carneiro at at American Top Team Atlanta, and now under Paul Ardila, Sergio Ibarra, and Ernesto Rivera in their LHM team. Of course, Handsome Kevin runs his own crew, Not Bad Combat Club, training out of the Executive Training Group facilities in Woodstock, Georgia. Handsome Kevin brings the charisma and skills to entertain all the fans.
Pick #5 - Kevin Beuhring - The Elbow Genie himself told everyone to follow Kevin Beuhring after their match during Season 3 of the PGF. At that time, Beuhring had been training not much more than one year and was the standout blue belt of the season. Now he's had a few more years to train and rack up accomplishments. He's the Sapaterio and Midwest finishers 170lb champion. He's shown his insane leg locking ability but also the ability to misdirect his opponents: making them fear the leg locks then taking their back and choking them out. Beuhring is a rising star. He took out an entire Quintet team himself during the PGF Season 5 Finale. Beuhring could really break through into national/international notoriety if he performed as well as he could in PGF Season 6.
Pick #6 - The Rock Troll Maximus Prime Jolly - with a tip of the cap to Randy "the Dumptruck" Roden, the Editorial Board of Eggheadwarrior.com has to round out the PGF Dream Team with the Rock Troll. As can be read HERE, the Rock Troll has been training jiu jitsu since he was 12 years old. He came into Season 4, submitting everyone in the qualifier he entered. Then, he made it to the semifinals of PGF Season 4, losing only by ride time. The Rock Troll returned for PGF Season 5, even though he was drastically undersized for the 185lb season. But the Rock Troll showed his jiu jitsu could overcome weight differences as he made it to the top eight and the Finale. Despite competing in two seasons, the Rock Troll has only been submitted ONCE and that was by the Season 5 runner-up Kemoy Anderson who easily weighed more than 200lb when they met. Jolly is a very exciting grappler who doesn't back down. He would provide great entertainment and great results if he was in PGF Season 6.
So there you have it. The Editorial Board of Eggheadwarrior.com has put together the PGF Dream Team for PGTF Season 6 to take on the world. Did they get it right? Who would you have included that they missed? What about Caleb McCallister? Randy Roden? Mario Gaor? Dane Leak? Jeovany Ortiz?
Who knows who will be make this season's roster? We will all find out a lot more sometime in January when the Commissioner Brandon Mccaghren makes his big announcement. Whoever makes the roster, PGTF Season 6 will be insane! Remember, VEGAS BABY, VEGAS!!!
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