Season: 3
Elijah Carlton
The first person in the PGF Hall of Fame. 24-0 in PGF Season 1 (all subs); only lost two matches in Season 2. SUG superfight winner, High Rollerz Brown Belt Champ. The Bad Guy has a scary guard with ridiculous triangles, leg locks, and the experience to know to go for the kill.
Josh Gibbs
Gibbs is a PGF Season 2 alumn. He had to bulk up to compete in that season and is now back at his normal size. While I characterized his jiu jitsu as traditional, he was a tough competitor. He’s been working on new techniques and as a certified trainer, you know he’s going to be in shape. In the qualifiers, I believe he has a loss to Stackhouse and lost to the Scarecrow of Doom in different qualifiers. He’s a great guy and a talented competitor. With the great coaches we have, they may see a way to tweak Gibbs’ jiu jitsu to get a lot more submissions – so he may make a team’s roster.
Matthew Boiles
Matthew Boiles, blue belt, Scramble Jiu Jitsu. Boiles doesn’t weather the storm, HE IS THE STORM! Boiles is a veteran of PGF season 3 and the PGF Battlerama runner-up. Boiles earned an at-large invitation after the initial Decatur Qualifier for this season based on his “coming at you,” 100% all-in, style. But Boiles wanted to earn his spot on his own, so he traveled down to Jacksonville and won that qualifier. Boiles always brings a high tempo with a wrestling background, but has added leg attacks which he used to win his second qualifier. Don’t sleep on Boiles. He wears down opponents. One match everyone should be looking forward to is Boiles versus Jacob Arp (see below) – both have called each other out. It should be a great match between old training partners.
Louis Collins
At 5’9, 150, he’s one of the smallest competitors. But he’s tough as nails. Louis is one of two competitors in PGF Season 1 to make Elijah Carlton settle for a break instead of a kill (Nilo doesn’t count as Elijah could’ve gotten that triangle). While he’s got serious defensive prowess, I’m not sure how much his offense will be able to take out these other competitors.
Isaac Stackhouse
The Wandering Grappler, the Rudy of the PGF. Isaac went to every qualifier and competed in all of them except the last one where he was put into service as the camera man. Isaac has more grit than anyone on this list (tip of the cap to Kevin Primeau). Isaac has competed with all sorts of injuries including a likely broken ankle. He’s an old school MMA fighter that transitioned to jiu jitsu. His wandering schtick is really just about seeking out the best instructors and training partners around. I’m a huge fan of Isaac, but having competed in so many qualifiers, he has a lot of losses to other folks on this list.
Joshua Gibbs
Gibbs is a PGF Season 2 alumn. He had to bulk up to compete in that season and is now back at his normal size. While I characterized his jiu jitsu as traditional, he was a tough competitor. He’s been working on new techniques and as a certified trainer, you know he’s going to be in shape. In the qualifiers, I believe he has a loss to Stackhouse and lost to the Scarecrow of Doom in different qualifiers. He’s a great guy and a talented competitor. With the great coaches we have, they may see a way to tweak Gibbs’ jiu jitsu to get a lot more submissions – so he may make a team’s roster.
Matthew Boiles
At 5’9″, 155 lbs, Boiles is one of the smaller competitors. At 19 years old, he’s one of the youngest competitors. But, you will not beat his motor and pressure. This kid will attack even the seasoned black belts. He’s going to be in the running for match/highlight of the night whether he’s on top or getting dunked on. He attacks with knee slices continually and keeps his center of gravity ridiculously low, making it hard to sweep him. His enthusiasm and good-natured demeanor is infectious. It wouldn’t be improbable for him to tire out a higher ranked belt and sneak in a submission or two.