The PGF World Colorado Wolverines' first qualifier of Season 10 was held this weekend at High Altitude Martial Arts. The winner of each weight class qualifies themselves for the PGF (Professional Grappling Federation) draft, as well as regional clout. Live spectators and Youtube/Kick viewers enjoyed a ton of high pace, highly skilled matches take place. With winners punching their ticket to the draft at 145, 155, 170, 185, & 205 lbs.
Major Storylines
Four Wolverines Make the Final
Returning players Brett Moyer and Sam Schwartzapfel made the 185 final. While Clay Wimer, Caleb Crump, & Anakin McMahan finished off the 170 bracket respectfully 1-3. Former Las Vegas players Juan Martinez & JJ Bowers also had impressive performances, with Juan taking the 145 lb. bracket and JJ making it to the semis before falling in a razor tight decision loss.
Local Grapplers Upset PGF Veterans
Matthew Hendren, Riley Golden, Marcus Wilson, & Robert Parrish beat higher seeded PGF veterans. Setting the tone for the event, and putting some respect on the Colorado grappling scene.
Tight Matches in Semifinals
Usually an outside eye can pick a side quickly, but the front table had lengthy conversations before making their decisions in multiple semifinal matches. Specifically Crump's semis win over JJ Bowers, and Moyer's decision win over Giuseppe Lamanna.
Local Uncs Meet in the Finals of the Stacked 155 lb. Bracket
The 155 lb. bracket was loaded with talent, including PGF veterans Noah McCully, Jordan Wirth, & Matias Jimenez, easily the deepest bracket of the tournament. Two local 35+ year old gym owners met in the final of a weight class many expected to see young talent rule, Robert Parrish of Leverage Jiu Jitsu and Marcus Wilson of Wilson Bros. Grappling (older brother of the newly signed Wolverines coach, Jonathan Wilson). The two showed off their technical prowess, and relied more on positional dominance rather than the epic high-pace spaz battles we are used to seeing in the PGF format.
Finals Results
145: Juan Martinez ends Diego Ortiz's impressive 3 submission run with a decision win, looking sharp in every match of the day. Outclassing his opponents, and showing off an aggressive, risk-taking style that ultimately got him the finals win. Martinez vs Ortiz, Martinez by Dec.
155: A black belt under Brandon Mcgahren, Robert Parrish wins by decision over Marcus Wilson. Robert got ahead early and refused to let Marcus recover in a highly anticipated match for the local scene. Robert also eliminated Kingsway's Darin Yusefi, Matias Jimenez, & Riley Golden from the bracket. Parrish vs Wilson, Parish by Dec.
170: Clay Wimer beats 2 of his former teammates, and takes home the win in the finals over #1 seed Caleb Crump. Wimer ended the day as the highest PGF scorer, securing 3 kills with one coming in the first minute for a bonus (19 points total, according to sub_stats). Wimer vs Crump, Wimer by Dec.
185: Returning Wolverines Brett Moyer and Sam Schwartzapfel swept through the bracket and met in the final, with Moyer taking the decision win with more action initiated on his behalf. Moyer vs Schwartzapfel, Moyer by Dec.
205: Aaron Tiegs cleans up the 205 lb bracket, submitting Brandon George of Kingsway in the final. Arguably the most dominant competitor of the day, submitting every opponent with a Roger Gracie-esque style. Denying entanglements, smashing from top half guard, and standard, fundamental finishes from superior position. Tiegs vs George, Tiegs by Sub.
For event replay, check out Youtube.com.
For full results, check out Smoothcomp.com.