This article and the accompanying footage of Andrew Kochel vs Sam Vorbe from Hammer Challenge Series 10 is part of Free Fight Friday, our ongoing project to bring the best in professional Jiu-Jitsu competition to everyone. To avoid spoilers for the match, scroll directly to the footage below.
This match between Andrew Kochel vs Sam Vorbe served as the co-main event for Hammer Challenge Series 10, a great event that was packed with plenty of exciting grappling from start to finish. Kochel was the promotion’s reigning 175lbs pro champion at the time and he was originally scheduled to put his belt on the line against Rob Shaffer at the event, but Shaffer had to withdraw shortly before the match took place. Ever the game opponent, Vorbe stepped up on just a few week’s notice in order to replace Shaffer and challenge himself against strong opposition.
It was a fast-paced match right from the start and both men were clearly going to give it their all in order to get the win. As is often the case with matches that involve two high-level grapplers scrambling, it wasn’t very long at all until one of them found the finish. Andrew Kochel was able to submit Sam Vorbe with a heel hook after around 3 minutes of action and he retained his title as a result. Both men are fantastic competitors in their own right, but Kochel is incredibly prolific across multiple different promotions and this is just one of many great performances he has registered in 2023.
Subscribe to the official JitsMagazine YouTube channel for more Free Fight Friday footage, and the full match between Andrew Kochel and Sam Vorbe can be found below: