Day 1 of PGF World Season 6 is in the books! With PGF World Season 6, we’ve learned we can only expect the unexpected. So many highly-anticipated competitors walked away with zero submissions; so many overlooked competitors shined.
Click here to see our full preview of PGF World Season 6 before finding out the results of Day 1!
PGF World Season 6: Day 1 Recap
The Top Performers
Davis Asare
Many considered the purple belt out of New Wave Jiu-Jitsu to be a dark horse to win PGF World 6. He had a very successful 2023 ADCC Open campaign. Asare was also the silver medalist at the ADCC European Trials. On day 1 of PGF World Season 6, Davis Asare implemented a proven PGF strategy – capitalizing on favorable matchups. Asare faced Jamie Carnall in the first round. Asare took Carnall’s back and sink in a rear-triangle for six points – barely missing the Elbow Genie bonus point for getting the submission within one minute. Asare had to settle for a draw against Andy Varela in his second match. In his third match, Asare submitted Cam Hurd within one minute via a D’arce choke, getting the Elbow Genie bonus point. Asare’s two submissions helped earn his team the win in two different blocks of Day 1, meaning his XMartial team members and himself all earned two additional team points for their individual scores.
Andy Varela
Varela himself took issue when he wasn’t ranked number one by anyone who put together power rankings. The black belt out of 10th Planet Las Vegas took to social media to break down his thoughts on his possible opponents for PGF World 6. Team Epic Roll spent more than half their budget in the auction draft on Varela, and he delivered. Varela sunk in two rear-naked chokes on Day 1, putting 12 points on the board for his team. The man with the home field advantage went to sleep comfortably in his own bed and in second place.
Daniel Sathler
The steal of the draft! Sent by ADCC Hall of Fame member Andre Galvao to represent ATOS at PGF World 6, Daniel Sathler went under the radar, only garnering 1,100 points in the auction draft. As the competitor drafted for the median amount in the draft, Sathler vastly overperformed his price. Sathler scored a Break in the form of a flying armbar in the first block. Then, he came out in the second block and finished a very tough Samson Phommabout in 20 seconds via rear-naked choke. That Kill earned him six points, plus the Elbow Genie bonus point for a submission in less than one minute. More importantly for his teammates, that seven-point submission won 1st Phorm the second block, giving everyone on his team an extra team point for their totals. Sathler finished the night in third place.
Jett Thompson
Welcome to the Kid, show! Jett Thompson turned the tables on multiple high-profile opponents on day 1 of PGF World Season 6. Jett shocked everyone at PGF World and everyone watching when he caught ADCC Trials winner John Combs with a heel hook in his first match. Jett came out in the second block against top-ranked PJ Barch. While Jett forced a draw, which is a loss for both competitors in the PGF rule set, no one thought Jett would be able to hang with the veteran black belt competitor. Jett left the venue with four points, tied for 5th place. Considering Jett got two of his toughest matches out of the way for the season, he’s in a very good position going into Day 2.
David Evers
The Reigning, Defending PGF World 170lb Champion disarmed his opponents leading in to PGF World 6. The self-described hobbyist, Evers won his title at PGF World 3 while still working his day job at NASA (yes, that NASA). Evers showed every competitor they need to respect the Champ when he scored a heel hook in the second match of the night, earning three points for the Break and the extra Elbow Genie point for it occurring within the first minute of the match. Later, amid a little controversy, Evers secured another three points with a Break via ankle lock against Kevin Beuhring. Beuhring said he didn’t mean to tap, but the overwhelming majority of the fans, and more importantly the Commissioner, all agree it was a tap. Evers finished the night with nine points and in fourth place.
The Rest Of The Pack
While these competitors shined on the first day of the PGF World 6 Season, many competitors failed to score a submission. It would be safe to say almost no one would have believed that highly-anticipated competitors such as PJ Barch, Renato Canuto, Max Hanson, and multi-season PGF Champion Elijah Carlton would all leave the first day without putting points on the board. But long-time PGF World fans do know competitors with lots of experience in other rule sets can require some time adjusting to the short six-minute matches and “submit or you lose” reality of PGF World.
Rest assured, the PGF World 6 competitors all have an idea of what it takes to put points on the board now. With three days left in the PGF World 6 regular season, every competitor still has nine matches to try to earn a spot in the playoffs which will be televised on UFC Fight Pass this Friday. Every competitor will face internal pressure to make the playoffs, but also pressure from their teammates to put points on the board so their team can win the $100,000 regular season prize.
PGF World Season 6 – Day 1 Team Standings
Team XMartial came into PGF World Season 6 asking if anyone could beat their team… before the draft had even occurred. Well, their statement seems to be prescient as Team XMartial, helmed by Coach Jean Jacques Machado, left the first day in first place. Team XMartial has a commanding lead with 22 points. Teams 1st Phorm and Epic Roll finished close together. Team 1st Phorm, led by Rigan Machado, stands in second place with 13 points. Team Epic Roll, led by Roger Gracie, finished the day in third place with 12 points. Maybe one of the most shocking stats of the night was Coach Dean Lister’s Black Rifle Coffee Company Team walking away from the first day with zero points.
But fans must remember, fortunes in PGF World can change very quickly. Team Black Rifle Coffee Company could move into first place with only four submissions from their competitors. With only nine submissions on the first day, every team is very much within striking distance of the currently leading Team XMartial. Tune in tonight as the PGF World 6 regular season continues. Fans can watch it free on YouTube, Caffeine, or a host of other platforms. With 25% of the season over, the competitors’ sense of urgency will be very high. With this urgency, grapplers will be flying around the mat, focused on submitting their opponents. It promises to be VERY exciting. But then, fans wouldn’t expect anything less from PGF World 6. It’s everything you love about sports, plus Jiu-Jitsu.
