Day 4 is over and the PGF World 6 Regular Season is a wrap! We now know the competitors vying for the overall championship in the playoffs, post-season finale tournament. We now know who won the $100,000 regular season team championship prize. And competitors showed their sense of urgency to both make the playoffs and help their teams win the regular season championship. It all proved to be an amazing night. Before we preview the playoffs, let’s look at some of the standouts from Day 4, the last day of the regular season.
Click here to see our full preview of PGF World Season 6 before finding out the results of Day 4!
PGF World Season 6: Day 4 Recap
The Top Performers
Davis Asare
Davis Asare has been consistent throughout the PGF World season. On Day 4, he took advantage of a Team Black Rifle Coffee Company injury substitution in the first block. Asare sunk in a rear-naked choke within the first minute of his first match, earning seven points for himself and his XMartial team. This score set himself up to maintain the top position and gave his team some breathing room in the team championship hunt. Asare faced a reinvigorated Matt Elkins in his second match. Despite putting Elkins in danger many times, it was Elkins’ night (more later).
But most importantly, Asare took the fight to Renato Canuto in the third block. Asare and Canuto shared praise for each other after the match in an interview with PGF announcer Stephen Eakin. In the PGF, a draw is a result – in this highly competitive draw, Asare neutralized 1st Phorm’s first round pick. Again, Asare’s steady, masterful grappling helped ensure he was the top ranked competitor going into the playoffs and helped ensure his team won the $100,000. Asare has made a good case for being the MVP of the season.
Jett “The Kid” Thompson
Talking about MVPs of the season, the Kid has a great argument as well. Thompson went for 1,200 PGF points in the PGF World 6 Auction draft, but that’s only because 1st Phorm coach Rigan Machado expertly got steals in the draft, saving money for his fifth spot target – Jett Thompson. As the fifth player added to the 1st Phorm roster, the Kid garnered the most points of any competitor on his team. The 17- year-old competitor put everyone on notice the first day with his aoki lock of a well-regarded black belt, and he didn’t stop. Jett even had the Elijah Carlton confessing fear of the minor. On day 4 of PGF World Season 6, Jett sunk in a rear-naked-choke in his first block matchup, to keep team 1st Phorm in the hunt for the championship and to keep himself as the third-ranked competitor heading into the post-season championship playoffs.
Elijah “The Jabroni” Carlton
Discounted by many as just a regional competitor from the Southeast, Elijah has won over the masses. He settled for a heel hook in his first block, but got it within the first minute for the Elbow Genie bonus point. These four points were enough to keep him in second place heading into the playoffs. But he also withstood the attacks of fellow playoff competitors Andy Varela and Jett Thompson. While not the most exciting matches, Carlton attacked Varela multiple times during their match, looking like he might get his patented triangle setup. For the Jett Thompson match, Carlton neutralized Team 1st Phorm’s most dangerous weapon in the form of the 17 year-old Phenom. With $100,000 on the line for his team, it made sense to play it safe.
PJ Barch
It’s not easy having a target on your back and PJ Barch had one squarely on his back since before PGF World 6 even started. Heading into the final day of the season, Barch was on the outside looking in toward the playoff picture. While he couldn’t get a kill, Barch was able to get an outside heel hook Break in his first block and then in his second block he got another Break. For his second Break of Day 4, Barch got in on fellow star Renato Canuto, giving a possible preview of a playoffs match.
Matt Elkins
Scoreless going into the final day of PGF World 6, the only person to have been involved in every PGF Season (four as a competitor and two as a coach) came alive. Ekins truly decided to leave everything on the mats on the last day of the season. In the first block, Elkins shocked the audience as he found a way to triangle playoff participant Kevin Beuhring with a triangle from bottom, getting the Kill. Later, Elkins held his own against top ranked Davis Asare, both defending and attacking before settling for a draw. Finally, Elkins got the first “wrister” in PGF History (a wrister is a wrist lock from the twister position). Elkins showed he’s a true competitor and showman, winning over the audience and fans all over the world.
Securing Their Spots In The Playoffs
Kevin Beuhring got a RNC in his first block; with the kill, he secured his spot in the playoffs and kept his 1st Phorm team in the hunt for the team title. Similarly, Ben Eddy secured a Kill, matching Beuhring. Eddy kept his spot in the playoffs and kept the lead for his XMartial team. Renato Canuto answered the call and got a RNC in the first block to punch his ticket to the playoffs.
Team Champions: XMartial Wins The $100,000
As mentioned partially above, Team XMartial had the lead coming into the final day of the season, but it was only two submissions away from Team 1st Phorm catching up to them. Team members from both teams started racking up submissions in the first two blocks of the day, both shrinking and expanding XMartial’s lead. It came down to the last team matchup of the last block of the regular season. In the end, all five matches of Team XMartial and Team 1st Phorm ended up in draws. But they were all competitive with the audience and fans throughout the world on the edge of their seats. Finally, Elijah Carlton’s draw with Jett Thompson sealed the deal, ensuring Team XMartial won the $100,000. Not picked by any of the analysts, XMartial proved to be the best team this season.
PGF World Season 6 Day 4 Ends, The Playoffs Begin
Now, we enter the post-season playoffs. Regular Season #1 Davis Asare will face pre-season top-ranked PJ Barch. Andy Varela will face Kevin Beuhring. Daniel Sathler has found a way to come back from his injury to face Jett “The Kid” Thompson. Finally, multi-time PGF champion Elijah Carlton will face World Champion Renato Canuto. The format changes a little from the regular season. All playoff bracket matches are now 10-minute matches, so competitors have more time to work than the regular season six-minute matches allowed. Since no match can end in a draw, there will be EBI overtime rounds where each competitor will take turns attacking the other from their backs. Competitors can either win overtime by quickest submission or longest ride time (holding their competitor in fear of the submission the longest).
The playoffs will also feature a Ladies’ Championship Match with Two-Time Women’s Champion Kiaya Jackson defending her title for a third time against PGF Season 4 standout Kaida Davis. Fans will also see a four-man bracket of replacement competitors, featuring Matt Elkins, John Chandler, Alvaro Pinedo, and Evan DeWitt. The PGF World 6 Finale proves to be highly entertaining with $20,000 on the line for the overall champion. It all goes down tonight on UFC Fight Pass at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific.
