Chacon Finishes Four in 1:48 as Braithwaite and “The Noodle” Win Carolina Titles

DURHAM, N.C. — Four opponents. Four submissions. One minute and 48 seconds of total match time. Elijah Chacon made the loudest statistical statement of the Carolina Copperheads’ October 3 qualifier, winning the 170-pound bracket without letting a match reach the one-minute mark.

Diallo Braithwaite swept four opponents by choke to win at 155 pounds, adding a second qualifier championship one week after his Philadelphia victory at the same weight. Nathanael “The Noodle” Schwartz completed the champion slate at 205, submitting Joshua Grubbs in a final that demanded far more than a quick finish.

Triangle Jiu Jitsu hosted 64 contested matches across the three divisions, with 47 submissions and 17 decisions. The brackets contained 67 division entries from 65 athletes; Junior Seccia competed at all three weights.

Chacon needs less than two minutes

After an opening bye, Chacon submitted Weylin Long in 29 seconds, Israel Wilkes in 36 and Tim Bova in 20. Whitt Ramey reached the final after beating returning PGF veteran and Houston qualifier champion Caleb Crump by decision in the semifinal. Chacon ended the championship match in 23 seconds.

All four Chacon victories are recorded as breaks in the official bracket. His longest match lasted 36 seconds. His shortest lasted 20. That combination of speed and consistency gives the Pedigo Submission Fighting athlete a striking result to bring into the Season 10 Draft pool.

Braithwaite doubles down at 155

Braithwaite’s second qualifier title came through an entirely different kind of consistency: four matches, four chokes. He finished David Pearson in 2:25, Elliot Kadans in 2:52 and Sebastian Seagraves in 1:43 before meeting Marco Backes in the final.

Backes had beaten Jacob March, Christian Massaro and Junior Seccia to reach the championship match. Braithwaite finished him at 5:38, with 22 seconds remaining in regulation, to complete another unbeaten qualifier run.

Braithwaite won the Philadelphia Phenoms qualifier at 155 on September 26. Two titles in eight calendar days at the same weight give teams more evidence of what he can deliver in that division. He retains one place in the Draft pool, with both championships attached to his record.

“The Noodle” survives the long road

Schwartz began his 205-pound run with a six-minute decision over Randy Roden. He then submitted Seccia in 15 seconds and Chad Ambrose in 58 to reach Grubbs in the final.

In PGF Commissioner Brandon McCaghren’s account of the final, Schwartz threatened a deep triangle before Grubbs escaped, took his back and attacked a rear-naked choke. Schwartz escaped in turn and went on to secure the winning submission. The official bracket records a choke at 4:15; it does not identify the finishing technique.

The win sends Nathanael “The Noodle” Schwartz into the 205-pound Draft pool. Grubbs finished second, with Ambrose and Reese Hankins sharing bronze.

Carolina championship results

Chacon and Schwartz add two new names to the Season 10 Draft pool, bringing the published qualified field to 20 distinct athletes. Braithwaite’s repeat win adds a title without adding a duplicate entry. Qualifying earns a place in the Draft pool; it does not announce a signing with Carolina or another franchise.

Official results and next qualifier

Results and recorded times come from the official Smoothcomp brackets. The Backes–Seccia semifinal is recorded as a choke under one minute; its exact duration remains under review. The original Carolina broadcast is currently unavailable on YouTube, so no playable replay is presented here.

• Official 155-pound bracket
• Official 170-pound bracket
• Official 205-pound bracket

The next scheduled qualifier is the Dallas Mustangs event in Carrollton, Texas, on October 11. Carolina’s August 8 event remains a separate result, with Vincent Morelli at 145 and Leo Schwebel at 185.

• Season 10 qualifier results and Draft pool
• Carolina Copperheads team page
• August Carolina qualifier recap