Qualifier Recap
From Denver to Brisbane: Six Qualifier Champions Enter the PGF Season 10 Draft Pool
The PGF preseason opened on two continents with five division champions in Colorado and a four-match run from David Stoilescu in Brisbane.
DENVER AND BRISBANE - One preseason. Two continents. Six new names in the PGF Season 10 Draft pool.
The opening weekend of Season 10 qualifying began at High Altitude Martial Arts in Denver, where the official event page listed 94 athletes and five completed brackets across the league's 145-, 155-, 170-, 185- and 205-pound divisions. Hours later in Brisbane, the PGF x Who's Next Grappling qualifier brought together a 10-athlete, double-elimination field with another place in the Draft pool on the line.
The settings were half a world apart, but the stakes were the same: win the bracket and earn the opportunity to be selected in the Season 10 Draft.
Four decisions - and then a finish - in Colorado
Colorado's championship round became a test of composure. The first four finals all reached the six-minute limit.
At 145 pounds, Juan Martinez V of Childress BJJ defeated Vanguard Academy's Diego Ortiz by decision. The matchup forced Martinez to solve Ortiz's constant leg attacks without abandoning his own offense. He pressured from the top, repeatedly looked to pass and showed the broader game that the broadcast team had highlighted from the opening exchange.
Robert Parish then secured the 155-pound title for Leverage Jiu Jitsu Colorado with a decision over Marcus Wilson of Wilson Bros. Grappling. The commentators called it one of their favorite matches of the day, and the reason was visible: six minutes of high-level exchanges in which both athletes had an answer as the action moved through front-headlock attacks, guard work, leg entanglements and back-taking threats. Parish's offensive pressure and deeper submission looks carried the decision.
Clayton Wimer of Verde Valley BJJ followed with a decision over High Altitude Martial Arts' Caleb Crump in the 170-pound final. Wimer mixed guard pulls with forward movement, refused to let Crump settle and used late back control to separate himself in another competitive six-minute match.
At 185 pounds, Brett Moyer of 10th Planet Las Vegas earned the fourth straight championship-round decision, defeating Sam Schwartzapfel of 10th Planet Los Angeles. Training partners who had shared the drive into Colorado, Moyer and Schwartzapfel knew each other's games and still produced a lively technical battle. Moyer kept attacking, showed off for the camera between exchanges and did enough to take the decision.
Then the 205-pound final changed the rhythm of the night.
Aaron Tiegs of Clarks University met Brandon George of Kingsway Jiu Jitsu and ended the final in 1:58 with a reverse armbar. Tiegs had looked systematic all day, and the final was the clearest example: smooth passing, no wasted motion and a fluid progression through dominant positions before the finish. It was the only submission of Colorado's five championship matches, and the commentators closed the day calling Tiegs the field's most impressive performer.
Colorado final results
| Division | Qualifier champion | Final opponent | Official result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 145 lbs | Juan Martinez V | Diego Ortiz | Decision, 6:00 |
| 155 lbs | Robert Parish | Marcus Wilson | Decision, 6:00 |
| 170 lbs | Clayton Wimer | Caleb Crump | Decision, 6:00 |
| 185 lbs | Brett Moyer | Sam Schwartzapfel | Decision, 6:00 |
| 205 lbs | Aaron Tiegs | Brandon George | Reverse armbar, 1:58 |
Stoilescu takes the leg-lock route through Brisbane
David Stoilescu's path through Brisbane was different: four matches, four wins and three leg-lock finishes.
Representing Sydney West Martial Arts, Stoilescu opened his competitive run against Jordon Piggott and finished their quarterfinal with a heel hook at 2:56. He then met Joshua La in the semifinal and earned a decision after the full six minutes.
In the final qualification match, Stoilescu needed only 52 seconds to submit teammate Axyl Howie with an ankle lock. The familiarity added another layer: the broadcast team expected the position to have played out many times in the Sydney West training room, but Stoilescu trusted his 50/50 game and attacked anyway. That victory sent the undefeated top seed into the final and a second meeting with La.
Because Stoilescu had advanced through the winners' side of the double-elimination bracket, La needed to beat him twice. Stoilescu needed only one more win.
The rematch did not reach the halfway point. Stoilescu stayed compact through the leg exchanges, created a leg drag, collected the hanging foot and sat to a high-angle inside heel hook. The official time was 2:02. The finish completed a 4-0 day and put Stoilescu first in the bracket, with La second and Howie third.
Afterward, Stoilescu described the day simply: the opening match knocked off the cobwebs, then it was 'smooth sailing.' He had also moved up for the opportunity - from his usual 70 kilograms to 77 - and said the size difference did not matter if it meant more chances to compete against the best.
That Brisbane run added an international winner to the Season 10 Draft pool and gave the opening weekend a fitting final image: a Canadian athlete representing an Australian academy earning his PGF opportunity on the other side of the world.
The first six are in
Juan Martinez V. Robert Parish. Clayton Wimer. Brett Moyer. Aaron Tiegs. David Stoilescu.
Those six athletes have earned places in the Season 10 Draft pool. Their qualifier victories do not guarantee team roster spots; the league's eight franchises will make those decisions through the established draft process.
But the first step is complete. Colorado delivered five champions across the full PGF weight-class structure. Brisbane produced a winner who closed three of his four matches with leg locks. Together, they gave the Season 10 preseason an opening weekend worthy of what comes next.
