🥊 PGF SEASON 9 IS HERE AND THE KINGS ARE ALREADY RUNNING THE BOARD

By Cody Merrow | Fight Bananas

WHAT IS UP, Fight Bananas faithful! Cody Merrow here, and I am going to need you to sit down for this one because Pro Grappling Federation Season 9 has officially arrived,  and Opening Night in Las Vegas did NOT disappoint.

Thirty matches. Immediate scoreboard swings. Early heroes, early villains, and one team that walked out of Night 1 looking like they never left the top. Las Vegas lit up, the pressure was on from the opening whistle, and goddamn if the Kings didn’t look like a franchise that has simply figured out how to WIN.

Let’s get into it. 🔥🔥🔥

🥊 THE KINGS ARE BUILT DIFFERENT

I don’t say this lightly,  but the Kings came into Season 9 looking like a dynasty in the making and through Week 1, they have done absolutely nothing to change that narrative.

34 points. That is where they sit at the top of the team standings after Opening Night, ahead of the Phenoms (21), Twisters (19), and a Wolverines squad that we will get to in a moment. But here’s the thing though,  it wasn’t just the number. It was HOW they built it. 15 points in Block 1. 6 in Block 2. Then they SLAMMED the door with 13 in Block 3. That is a team that knows how to manage a night, not just a match. They won Season 7 as a franchise. Jett Thompson individually took the Season 8 crown even without a Kings team title. Week 1 of Season 9 looks like the next chapter in the same project. This is legacy-building, people. Not noise.

🥊 JETT THOMPSON IS THE NAME TO KNOW

BUCKLE UP, because if you are not yet familiar with Jett Thompson, you are about to be.

Sitting at the top of the individual athlete standings with 14 points after bonuses, Jett opened Season 9 the way every top seed is supposed to, not by chasing the board, but by SETTING THE TONE. Two Kill wins. 12 base points. Bonus on top of that. He was not scrambling for points on Opening Night; he was making a statement about what this season is going to look like.

Shawn Melanson of the Phenoms (10 points) and Kings teammate Austin Oranday (9 points) are right there, which tells you how volatile this board can get in a hurry. But Jett starting at No. 1? In a format built on pace, pressure, and momentum,  that matters. And you would do right to keep your eye on him all season.

Jett Thompson with a Spectacular Submission vs. Joshua Squires, 03/04/2026 pic.twitter.com/a33decU6QQ

— Professional Grappling Federation (@PGFworld) March 5, 2026

🥊 THE PHENOMS AND TWISTERS ARE NOT GOING AWAY

Let’s be honest,  this is NOT a runaway. Not yet, anyway.

The Phenoms posted 21 team points with real individual contributors across the board. Melanson at No. 2. Noah Mccully at No. 8 with 6 points. Andrew Kochel at No. 9 with 5. They had stretches on Opening Night where they looked ready to steal control of the whole thing, and their second block surge was REAL. Do not sleep on this roster.

The Twisters sit at 19 and they are dangerous. Kevin Beuhring opened with 7 points. Jake Straus added 6. Week 1 did not separate them from this race,  it kept them squarely in striking distance. If they can start converting close spots into finishes more consistently, we are looking at a legitimate three-team war for the top of the standings.

Here’s how it looks right now 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

🥊 THE WOLVERINES HAVE A PROBLEM

There is no soft way to frame it: 3 points after Week 1 puts the Wolverines in full urgency mode immediately.

And the night got harder late. Jonathan Wilson was unavailable for the final Wolverines match, which meant Joshua Squires came off the bench cold,  directly into a brutal assignment against Jett Thompson. That is a nightmare scenario in a format that is already unforgiving. You cannot spot this field a head start and expect to claw it back comfortably.

Week 2 is no longer just the next event for the Wolverines. It is a must-respond situation. Every block matters from here.

All Submissions of the Day, 03/04/2026 pic.twitter.com/c9CutEVInO

— Professional Grappling Federation (@PGFworld) March 5, 2026

🥊 SHOUTOUT TO THE COMMENTARY DESK

If you have not been watching PGF with Jason Anik on the call alongside TJ De Santis and Brandon McCaghren,  you are genuinely missing out. The desk brought the right energy for Opening Night: the league is deeper, the margins are thinner, and the standings can swing fast. Not only that, but you’ve got budding superstar Alex Wendling involved with the content as well! That is the honest truth of this format and they delivered it clearly all night long. The production is growing and it SHOWS.

new youtube short summarizes pgf energy too well lol pic.twitter.com/nZGDe7GrWY

— alexandra (@alexwendlingX) March 11, 2026

🥊 FINAL WORD

Week 1 did not crown anything,  but it absolutely set the map. The Kings look like a team with a plan and the personnel to execute it. Jett Thompson is the athlete to chase. The Phenoms and Twisters are close enough to make this a war. And the Wolverines need to wake up RIGHT NOW.

Week 2 is when we find out if this is a Kings march to the championship or a full-blown multi-team firefight. My money says it’s the latter,  and I cannot WAIT.

PGF Season 9 is just getting started, people. LET’S GO! 🥊🔥

— Cody Merrow is the Live Producer of The Anik & Florian Podcast and a lead writer for Fight Bananas. Formerly of MMA Underground and the Pound 4 Pound Podcast newsletter. Follow him on X: @cody_merrow