Team captain Craig Jones scored two submissions to carry The B-Team to victory at Quintet 4 on September 10.
Team-based grappling promotion Quintet returned to action on Sunday, September 10, at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.
Powered by a sensational performance from team captain Craig Jones, The B-Team took home gold at Quintet 4, defeating Team Polaris and Team 10th Planet.
In the team semifinals, the Austin, Texas-based B-Team battled to a draw in all five one-on-one matches against Team Polaris. And while no submission occurred across 40 total minutes of action, B-Team grapplers largely dominated their opponents, ultimately earning a decision victory to advance to the team final against Team 10th Planet, which had defeated Team Sakuraba in the other semifinal.
The team final kicked off with back-to-back draws, but that changed quickly once Jones took to the mat.
In the third head-to-head matchup, Jones scored a highlight-reel, between-the-legs toehold submission on 10th Planet veteran Richie “Boogeyman” Martinez. With the win, Jones stayed on the mat to take on Geo “Freakazoid” Martinez and secured an armbar finish, essentially sealing the team matchup in The B-Team’s favor.
And in the fifth head-to-head bout, Jones squared off with ADCC veteran Kyle Boehm. And while Jones would slow down a fair amount in that match, he battled to a draw to secure the team victory for The B-Team.
Outside of Jones’ performance, Nick Rodriguez and his younger brother Jay Rodriguez both shined.
A two-time ADCC silver medalist, Nick Rodriguez showcased his top-tier wrestling and body lock passing against fellow takedown experts Owen Livesey of Team Polaris and PJ Barch of Team 10th Planet.
Jay Rodriguez, meanwhile, displayed an incredible gas tank and seemingly impenetrable submission defense in his ultra-entertaining draw against top UK black belt Jed Hue. And in his clash against 10th Planet’s heavyweight Amir Allam, Rodriguez put on a guard passing clinic, cutting through the much larger Allam’s guard at will while constantly hunting for the submission.
Quintet 4 team results
10th Planet vs. Sakuraba
- PJ Barch def. Tomoshige Sera via rear-naked choke
- PJ Barch vs. Kazushi Sakuraba ends in a draw
- Richie Martinez vs. Haisam Rida ends in a draw
- Geo Martinez vs. Daisuke Nakamura ends in a draw
- Kyle Boehm vs. Harry Grech ends in a draw
B-Team vs. Polaris
- Nick Rodriguez vs. Owen Livesey ends in a draw
- Jay Rodriguez vs. Jed Hue ends in a draw
- Jozef Chen vs. Tarik Hopstock ends in a draw
- Nicky Ryan vs. Santeri Lilius ends in a draw
- Craig Jones vs. Gregor Gracie ends in a draw
10th Planet vs. B-Team
- Amir Allam vs. Jay Rodriguez ends in a draw
- PJ Barch vs. Nick Rodriguez ends in a draw
- Craig Jones def. Richie Martinez via toehold
- Craig Jones def. Geo Martinez via armbar
- Kyle Boehm vs. Craig Jones ends in a draw
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