Submission Underground (SUG) 4 is fast approaching and that means Portland will soon be flooded with some of the most exciting submission artists in the world. With jiu-jitsu players like Gilbert Burns, Jake Shields, Dillon Danis, Nathan Orchard, and Paulo Miyao participating, people are certainly expecting fire works. While it seems likely that anyone of those competitors could steal the show, the simple fact is the person who had most spectacular submission of the night at SUG3 is on Sunday’s card as well. “Mitey” Micah Brakefield is back for the second straight event and the last time he was in the SUG cage, all he did was finish his opponent inside of a minute with a flying triangle off the cage. I had a chance to sit down with him last week and get his thoughts about SUG4. Brakefield is ready to prove that he belongs on the top of this card and he just so happens to be feeling better than ever.
“The quick match [at SUG3]was kind of out of necessity. I had torn my groin five days out, before that last match. I almost considered pulling out but knowing I had paid my own way to get there I just couldn’t. The week before the match I was doing a shark tank and tore my groin, I couldn’t really walk…I was pretty stiff before the match [at SUG3]so I got it done quick.”
Brakefield is finally feeling like he will be able to show a bit more of what he brings to the table. A couple minor injuries aside, he is feeling great coming into Sunday’s event and he expects to be ready to put on a show and is confident he has a plan in place to best his opponent.
“I was never one to watch much game film before but I guess that might have been because I didn’t have awesome film to watch. Luckily I have fight pass and I was able to watch [Craig Jones’] matches from EBI (Eddie Bravo Invitational). The way Jones caught Nathan [Orchard] was really slick but I have been drilling leg locks and I think I’m ready for him.”
As far as his opponent goes, Craig Jones is a BJJ black belt and a very patient grappler. He has a style that plays well against other pure jiu-jitsu practitioners as he has no problem starting a match from a sitting position. For Brakefield, this is rather inviting since his background is originally in wrestling and he likes to be able to use his wrestling from the top to secure wins. What he brings to the table as a wrestler is experience, and he certainly doesn’t expect his opponent can match his credentials in that department.
“I don’t worry about the matchup, I wrestled all through college and everything. So I have 6 years of post secondary wrestling, plus all of high school, and even in elementary school a bit. And [Craig Jones] is from Australia and they can’t wrestle.”
Micah Brakefield is a showman through and through. His love of the suplex is well documented and his interviews are almost as strong as his slams. Should things go according to plan for the 10th Planet Coquitlam standout, fans will be seeing those slams and maybe even hearing a callout from the Canadian. If you are looking for the breakout star of SUG4, don’t look past “Mitey” Micah Brakefield, his star is on the rise.
***Submission Underground 4 takes place this Sunday, May 15th at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon. Please visit roselandpdx.com for event and ticket information.
