Dallas Mustangs join expanding Professional Grappling Federation

The Dallas Mustangs are joining the Professional Grappling Federation as one of four new franchises for Season 10, giving North Texas a hometown professional Jiu-Jitsu team and setting up an in-state rivalry with Houston. The league is doubling to eight teams and adding 40 roster spots as it expands its team-based format nationwide.

Why it matters: - The Dallas Mustangs give North Texas a professional Jiu-Jitsu team to follow, turning a largely individual sport into a city-rooted franchise format. - PGF’s expansion adds teams, standings, rivalries and playoffs to a combat sport that has traditionally centered on isolated tournaments. - Texas now gets two franchises at once, which creates an immediate Dallas-Houston rivalry.

What happened: - Carlos and Lindsay Machado helped launch the Dallas Mustangs as one of four new PGF franchises for Season 10. - PGF is growing from four teams to eight and adding 40 professional roster positions. - The other new franchises are the Houston Wranglers, St. Louis Outlaws and Carolina Copperheads. - The returning teams are the Las Vegas Kings, Philadelphia Phenoms, Alabama Twisters and Colorado Wolverines. - The league says the eight-team field is complete for Season 10.

The details: - Carlos Machado began teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Dallas in 1995 after Chuck Norris brought him to the city while filming Walker, Texas Ranger. - Machado Jiu-Jitsu grew across North Texas and helped make Texas a major hub for American combat sports. - PGF says its media network has generated more than 72 million aggregate platform-reported views across competition footage, athlete stories and creator-led distribution. - The Dallas Mustangs will host a Season 10 qualifier on October 11 at the Courtyard Marriott in Carrollton, Texas. - Athletes will compete in five men’s weight classes: 145, 155, 170, 185 and 205 pounds. - Registration opens September 8 at 9 a.m. Central at league updates and registration. - Entry costs $100 for men ages 18 and older. - General Manager Roger Perez will lead Mustangs operations. - Each franchise will preselect one athlete in each weight class before drafting five additional competitors from PGF’s national qualifier pool on January 17, 2027. - The regular season runs from March 2 through March 30, 2027. - The playoffs are set for April 7, 2027. - Season 10 includes 80 athlete roster positions, a national draft, regular-season standings and playoffs.

Between the lines: - PGF is trying to package Jiu-Jitsu more like a traditional team sport, with local identity and season-long stakes. - The Dallas rollout leans on the region’s long relationship with Carlos Machado and on Texas pride to build fan interest quickly. - Texas getting both Dallas and Houston in the same expansion wave gives the league an easy early storyline to market.

What's next: - Dallas athletes can try out for PGF on October 11, with registration opening the same day through the league’s site. - PGF will fill team rosters through preselection and the January 17, 2027 national draft pool. - The league plans to expand to 12 franchises before eventually capping at 16.

The bottom line: - Dallas now has a professional Jiu-Jitsu team, and PGF is using Texas to help scale a team-based version of the sport.