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BJJ Fanatics Instructionals

Jacob Couch

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Jacob Couch, commonly known as The Hillbilly Hammer, is a professional grappler and a jiu-jitsu black belt under Heath Pedigo of the Pedigo Submission Fighting team, a squad also labeled as The Daisy Fresh. Couch first made waves in the sport as a colored belt, competing against veteran names of the sport, successfully, in submission-grappling’s professional events while also conquering numerous gold medals on the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro circuits.

Jacob Couch Jiu-Jitsu

Full Name: Jacob Lee Couch

Nickname: Unlike the traditional Brazilian/Portuguese nicknames, whose origins tend to be based on banter among friends and/or family, Couch’s nickname, The Hillbilly Hammer spawns from a combat sports tradition, a promotional name with less of a backstory, aside from Jacob’s place of birth and job description.

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > H. Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Rodrigo Vaghi > Heath Pedigo > Jacob Couch

Main Achievements:

  • 1st Place ADCC East Coast Trials (2023)
  • 1st Place ADCC Las Vegas Open (2023)
  • 3rd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2023)
  • 3rd Place ADCC East Coast Trials (2021)
  • 3rd Place WNO Tournament (2021)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

  • 1st Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2018 blue, 2021/2022 brown)
  • 1st Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2020** purple, 2022**)
  • 1st Place AJP Grand Slam, MIA (2020 purple)
  • 2nd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2019* purple)
  • 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship NOGI (2019 purple, 2021 brown)
  • 2nd Place IBJJF Pan Championship (2020 purple)
  • 3rd Place IBJJF World Championship NOGI (2018 blue*, 2019 purple, 2021* brown)

* Absolute
** Weight and Absolute

Favorite Position/Technique: Closed Guard

Weight Division: Peso Pesado (94kg/207lbs)

Team/Association: Pedigo Submission Fighting

Jacob Couch Biography

Jacob Couch was born on February 3rd, 1999, in Hazard, Kentucky, United States of America.

Competitive sports entered Couch’s life in 6th grade when he joined the A.B. Combs Elementary School’s football team. Although he loved the sport, he was forced to quit the team due to lack of transportation, but the love for the challenge remained very much alive in his heart.

Jacob joined his school’s wrestling team as a freshman. A short-lived experience that lasted 3 months, prior to him finding out about submission-grappling.

When Couch was 15 years old he became a target of bullying. Seeing his struggles, two friends of Jacob – brothers Ken and Stone Beverly – suggested that he should join a local MMA gym, which he enjoyed from the get-go. Despite his lack of financial resources, Jacob was allowed to pay half-fee so he could train.

At the mixed martial arts gym, Jacob started learning jiu-jitsu under the guidance of Donald Neace, who saw Couch through to the blue belt level, and later with Adam Gomez.

In 2019, while at the IBJJF No-Gi Pan American Championship, Jacob Couch befriended a few students of Heath Pedigo. These newfound friends invited the Kentucky native to come and train with them at their (now famous) training room in Mount Vernon, Illinois, even offering to drive Couch there, as the young athlete did not own a vehicle.

Couch visited the Daisy Fresh facility – Pedigo Submission Fighting – in 2019 where his relationship with the workgroup grew even stronger, leading to his decision to stay and move to Illinois. Jacob was a purple belt at the time.

While training at Pedigo Submission Fighting, with some of the top athletes in the nation, Couch’s grappling skills shined through even further than they had in the past. After multiple successes in the colored belt divisions, coach Heath Pedigo promoted his student, Jacob Couch, to the rank of black belt. A celebration that took place while The Hillbilly Hammer stood on the podium of the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship, on December 15, 2022.

Jacob Couch Instructional

NOTE REGARDING JACOB COUCH’S GRAPPLING RECORD

Traditionally BJJ Heroes has only accounted for an athlete’s individual black belt matches in our record displays as they signify an athlete’s entry into our sport’s elite division. Jacob Couch, however, is a special case as he’s been competing against and beating top-shelf athletes in the pro-grappling circuit since he was a colored belt. This has left BJJ Heroes with a delicate predicament of defining when to start accounting for the young prodigy’s match records.

As we saw some of these matches as a fundamental part of Jacob’s entrance into the sport’s rankings, we have opted to include all his pro-division matches from brown belt onwards, on our display (see below). The reader of this page is to keep in mind that every match prior to 2022 was fought when The Hillbilly Hammer was still a colored belt.

Jacob Couch Grappling Record

45 WINS
  • BY POINTS
    4 (9%)
  • BY ADVANTAGES
    0 (0%)
  • BY SUBMISSION
    33 (73%)
  • BY DECISION
    7 (16%)
  • BY PENALTIES
    1 (2%)
  • BY DQ
    0 (0%)

33 SUBMISSIONS WINS

#214eb8
Inside heel hook
21
7
#86e620
Triangle
21
7
#5AD3D1
Outside heel hook
18
6
#d1212a
RNC
12
4
#fad11b
Straight ankle lock
9
3
#f58822
Smother tap
6
2
#224aba
Guillotine
3
1
#ff9124
Anaconda choke
3
1
#bf1f6c
Armbar
3
1
#22c9a5
Kneebar
3
1
33
(100%) SUBMISSIONS
12 LOSSES
  • BY POINTS
    2 (17%)
  • BY ADVANTAGES
    0 (0%)
  • BY SUBMISSION
    7 (58%)
  • BY DECISION
    3 (25%)
  • BY PENALTIES
    0 (0%)
  • BY DQ
    0 (0%)

7 SUBMISSIONS LOSSES

#214eb8
RNC
43
3
#86e620
Armbar
14
1
#5AD3D1
Reverse triangle
14
1
#d1212a
Pressure
14
1
#fad11b
Estima lock
14
1
7
(100%) SUBMISSIONS

Jacob Couch Fight History

ID Opponent W/L Method Competition Weight Stage Year
27939Mica GalvaoMica GalvaoLArmbarWNO Champ.84KGSF2021
27956Jon BlankJon BlankLReverse triangleWNO Champ.84KGRPC2021
28949Giancarlo BodoniGiancarlo BodoniLRNCADCC EC Trials88KGSF2021
31339Gordon RyanGordon RyanLPressureWNO 12O92KGSPF2022
31424Harrison WoodsLPts: 3x0ADCC WC Trials88KG8F2022
35054Andrew TackettAndrew TackettLPts: 2x0ADCC VegasABSSF2022
37970Igor TanabeIgor TanabeLRNCUnrivaled 2SPF90KG2023
40204Izaak MichellIzaak MichellLReferee DecisionWNO 1884KGSPF2023
42680Ryan AitkenRyan AitkenLReferee DecisionADCC Chicago91KGF2023
43500Francisco LoFrancisco LoLEstima lockNoGi Pan85KGSF2023
50943Jonnatas GracieJonnatas GracieLReferee DecisionWNO 2484KGSPF2024
52464Felipe CostaFelipe CostaLRNCADCC88KGR12024
27937Roberto JimenezRoberto JimenezWInside heel hookWNO Champ.84KG4F2021
27958William TackettWilliam TackettWReferee DecisionWNO Champ.84KG3RD2021
28482Hunter ColvinWArmbarWNO 10O92KGSPF2021
28912Corbin CrispWKneebarADCC EC Trials88KGR12021
28921Donald MarcelinWPointsADCC EC Trials88KGR22021
28931Micah BakefieldWOutside heel hookADCC EC Trials88KGR32021
28940Achilles RochaWTriangleADCC EC Trials88KGR42021
28947Joseph WatsonWRNCADCC EC Trials88KG4F2021
28951John SalterJohn SalterWPts: 0x0, PenADCC EC Trials88KG3RD2021
29859David GarmoDavid GarmoWInside heel hookWNO 1193KGSPF2022
30744Santeri LiliusSanteri LiliusWReferee DecisionGrappleFest 1190KGSPF2022
31398Charles HierscheWTriangleADCC WC Trials88KGR22022
31409Joshua BaerwolfWPts: 5x0ADCC WC Trials88KGR32022
31417Kevin CraneWReferee DecisionADCC WC Trials88KGR162022
32862Tom BreeseWReferee DecisionGrappleFest 12NASPF2022
34268Jay RodriguezJay RodriguezWReferee DecisionWNO 14NASPF2022
35021Angel VerduzcoWInside heel hookADCC Vegas91KGR22022
35026Daniel OntiverosWInside heel hookADCC Vegas91KG8F2022
35030Brian GuevaraWInside heel hookADCC Vegas91KG4F2022
35034Gabriel AlmeidaGabriel AlmeidaWInside heel hookADCC Vegas91KGF2022
35052Jeferson GuaresiJeferson GuaresiWTriangleADCC VegasABS4F2022
35173Jean BaptisteWTriangleGrapplefestNASPF2022
35370Silviu NastasaWReferee DecisionGrappleFest 1395KGSPF2022
36268Bruno MatiasBruno MatiasWGuillotineWNO84KGSPF2022
39369Mackenzie MoralesWRNCChicago SPNG91KG4F2023
39373Yousef GhoulWSmother tapChicago SPNG91KGSF2023
39374David GarmoDavid GarmoWPointsChicago SPNG91KGF2023
39375Mackenzie MoralesWTriangleChicago SPNGABS4F2023
39378Daniel McGuireWSmother tapChicago SPNGABSSF2023
39379Alexander SeaverWInside heel hookChicago SPNGABSF2023
41733Alejandro TolmosWReferee DecisionAustin NGO91KGF2023
42674Yousef Al-GhoulWStraight ankle lockADCC Chicago91KG8F2023
42677Sean YadimarcoWAnaconda chokeADCC Chicago91KG4F2023
42678David GarmoDavid GarmoWOutside heel hookADCC Chicago91KGSF2023
43494David GarmoDavid GarmoWRNCNoGi Pan85KGR12023
43499Bruno MatiasBruno MatiasWPts: 2x0NoGi Pan85KG4F2023
43813Manny MoralesWRNCADCC ECTrials88KGR12023
43830Chuck ONeillWOutside heel hookADCC ECTrials88KGR22023
43842G. LamannaWOutside heel hookADCC ECTrials88KGR42023
43849Gabriel BarrocasWStraight ankle lockADCC ECTrials88KG8F2023
43855David GarmoDavid GarmoWTriangleADCC ECTrials88KG4F2023
43859Jay RodriguezJay RodriguezWStraight ankle lockADCC ECTrials88KGSF2023
43860Elder CruzElder CruzWOutside heel hookADCC ECTrials88KGF2023
46870Sebastian RodriguezSebastian RodriguezWOutside heel hookWNO 2284KGSPF2024
49460Mackenzie MoralesWTriangleChicago NGSPO91KGF2024
5050 Guard Instructional by Lachlan Giles

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