FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's ZOLTAN BATHORY Doubles Down On Judo Commitment

Zoltan Bathory, founder of the multi-platinum arena rock band FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, chairman of the Professional Grappling Federation (PGF) and a lifelong martial artist, has announced that the is doubling down on his commitment to give back to judo. Days after presenting $100,000 to USA Judo through FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's "20th Anniversary World Tour" initiative, supporting high-performance athletes on the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Bathory is committing a second $100,000 to fund Pro Judo, a high-stakes, invitation-only professional judo tournament set for Las Vegas on November 10 at 4 p.m. PT.

Zoltan's vision connects the competitive sport to the live-entertainment experience: Give athletes a professional stage, make the action accessible to new viewers and build a show that people want to watch, whether they know judo or are seeing it for the first time.

The four-hour program will stream live and free on PGF World platforms, including YouTube, and here.

To create Pro Judo, Bathory assembled some of the greatest names in American judo: 1987 world champion and Olympic medalist Mike Swain; 1992 Olympic silver medalist Jason Morris; Olympian and 8th-degree black belt Joe Marchal, who serves as lead technical advisor; two-time U.S. national and two-time Pan American champion Chuck Jefferson; and German national champion Tony Lettner, who leads rules, scoring and scoring software, and a dozen more champions, coaches and referees. Together they developed a ruleset designed to showcase the best of judo for a global audience: Explosive throws, relentless action, and scoring that a first-time viewer can follow.

Under Pro Judo rules, an ippon does not end the match. Athletes get back up and keep throwing. The highest score wins. It is judo at full speed.

"Olympic judo is the standard and it always will be," says Bathory. "Pro Judo is not a replacement, it is a different stage with a different intention. The trial runs told us everything. The ruleset changed the behavior. Once an ippon was no longer terminal, nobody played defense. Bodies were flying for the full length of the match. It was incredible. It looked more like a judo highlight reel than a live event. So we have high expectations for November 10."

He finishes, "The room will be full of the people who built this sport. The broadcast is for the millions who are about to discover it."

The International Judo Federation (IJF),USA Judo and the Kodokan Judo Institute of Japan, the birthplace of judo, are each sending delegates to Las Vegas to witness the first-of-its-kind Pro Judo tournament. The star-studded event is invitation-only in the room. The broadcast is free for everyone, everywhere.

Since Bathory joined PGF founders Brandon McCaghren and Keelan Lawyer in 2024, alongside fellow owner Heather Grace Gracie of jiu-jitsu's royal family, his experience building global brands has helped propel the Professional Grappling Federation into the top tier of grappling promotions worldwide, including a content distribution deal with UFC Fight Pass. PGF then outgrew the traditional fighter-economy model entirely, becoming the first fully fledged professional jiu-jitsu league with regional teams, private team owners, full staffs and salaried athletes. The league has now closed eight seven-figure franchise deals, most recently selling the Dallas Mustangs, and is poised to expand to 16 teams in the near future.

PGF broadcasts are known for some of the highest production standards in grappling and an unmistakably opulent setting. When you see chandeliers and celebrities sitting matside on plush couches, you know it is the PGF. Pro Judo brings that same standard to judo for the first time.

Event details:

What: Pro Judo, presented by the Professional Grappling Federation
When: Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 4 p.m. PT
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada (invitation-only)
Watch: Streaming live and free on PGF World YouTube and here

Zoltan Bathory is the founder and guitarist of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, one of the most successful rock bands of the 21st century, with multiple platinum records and arena headlining tours worldwide. Beyond the band, he has guided other artists to platinum status, serves as chairman and majority owner of B.C. Rich Guitars, is a co-owner of multiple athletic apparel and sports equipment companies, holds multiple patents in digital distribution and virtual concert technology, and is executive chairman and co-owner of the Professional Grappling Federation. Bathory began judo at age nine in Hungary and has never stopped. More than four decades later he still teaches and competes in the sport, most recently winning the New York Open Veterans tournament. He holds a 4th-degree black belt (Yodan) in judo, awarded by the United States Judo Association in October 2025 and presented by Olympians Mike Swain and Joe Marchal. He is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Royler Gracie and Mica Cipili of the Gracie Humaitá lineage, a member of the Gracie Humaitá competition team and an active black belt competitor, winning double silver at the 2021 IBJJF American National Masters Championship. He has trained in Wing Chun under grandmaster Randy Williams and is a certified U.S. Army Modern Army Combatives hand-to-hand combat instructor.

The Professional Grappling Federation (PGF) is the first franchise-based professional jiu-jitsu league in the world, featuring regional teams, private ownership and salaried athletes. PGF is led by CEO and commissioner Brandon McCaghren, president Heather Grace Gracie, executive chairman Zoltan Bathory and chief technology officer Keelan Lawyer. PGF produces one of the highest-quality grappling broadcasts in combat sports, streaming free on PGF World platforms.