SawBlaze is a heavyweight robot built by Jamison Go of Team SawBlaze, formerly LiMITless Robotics, which has competed in every BattleBots season since World Championship II. It is the reigning BattleBots champion.
Team captain Jamison Go was previously part of Team JACD and Overhaul in World Championship I, but disbanded to spearhead his own team in future seasons of BattleBots. Like the Comedy Central era competitor S.O.B., SawBlaze was designed to slide underneath robots to trap them in place, then bring down an arm with a spinning disc mounted at the end to deal damage from overhead.
SawBlaze in 2016.
It could also be equipped with various offensive and defensive attachments depending on its opponent. In later seasons, the circular saw weaponry could be interchanged with an asymmetric, downward-spinning disc to deliver greater hits, called a hammer saw. SawBlaze was also paired with a front-mounted flamethrower, though this scarcely worked in its earliest fights. However, it proved to spew green flame in more recent seasons.
SawBlaze debuted exclusively as a circular saw-wielding robot in World Championship II, losing its qualifier match to Razorback by judges' decision after its relatively thin saw blade became bent and jammed. Despite this, SawBlaze returned for a three-way rumble, which it won. This basic principle would remain the same for years to come, but evolved over time to become more efficient and reliable.
SawBlaze during World Championship III hero shots.
In World Championship III, SawBlaze sported a more resilient diamond-edged cutting disc and larger dragon head, as well as more vibrant lime green coloring across the bot. The articulating arm was upgraded to swing faster and with more power, as it doubled up as a self-righter when SawBlaze found itself upended. The team found considerably more success this season, earning a 3-1 record in the Fight Night rounds, only losing a Main Event to former semi-finalist Bronco. SawBlaze did enough to earn a spot in the Top 16, where it ultimately lost to Monsoon.
SawBlaze during World Championship IV hero shots.
SawBlaze returned for World Championship IV, hoping to back up a successful season last time out. The dragon head was swapped out for a more functional method of preventing the saw hitting the floor when it flipped over. In the Fight Night rounds, SawBlaze only lost a Main Event to former BattleBots champion Tombstone and finished 3-1 as a result. SawBlaze dominated former BattleBots champion Son of Whyachi in the Top 16, only to be beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual runner-up Witch Doctor.
Jamison Go and SawBlaze once again came back for World Championship V, with weapon upgrades allowing it to spin up and slow down in a shorter time, giving the team greater control of their primary weapon. SawBlaze finished 2-1 in the Fight Card rounds, including a statement victory over eventual runner-up Whiplash. SawBlaze made the Top 16 for the third consecutive season, avenging its loss against Witch Doctor before losing to Tantrum and falling in the quarter-finals for a second successive season.
SawBlaze during World Championship VI hero shots.
Returning for World Championship VI, SawBlaze enjoyed its best season yet. The biggest visual change concerned the robot's central fork, which had a tendency to curl upwards and hinder SawBlaze's ground game against opponents with spinning weaponry. This fork was now split down the center and was more robust than in previous seasons. The team also confirmed a brand new gearbox powering the weapon arm, designed with help from team member Jake Chesin. This upgrade was made to make the weapon arm sturdier and more resilient to big impacts, as it is vital to the primary weapon's efficiency. SawBlaze's season began with a dominant win over a former runner-up in Minotaur, backed up by a Main Event win by knockout over MadCatter. However, it was unable to finish with a perfect record after losing to reigning champions End Game and again finishing 2-1 after Fight Night. SawBlaze continued its dominance in the tournament bracket, defeating HiJinx, P1 and Riptide. Despite making the semi-finals for the first time, SawBlaze was ultimately defeated by Witch Doctor, but picked up the Founder's Award at the end of the competition.
SawBlaze during World Championship VII hero shots.
Jamison Go teased upgrades to SawBlaze in September 2022 ahead of World Championship VII, the most noticeable of which concerned brand new Brazil wheels, which are smaller than SawBlaze's previous wheels but considerably heavier. Made from vulcanized rubber, they have been used to great effect on robots such as Whiplash and Black Dragon in recent seasons. These were further protected by UMHW wheelguards which partially covered each wheel from side attacks. The team also did an overhaul of their drive system, installing brand new drive motors as well as custom input couplers.[1] The team confirmed their inclusion in October 2022, showcasing their crates being shipped ahead of filming for the competition.[2]
SawBlaze in the pits during World Championship VII.
SawBlaze's anti-HUGE configuration in the pits.
CAD of SawBlaze ahead of World Championship V.
A render of SawBlaze ahead of World Championship IV.
An early render of SawBlaze cutting into Overhaul.
1/5
Before their first fight against HyperShock, the team experienced issues with SawBlaze's new wheels as they appeared to be wearing down after just a few minutes of intense driving.[3] However, Jamison Go was able to overcome this and earn a 1-0 start to the season, despite getting the robot's AR600 steel blade lodged into the underside of Will Bales' machine and taking several hours to unstick them outside of the BattleBox.[4] SawBlaze followed this up with consecutive wins against Lock-Jaw and Skorpios, to obtain a 3-0 record by the halfway point of the Fight Night rounds. It was unable, however, to finish unbeaten as it lost a Main Event battle to Hydra, entering the Top 32 with a 3-1 record. SawBlaze returned to winning ways with a judges' decision win over Blip, and a knockout in a rematch against Monsoon, allowing it to progress into the Top 8. SawBlaze then faced former runner-up from World Championship III, Minotaur, which ended in a knockout, despite SawBlaze losing their weapon and taking some massive hits. They would then go on to beat Ribbot in a rematch from World Championship IV by unanimous decision. This brought Jamison Go and SawBlaze into the Finals, where they faced the undefeated HUGE, and won the fight by unanimous decision, ending HUGE's undefeated 8-0 season, and SawBlaze became the World Championship VII winner and would take home the Giant Nut.
As the most recent Giant Nut winner, SawBlaze also fought in BattleBots: Champions II where it automatically qualified for the Golden Bolt tournament. It was joined by other Giant Nut winners End Game and Tantrum, as well as five Sin City Slugfest bracket winners. Jamison Go's team took out SHREDDIT BRO! and Tantrum en route to a second final in as many competitions with SawBlaze, but fell at this stage to the defending champion End Game.
The team also has a very rich and known history fighting at National Havoc Robot League. Team captain Jamison Go has fought with a 30lb version of SawBlaze called MegatRON, a 12lb vertical spinner called Saiko!, a 12lb sportsman lifter called Tuskin' Raider, a shuffling 3lb undercutter robot called Silent Spring, along with an experimental version called Silent X. Team member Aaron Fan has fought with a 3lb ring spinner called Pensive Prosciutto, a 3lb gyro-controlled horizontal spinner called Hamshake (with the help of Jamison Go), and a 3lb bristlebot called Tale of Three Hams. Lastly, team member Eli Davis has fought with a 3lb shuffling grabber bot called Hot Wings and a 3lbs saw bot called Dragonfruit.
Robot History[]
World Championship II[]
SawBlaze vs. Razorback
SawBlaze's BattleBots debut came against veterans Team Contraption Lab and Razorback. In order to protect its weapon chain from Razorback's drum, SawBlaze was fitted with a 'bulletblade' attachment.
As the fight began, SawBlaze immediately looked to scoop underneath Razorback and attack with its overhead weapon. Razorback's drum made contact with SawBlaze's dustpan wedge as it was pinned against the screws, stopping the arena hazard on impact. Though its saw was spinning, SawBlaze's arm did not swing over on this occasion.
Razorback is attacked by the cutting disc of SawBlaze.
Razorback fled from danger but was quickly captured by its opponent again. This time, SawBlaze's arm came over and delivered its saw into the top of the veterans' robot. The drum spinner of Razorback was still active during this pin and grinded against SawBlaze's dustpan scoop again, but caused minimal damage. Zack Bieber drove his robot away, narrowly avoiding the pulverizer before SawBlaze got underneath again. Razorback drove over the top of SawBlaze, whose spinning weapon appeared disabled.
SawBlaze pins Razorback under the hammer.
After once again being scooped up by SawBlaze, Razorback was taken to the hazards and held in place by the pulverizer hammer. It continued to buffet against the scoop of SawBlaze, but it held firm and allowed the rookie robot to dictate the tempo of the fight.
The fight goes the distance.
With under a minute remaining, SawBlaze now took Razorback to the opposite corner before releasing in the middle of the arena. It then drove Razorback towards the pulverizer once more, but the hammer missed. Razorback's primary weapon stopped in the closing moments as SawBlaze remained the aggressor until time ran out.
Both robots separated and while Razorback drove back to the red square, SawBlaze swung its arm in celebration. A split decision was announced, with Fon Davis and Jessica Chobot casting in votes for Razorback and SawBlaze respectively. In a controversial twist, the decisive vote from Adam Savage went in favor of Razorback, who advanced to the Round of 32. However, this did not sit well with the live audience, whose booing was mainly cut from the televised edit.[5]
Post-fight, reporter Samantha Ponder labeled the decision as "controversial" ahead of Razorback's next fight, and Chris Rose stated Team Contraption Lab were "surprised" by the outcome.
In an April 2022 livestream, SawBlaze team captain Jamison Go upheld the opinion that, in line with the 2016 Tournament Rules, SawBlaze should have won the fight, but regretted not showcasing to weapon functionality to the judges. Furthermore, he stated this fight inspired his more aggressive approach to future BattleBots matches.[6]
SawBlaze vs. Overhaul vs. Road Rash (Exhibition)
SawBlaze cuts into Overhaul's weapon.
SawBlaze slices into Road Rash.
SawBlaze pins Overhaul against Road Rash.
SawBlaze returned for a three-way rumble alongside Overhaul and Road Rash, dubbed "The Battle of MIT". As the rumble began, Overhaul opted to target Road Rash, overturning it before SawBlaze chased it around the BattleBox. Overhaul attempted to right Road Rash, which was something Jamison Go of SawBlaze took advantage of, cutting into Overhaul's weapon on multiple occasions. SawBlaze took brief damage from the killsaws, but continued to prove the main aggressor in the rumble. After Overhaul escaped SawBlaze, it again opted to target the immobile Road Rash and SawBlaze capitalized, cutting into Overhaul's weaponry again. After backing off, SawBlaze scooped up Road Rash and attacked it with their saw before the time ran out. With two robots still functional at the end of the fight, SawBlaze ultimately won a unanimous 3-0 judges' decision.
World Championship III[]
SawBlaze vs. Overhaul
SawBlaze slices into the rear of Overhaul.
SawBlaze slices through Overhaul's crushing jaw.
SawBlaze's first fight of the 2018 season was against former MIT members in Overhaul, who sported a long spike for this battle. Early on, SawBlaze was able to slam Overhaul hard against the arena barrier. Despite Overhaul's extra attachment, SawBlaze continued its attacks and maneuvered Overhaul around the arena. SawBlaze's next attack put Overhaul up against the arena barrier and dropped its saw, which created plenty of sparks. SawBlaze released Overhaul but still had control of the fight as Overhaul simply was not low enough to overcome the ground clearance of its opponent. SawBlaze got under Overhaul again and dropped the saw again, sending more sparks through the air, as well as cutting halfway through Overhaul's crushing mechanism. When SawBlaze released this time, Overhaul was no longer moving moving, seemingly stuck on the arena barrier. As a result, Overhaul was counted out and SawBlaze advanced to the next stage of the tournament.
SawBlaze vs. Reality
Sawblaze digs into Reality in the opening seconds.
SawBlaze slices into the rear of Reality.
SawBlaze cuts through Reality's drum spinner.
SawBlaze's next opponent was newcomer Reality. The match was off to a great start for SawBlaze as they were easily able to get under Reality and shove them against the arena barrier before dropping their saw. SawBlaze continued to shove its opponent around until Reality managed to land a hit under SawBlaze and emit some sparks as a result. This did not deter SawBlaze however and they resumed their usual strategy before they had the middle fork on the front bent up from Reality's attack. Time eventually ran out and SawBlaze won on a unanimous 3-0 judges' decision to advance.
SawBlaze vs. Mohawk
SawBlaze slices into the rear of Mohawk.
SawBlaze topples Mohawk and slices its baseplate.
SawBlaze's next match was against Mohawk. As the fight got underway, SawBlaze got underneath Mohawk and shoved it into the arena wall before dropping its saw without any sparks. SawBlaze released its opponent before shoving it under the pulverizer where Mohawk took two shots. Both robots maneuvered around a bit before SawBlaze got it toppled against the arena barrier where it could not move or get away then sliced into Mohawk's underbelly. Mohawk was counted out, giving SawBlaze the win by knockout.
SawBlaze vs. Bronco
SawBlaze is flipped by Bronco early on.
SawBlaze's tires become damaged from repeated Bronco attacks.
SawBlaze traps Bronco near the Lexan wall.
Bronco tosses SawBlaze into the Lexan.
SawBlaze next found itself against former semi-finalist Bronco. The match was pretty even to start as neither robot wanted to make the first move. However, SawBlaze was thrown into the air when it finally engaged and landed upside down with its saw arm outside the body. Before SawBlaze could attempt to self right, it was thrown again and threw sparks off of Bronco with its saw in return. SawBlaze was then nearly thrown into the screws but escaped. SawBlaze then caught a break and got underneath Bronco, shoving it around a bit before Bronco broke free. SawBlaze then got its front prongs caught in Bronco's top armor but got free after several seconds. SawBlaze avoided another flip before it was tossed by Bronco again and self-righted. With the fight winding down, SawBlaze and Bronco were locked together again and SawBlaze took a final flip as time ran out. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Bronco.
SawBlaze vs. End Game
SawBlaze and End Game do battle.
SawBlaze next participated in the USA vs. The World special tournament to try and earn a point for its team and was put up against End Game. The match did not start well for SawBlaze as they were taking hits from their opponent, and had their central front fork bent up. This made it harder for them to get underneath their opponent. However, they were able to do so and took End Game into the arena barrier, where it attempted to cut into End Game's backside with its saw. SawBlaze tried to mount another attack and was thrown into the air, where a chain came off. This did not seem to affect SawBlaze much as they continued to attack, and managed to push End Game into the arena barrier again. After this, End Game took a final hit from the killsaws and stopped moving in the final seconds of the fight. The judges awarded a 2-1 split decision in favor of SawBlaze and one point to the USA.
SawBlaze vs. Monsoon
SawBlaze and Monsoon collide.
Monsoon's last hit on SawBlaze before the fight came to a close.
SawBlaze did enough to get into the Top 16 and went up against Tom Brewster's Monsoon. The match started well for SawBlaze, as they shoved Monsoon around and largely kept their the weapon at bay. However, they found themselves up against the arena barrier with their rear end facing Monsoon's weapon, and took damage to their tire as a result. SawBlaze was still able to move despite the damage, but lost part of the weapon arm with the next impact. This also caused the weapon arm to fall backward into its retracted position, where it was totally ineffective. SawBlaze continued to use its dustpan to control Monsoon with its primary weapon dead, but the damage was racking up. SawBlaze eventually lost the damaged tire and then the whole wheel. SawBlaze caught fire in the last moments of the fight, but survived to a judges' decision. Monsoon won by unanimous decision, eliminating SawBlaze from the tournament.
World Championship IV[]
SawBlaze vs. ROTATOR
SawBlaze cuts down ROTATOR.
Sparks fly as SawBlaze and ROTATOR do battle.
Sawblaze traps ROTATOR towards the pulverizers.
SawBlaze's first match of the season was against quarter-finalist, ROTATOR. Before the fight, SawBlaze had been configured to have a sturdier wedge to defend against ROTATOR's undercutting blade, and thicker rubber plates to append the uppercutter. Though, it turns out ROTATOR was also configured to match SawBlaze. ROTATOR was roughly half the size of its usual appearance and was shaped to be more pentagonal, with only one under-cutting blade and four wedgelets attached to it's back in hopes of getting under SawBlaze. As soon as the match began, SawBlaze immediately charged out of its square but was appended by ROTATOR's forks early on.ROTATOR swung around and its spinner collided with SawBlaze's wedge. SawBlaze retaliated by forcefully shoving ROTATOR up onto the screws right in front of the judges. The impact flipped ROTATOR over, rending it an overcutter. It took SawBlaze some time to bring its saw down as the team had problems with their weapon controller, and in turn, their saw. Once it got going, SawBlaze brought its weapon down onto ROTATOR, causing sparks to fly. SawBlaze released ROTATOR and its blade immediately powered up again. SawBlaze used ROTATOR's fork to its advantage and threw ROTATOR against the wall, its blade brushing against SawBlaze's wedge. SawBlaze continued to control the pace of the match and almost shoved ROTATOR into the screws again, but ended up bumping into the screws and losing its grip on ROTATOR. SawBlaze chased ROTATOR across the BattleBox and almost managed to pulverize ROTATOR, but ROTATOR's forks managed to get under SawBlaze and its wedge briefly. ROTATOR's blade continued to make contact with SawBlaze's wedge, but little damage was caused. ROTATOR found itself yet again in SawBlaze's grasp and was slammed into the arena barrier. Later on, SawBlaze dragged ROTATOR against the screws once more, stopping its weapon and ramming ROTATOR under the pulverizer for a few blows. Jamison Go kept the pressure on, unwilling to let the battle go to the judges. ROTATOR got back to speed, but deflected into the screws as it made contact with SawBlaze. ROTATOR tried escaping, but SawBlaze forced them back into the hazard in the closing moments. Time ran out as they were lined up perfectly, but could not deliver the final shot. The judges ruled an unanimous 3-0 decision in favor of SawBlaze.
SawBlaze vs. Tombstone
SawBlaze tanks Tombstone's blows.
SawBlaze immobile after both of its wheels are disabled by Tombstone.
SawBlaze next found itself against former champion Tombstone. For this fight, SawBlaze went with a stronger front wedge and the same defensive setup for its match against ROTATOR to try and use Tombstone's energy against itself. When the match began, SawBlaze was doing rather well as they prevented Tombstone's weapon from causing anything more than sparks. SawBlaze then managed to get under Tombstone in spite of Tombstone's powerful weapon, and shoved them under the pulverizer. However, the pulverizer missed and hit SawBlaze instead, separating the two bots. SawBlaze was unable to keep Tombstone's weapon from reaching top speed and eventually started to take damage to its protective wedge. SawBlaze continued to lose pieces of its wedge and eventually lost drive on one side, though Tombstone deflected away from SawBlaze. Jamison Go tried to capitalize on Tombstone's momentary lapse of control, but Ray Billings regained control of his robot, striking SawBlaze's other side and immobilizing it completely. SawBlaze was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO.
SawBlaze vs. Blacksmith
SawBlaze drops the hammer saw on Al Kindle's bot.
SawBlaze's next opponent was Al Kindle and Blacksmith. In response, SawBlaze opted to go with its new hammer saw, which was thicker than its traditional saw and could hit harder and its traditional front forks. As the match got underway, SawBlaze struggled to land any hits as their new saw was causing the robot to raise its front forks off the arena floor briefly. Luckily, SawBlaze managed to stabilize and shoved Blacksmith around before dropping its hammer saw. SawBlaze released, then took shots from Blacksmith's hammer. SawBlaze went back on the attack, shoving Blacksmith around again. After a third attack, SawBlaze's weapon stopped working as the belts powering it had gotten tangled up, which left SawBlaze vulnerable but Blacksmith was unable to make use of this vulnerability before time ran out. The judges awarded SawBlaze a 2-1 split decision.
SawBlaze vs. Ribbot
SawBlaze attacks Ribbot's top section.
Ribbot gets stuck on the screws.
SawBlaze continued its run with a match against newcomer Ribbot. It planned to use its hammer saw configuration, but since it was still too heavy and was in the process of being milled down still, they opted for the traditional three front prong and saw configuration. SawBlaze did well to start as they were shoving Ribbot around and tearing off the cosmetic legs and top in the process. SawBlaze continued to attack until its saw got bent out of shape and could no longer work properly. Still, SawBlaze maintained control, using its weapon to attack and take Ribbot into the screws, which removed Ribbot's right front tire. As the match progressed, SawBlaze continued to show control and aggression, flipping Ribbot over and getting it under the pulverizer before time ran out. The judges gave SawBlaze a unanimous 3-0 decision. After the fight, Kenny Florian awarded Jamison Go a half-eaten cupcake as it was his birthday, the other half eaten by Chris Rose, as he and crowd sang "Happy Birthday".
SawBlaze vs. Son of Whyachi
SawBlaze pins Son of Whyachi against the barrier.
Having qualified as the No.7 seed, SawBlaze was placed against another former BattleBots champion and No.10 seed, Son of Whyachi. For this match, SawBlaze put their horizontal plow on, and because they shaved some weight off their hammer saw for this stage, they ran with it. SawBlaze started off well, mostly blocking Son of Whyachi from getting the big hits it's known for and staying on them. SawBlaze pushed Son of Whyachi around and eventually on the screws, where it cut into one of Son of Whyachi's weapon support bars. Son of Whyachi eventually escaped, but SawBlaze stayed on them and took minor hits from the former champ before bringing them back on the screws to slice into a second weapon support bar, even cutting through one of Son of Whyachi's drive batteries. This resulted in smoke that evolved into flames, but Son of Whyachi was still going and SawBlaze maintained control until time ran out. The judges awarded SawBlaze a unanimous 3-0 decision and a spot in the quarter-finals.
At the end of the televised match, an editing error caused the countdown clock to display five seconds earlier than the actual match duration. Thus, SawBlaze's final ram on Son of Whyachi was portrayed as a 'late hit', though it was later confirmed by Team SawBlaze themselves to have occurred within the full three minutes. The latter was verified by producers and supported by various builder and spectator accounts from filming.[7]
SawBlaze vs. Witch Doctor
Witch Doctor attacks the wedge of SawBlaze.
SawBlaze takes a shot to its fork before getting flipped.
SawBlaze balancing on its saw.
Now in the final eight, SawBlaze faced the No.2 seed Witch Doctor. SawBlaze kept its hammer saw for this fight, but switched their wedge to their three forks. Right out of the gate, SawBlaze missed its box rush and took some minor chipping from Witch Doctor's drum, but not hindering it much. One big hit managed to pop SawBlaze up and bend its middle fork out of shape, but it still managed to scoop up Witch Doctor and slam it into the screws, flipping it over as well from the impact. Unfortunately, SawBlaze took a couple more shots, even having its forks bent slightly. One big hit allowed Witch Doctor to physically throw SawBlaze into the air, then another to right SawBlaze, but bending its saw arm at an angle. SawBlaze was able to push Witch Doctor again, but got popped once more, taking shots underneath that tossed it in the air. Once out of the corner, SawBlaze tried to keep its forks pointed at the drum, but the shots managed to rip off the extension on the left fork and disable the drive on the right side. SawBlaze found itself on its head again, managing to right itself as Witch Doctor struck its right fork. SawBlaze was flipped once more, righting itself to get its wheel clipped on the drum before bullying Witch Doctor into a corner again. SawBlaze tried powering up its saw again, but was pushed into the wall and hit again, causing a big shower of sparks from underneath and flipping it again. SawBlaze once again got up, but took more shots to its left wheel and forks. One final shot happened to break the hub of SawBlaze's right wheel, and flipping it over one last time. SawBlaze balanced on his arm, but when he tried to reset, smoke poured out and the arm stopped altogether. SawBlaze was counted out, giving Witch Doctor the win by KO and a place in the final four.
World Championship V[]
SawBlaze vs. Whiplash
SawBlaze delivers the killing blow to Whiplash.
SawBlaze's first battle of the season was against former semi-finalist, as well as a fellow former quarter-finalist, the agile and versatile Whiplash. For this match, SawBlaze ran its hammer saw and pronged configuration. Although it took a minor shot early on to its front, SawBlaze was undeterred and slammed Whiplash into the wall. SawBlaze got underneath, again pushing Whiplash into the wall and bringing its weapon into play and threatening to cause damage. SawBlaze backed up, scooping Whiplash again and keeping it against the wall before ramming it into another wall of the Battlebox. SawBlaze continued to dictate the fight as it shoved Whiplash into the screws, but not without receiving a hit from Whiplash during the push as it tried to retaliate. SawBlaze was briefly overturned but got righted quickly and lined up again as both discs clashed. SawBlaze proceeded to chase after Whiplash, then got underneath once again. After some maneuvering, SawBlaze shoved Whiplash into the screws and waited a brief moment. Whiplash was able to get underneath SawBlaze in a rare show of dominance from the Vasquez family in this battle, but SawBlaze was able to hit Whiplash's front left wheel. It then pinned Whiplash against the wall, striking the top of its opponent with its hammer saw, visibly damaging Whiplash in the process. This proved to be the KO shot, and SawBlaze backed away. Whiplash was counted out, giving SawBlaze the win by KO after 2:30.
SawBlaze vs. Uppercut
SawBlaze takes a brutal shot to its fuel tank.
In this battle, SawBlaze took a hit from Uppercut and was sent flying, nearly ending up out of the arena. SawBlaze worked itself off the arena barrier but took another blow that ripped open its fuel tank, causing a massive explosion. SawBlaze was then thrown upside down and lost the chain that powered its saw arm. SawBlaze was righted with help from its opponent but this completely disabled its drive. SawBlaze was counted out, giving Uppercut the win by KO.
SawBlaze vs. Rusty
SawBlaze slices into Rusty with its traditional cutting blade.
SawBlaze faced Rusty for their final Fight Night fight of the 2020 season. Knowing full well Rusty was not on the same caliber, Jamison Go and his team armed SawBlaze with its traditional saw but with artwork of the hammer saw on the sides. This allowed SawBlaze to control the fight but still put on a show. SawBlaze went after Rusty and quickly started cutting, causing sparks to fly and leaving Rusty on its side with minor damage. SawBlaze then righted Rusty and attacked again, this time hitting Rusty's left side near the tread. After a few more hits, SawBlaze cut into Rusty's top armor, leaving noticeable gashes but Rusty still kept going. SawBlaze then started to get more aggressive and slammed Rusty into both the screws and arena barrier before taking them to the pulverizer. By now, Rusty was having some drive issues but managed to survive until the fight ended. The judges awarded SawBlaze a 3-0 unanimous decision.
SawBlaze vs. Kraken
Kraken takes a bite out of SawBlaze.
SawBlaze had done enough to make the Top 32, its first match was against Kraken and Matt Spurk, a rival of Jamison Go's from many years ago. The match started well for SawBlaze as they hit Kraken hard into the screws, flipping Kraken over. Kraken righted itself and SawBlaze faced a struggle as their AR515 hammer saw was in the mouth of Kraken and Kraken wasn't letting go. With neither robot's drive fully on the ground, neither were able to take control until Kraken let go. This allowed SawBlaze to attack again, causing damage to Kraken's head before slamming them hard into the arena barrier and chopping off Kraken's left wheel. With Kraken's mobility limited, SawBlaze opted not to wait for a countout and continued to attack, losing the use of its hammer saw but still able to control the rest of the match before time ran out. The judges awarded SawBlaze a unanimous 3-0 decision and a spot in the Top 16.
SawBlaze vs. Witch Doctor
SawBlaze and Witch Doctor duel in the BattleBox.
Now in the Top 16, SawBlaze met the Gellatlys and Witch Doctor, who had beaten SawBlaze in the previous season in the route to the final. Seeking revenge, SawBlaze started on the offensive, pinning Witch Doctor against the wall and landing a hit which cracked the rib cage. Witch Doctor retaliated, landing a few shots of its own to upend its opponent. SawBlaze used its three forks to great effect however, sliding underneath Witch Doctor's front to negate their vertical spinner and lift the front wheels off the floor. SawBlaze had the flamethrower activated by this point and landed another hit on the top of the rib cage. Witch Doctor retaliated by popping Jamison Go's bot into the air, but SawBlaze again recovered to drive Witch Doctor across the box and tear a panel away. Now stuck under the pulverizer, SawBlaze capitalized on the fact Witch Doctor could not spin up, and landed a hit directly on their weapon. Witch Doctor retreated to the center of the box, now missing a front wedge. SawBlaze was not unscathed either however, with its middle prong bent upwards from Witch Doctor's attacks. As the fight entered its final minute, SawBlaze landed several more shots to Witch Doctor's top and smoke began to pour from it. SawBlaze reversed into Witch Doctor, landing a weapon-to-weapon uppercut and jamming the two bots together momentarily. Witch Doctor was now immobile, but the clock was also counting down to signal the end of the fight. Witch Doctor was counted out with one second remaining, and SawBlaze moved into the Top 8.
SawBlaze vs. Tantrum
SawBlaze is popped up in the air by Tantrum.
Next up was Aren Hill'sTantrum, who had beaten No.2 seed Bloodsport to make it this far. SawBlaze started on the aggressive, rushing over to Tantrum's square. Tantrum drove to the center of the box and SawBlaze drove over it, taking a small hit from the drum in the process. SawBlaze's front prongs began to wheelie, but still managed to get underneath Tantrum and activate the flamethrower. Tantrum slipped away however, and took advantage of having the lower ground clearance, attacking SawBlaze head on. It then landed a punch with its drum, popping SawBlaze into the air. Struggling to get its own primary weapon into play however, Tantrum was able to out-drive SawBlaze, using its agility to pin its opponent against the screws and hold it upside-down. SawBlaze used the arm to self-right, but Tantrum again was able to slide underneath the three front prongs and render the hammer saw useless. Now halfway through the fight, Tantrum pinned SawBlaze against the wall, right in front of Jamison Go and his team. Tantrum took the opportunity to spin its drum up to speed and deliver a punch, but this only freed SawBlaze and did not cause visible damage. Tantrum remained aggressive, overturning SawBlaze several times in the closing moments and ripping a panel away from the underside. In the closing moments however, SawBlaze managed to grip Tantrum and landed two lasting hits on its opponent. The fight went to the judges, and Tantrum won by a unanimous decision, ending SawBlaze's season.
World Championship VI[]
SawBlaze vs. Minotaur
SawBlaze gets kicked onto its back by Minotaur on the first hit.
SawBlaze takes a shot to the forks from Minotaur.
SawBlaze gouges a hole in Minotaur's aluminum underside.
SawBlaze sets up for another hammer saw shot.
SawBlaze punctures Minotaur into flames.
Jamison Go and SawBlaze returned for the 2021 season, and their first fight came against 2018 season runner-up Minotaur. When the match began, both bots circled around in search for an opening. Eventually, SawBlaze left its right side exposed for Minotaur to draw first blood, flipping SawBlaze upside down. After self-righting, SawBlaze gave chase after the drum bot, getting kicked upwards twice from two head on shots to the forks. As SawBlaze continued its chase, Minotaur delivered another head on shot to the forks and retreated. SawBlaze took a minor shot to the right wheel as Minotaur's drum spun down, but when it stopped completely, SawBlaze pounced, scooping it up and slamming the drumbot into the wall, flipping it over in the process. With SawBlaze now in control, the saw bot pinned Minotaur into a corner next to the upper deck, where SawBlaze brought down the hammer saw to the underside, creating a big gash on the aluminum plate. SawBlaze then pinned Minotaur on a wall next to the screws and fired a second shot on the underside. This time, the hammer saw cut right through the armor and struck one of Minotaur's lithium polymer batteries, causing the gash to emit smoke and immediately erupt into flames. Following this, SawBlaze kept its grip on Minotaur and ran it into the screws, which in turn carried both robots onto the upper deck. SawBlaze let go of the inverted Minotaur upon getting off, before taking a head on shot from the drum and pinning the Brazilian bot next to the screws on the deck, where it delivered a third shot to the underside. Afterwards, SawBlaze backed up and ran in a circle with Minotaur still in its grasp until it delivered a fourth shot to the underside. After delivering another shot, SawBlaze let Minotaur out of its grasp and chased it again, taking some backwards shots to its forks as Minotaur slipped in and out of its grasp. After Minotaur righted itself near the pulverizer, SawBlaze scooped up Minotaur from the left side and delivered a shot to the top left corner. In the process, the weapon chain for the saw broke off, disabling SawBlaze's spinner. After giving chase, SawBlaze scooped up Minotaur from the rear and brought the drum bot to the pulverizer, where it missed the first shot and landed the second. Following the pulverizer shot, SawBlaze pinned Minotaur on the downed pulverizer and fired several shots to the top with its saw arm. After backing away, SawBlaze proceeded to shoot its flamethrower as it circled around and ram Minotaur into the deck screws, pinning Minotaur on them until the screws jammed up and reversed. SawBlaze backed away and proceeded to catch Minotaur head on with its forks, delivering Minotaur to the pulverizer for one more shot before running the drum bot up the screws as the match made the distance. SawBlaze won on a unanimous judges' decision.
SawBlaze vs. MadCatter
SawBlaze digs into MadCatter as Gassy Cat smokes in the background.
SawBlaze pins MadCatter beneath the pulverizer.
MadCatter loses its top panel.
SawBlaze attacks the underside of MadCatter.
Following a win over a former season runner-up, SawBlaze drew Martin Mason and MadCatter in a Main Event fight. SawBlaze went into this fight unchanged and proved to be the aggressor from the opening seconds, getting in underneath its opponent and bringing down the hammer saw. SawBlaze shoved MadCatter into the Upper Deck and then the screws, landing shots with its primary weapon both times which appeared to disable the lifter of MadCatter. SawBlaze then took MadCatter to the pulverizer and landed a few more hammer saw blows of its own. With its weapon retracted, SawBlaze reversed into Gassy Cat and damaged the minibot's lithium polymer battery, causing smoke to erupt and eventually fill the BattleBox. MadCatter escaped the side of the Upper Deck with its own spinning weapon still active, but it had not yet landed a hit on Jamison Go's bot as it found itself bullied into the screws once more. SawBlaze threatened a big hit to the back of MadCatter and delivered, lodging a tooth in the top plate of its opponent and loosening it. SawBlaze then drove MadCatter into the side of the Upper Deck and the impact caused the plate to come away, exposing its internals. MadCatter was flipped over in the attacks that followed and SawBlaze's hammer saw bit into the underside before taking it to the pulverizer one last time. MadCatter was put out of its misery and counted out, giving SawBlaze a second win of the season.
SawBlaze vs. End Game
SawBlaze is hunted down by End Game.
SawBlaze's unbeaten run comes to an abrupt end.
SawBlaze's third and final Fight Night battle was a Main Event against reigning champion End Game in a rematch from the 2018 season USA vs. The World tournament. Both teams looked to finish with an undefeated 3-0 record and earn a guaranteed spot in the Round of 32. SawBlaze went in noticeably unchanged, whereas End Game was equipped with long, barbed forks and weapon belt protection. In the opening seconds, SawBlaze oversteered as it exited the red square and its forks caught the edges for the killsaws. End Game took advantage and charged for it, missing with their first collision of the match. With the second, however, End Game got around to the back of SawBlaze and drove it to the corner, immediately punting it out of the arena in front of Trey Roski. Although SawBlaze is designed to be able to clamber back inside the BattleBox if flipped over the wall, the team were asked to stop moving as the OOTA occurred in front of the entry doors. SawBlaze was counted out and with just 29 seconds gone, fell to 2-1 for the season.
In a post from Jamison Go, he revealed that the fight had to be rescheduled after their weapon controller was discovered to have died while SawBlaze was in the tent ready for the Main Event to be filmed. In the aired battle, the team had just finished replacing the faulty component, almost missing out on the fight entirely.[8] As a result of this, several fights including Retrograde vs. HUGE were pushed back a day in the schedule.
SawBlaze vs. HiJinx
HiJinx is left with its electronics exposed midway through.
Despite its loss, SawBlaze earned the No.4 seed in the Top 32. In its first knockout battle, it faced off against No.29 seed HiJinx, who led with their tail to give themselves the best chance of spinning up to speed. Early on, however, SawBlaze charged HiJinx down and stopped the undercutting blade, snagging a wheel and controlling its opponent around the BattleBox. SawBlaze drove HiJinx to the pulverizer as their hammer saw got up to speed. HiJinx was rammed into the Upper Deck as the green flame of SawBlaze fired, and Jamison Go followed this up with strikes to the top panel and right-side wheel of HiJinx. Orion Beach was unable to escape as SawBlaze delivered a brutal shot which tore a panel completely off, exposing the drive motor which dangled loosely inside the chassis. HiJinx was rammed into the Upper Deck again, now high centred as a result of the tip of their tail bending downwards. Another overhead attack snapped the tip clean off, and the exposed drive motor eventually detached completely as HiJinx attempted to show mobility. Jamison Go's team landed more pulverizer blows as HiJinx was sent to the short corner and then to the screws. Jen Herchenroeder's bot was unable to mount any attacks of its own, but survived to the end of the fight despite being thrown onto the Upper Deck in the closing seconds and having spent half of the fight without a drive motor. SawBlaze won by unanimous decision and advanced to the Round of 16.
SawBlaze vs. P1
SawBlaze threatens to attack the top of P1.
SawBlaze lands a backhand attack on P1.
SawBlaze presses P1 against the housing for the screws.
Now in the Round of 16, SawBlaze met No.20 seed P1, who upset HyperShock in their last fight. As both robots fleed their starting squares, it was SawBlaze who won the immediate battle for low ground, getting its forks in underneath P1 and landing a strike to their left-side top panel. SawBlaze pressed P1 against the pulverizer and attacked again with its hammer saw, before freeing its opponent. P1 attempted to escape but was scooped up by SawBlaze again, alternating between using its flamethrower and its primary weapon. Although it did not appear to have taken much visible damage, P1 was experiencing drive issues and there was a loose chain on the BattleBox floor. P1 danced around the front of the Upper Deck momentarily before SawBlaze got underneath again and drove it into the screws. P1 fired its weapon as it drove away and as SawBlaze was snagged by the floor, P1 inadvertantly took another shot to its front plow from their saw. SawBlaze recovered and continued to win the ground game, breaching the front of P1 at every available opportunity. Later in the fight, P1 found itself stuck in the short corner as SawBlaze continued its assault on Brandon Zalinsky's machine. Despite the one-sided affair, P1 was still mobile at the end of the fight, but the judges ruled unanimously in favor of SawBlaze. Jamison Go's bot advanced to the Top 8.
SawBlaze vs. Riptide
Riptide and SawBlaze come together.
SawBlaze pins an upended Riptide against the wall.
SawBlaze leaves Riptide to be counted out.
In the final eight, SawBlaze met the only rookie team left in the competition - Ethan Kurtz and Riptide. SawBlaze went into this all-important fight visibly unchanged. Both robots immediately drove at one another, causing Riptide to flip in the air and land inverted. SawBlaze then scooped it up and pinned Riptide against the wall, before shoving it towards the Upper Deck. Now upright but in the short corner, Riptide landed a weak hit to the front of SawBlaze before it found itself atop its opponent's forks again. SawBlaze positioned itself and landed its first serious shot of the match with the hammer saw weapon, but Riptide survived and escaped. The eggbeater weapon then collided with the front of SawBlaze, sending both robots flying backwards. Riptide was again popped up by the power of its own weapon before being pinned against the arena wall by Jamison Go's bot. Riptide was stuck on its side with no way of getting down and was counted out, allowing SawBlaze to advance to the semi-finals for the first time in its BattleBots career.
SawBlaze vs. Witch Doctor
Witch Doctor snipes a wheel early on.
Witch Doctor sends SawBlaze to the pulverizer after ripping the wheel off.
Fire erupts within SawBlaze.
Now in the final four, SawBlaze met Witch Doctor for the third time in as many seasons with their record balanced at 1-1. SawBlaze opted for a single central fork in this battle, whereas Witch Doctor debuted a brand new single disc setup. SawBlaze immediately drove at Witch Doctor but became caught on a seam in the floor. Jamison Go's bot slid its right-side fork under its opponent but Witch Doctor drove away unharmed. However, as it spun around, a rare driving error from Jamison Go allowed Witch Doctor to slice the left-side tire of SawBlaze. This was followed up by a second hit which flipped it over. Despite using its hammer saw mechanism to right itself, Mike Gellatly took full advantage and snapped the wheel clean off, severely hampering its opponent's mobility. As it tried to escape, the pulverizer landed a blow on SawBlaze and Witch Doctor came in again, pushing against the side of its fork before punting its detached wheel away. The saw was not spinning at this stage and as SawBlaze looked to arc towards the Gellatlys' robot, turned into Witch Doctor's single disc and suffered damage to its remaining tire. Chunks of foam spread across the BattleBox floor as Witch Doctor slammed SawBlaze into the arena wall, sending it flying half the length of the arena. Jamison Go tried to get its flamethrower into play, but Witch Doctor assault continued, throwing SawBlaze over and buckling its forks. SawBlaze eventually burst into flames as it lay immobile in the middle of the floor and was counted out by the referees. Witch Doctor moved onto its second Championship battle and SawBlaze was eliminated from the 2021 competition.
Team SawBlaze show off their 2021 season Founder's Award.
Following the conclusion of the season, Jamison Go's team were presented the Founder's Award for 2021 by BattleBots co-founder Greg Munson.
World Championship VII[]
SawBlaze vs. HyperShock
Returning for World Championship VII, SawBlaze's first opponent was the 2022 re:MARS all:STARS champion, HyperShock. SawBlaze was equipped with its traditional three fork setup, with additional wedgelets in between to prevent HyperShock from getting underneath from the front.[4] Ahead of this fight, the team were experiencing issues regarding their new vulcanized rubber tires, but persisted with them.[3]
SawBlaze and HyperShock square off.
Both bots went head-to-head in the opening seconds and SawBlaze won the immediate ground game, but could not capitalize as HyperShock drove away immediately and landed a grazing shot with its drisc spinner. HyperShock followed this up with a hit that tossed SawBlaze over, before reversing with its weapon spinning and throwing itself over. Now inverted, HyperShock was keen to right itself but bounced across the front of its opponent as it attempted to do so.
SawBlaze and HyperShock in the BattleBox.
SawBlaze was able to control HyperShock much better in this position as it only had two-wheel drive, and tanked the hits from the weapon of Will Bales' bot. SawBlaze drove HyperShock to the corner of the BattleBox and slammed the hammer saw down, pinning its opponent and tearing up a front tire.
SawBlaze sinks its hammer saw into HyperShock's underside.
HyperShock drove away as best it could, but SawBlaze gave chase and pinned it against the wall in front of both teams before striking again with its weapon, ripping another tire clean off. With HyperShock stunned, SawBlaze gathered it up and dealt a brutal shot to its underside, carving a gash in its frame. However, SawBlaze could not retract its arm nor drive away.
Both teams try to separate HyperShock and the weapon mechanism of SawBlaze.
Both robots had functional drive and weaponry, but were stuck together as referee John Remar called the fight. Trey Roski entered the BattleBox to try and separate both robots, but was unable to. The fight therefore went to the judges as per the new ruleset concerning unsticks, who ruled unanimously in favor of SawBlaze.
SawBlaze vs. Lock-Jaw
Second in SawBlaze's schedule was former semi-finalist Lock-Jaw, who was without any forks for this battle.
Sparks fly as SawBlaze and Lock-Jaw duke it out.
This allowed the wedgelets of SawBlaze to immediately get underneath Donald Hutson's robot and send it bouncing around. Lock-Jaw landed inverted and Jamison Go's robot quickly scooped underneath and rammed Lock-Jaw into the screws. This attack was followed up by the first swing of its hammer saw, which attempted to carve into Lock-Jaw's vulnerable underbelly. Lock-Jaw began grinding away at the front of SawBlaze as it drove Lock-Jaw across the BattleBox and into another set of screws.
"SawBlaze is overpowering Lock-Jaw, but Lock-Jaw's still in this fight, Chris."
— Kenny Florian refuses to count Lock-Jaw out of the battle
Lock-Jaw finds itself stuck.
Donald Hutson's robot then found itself in the short corner as SawBlaze backed into Screw Job and damaged its rotating cones. Still inverted and with its weapon spinning downward, Lock-Jaw was carried across the BattleBox again. But as SawBlaze landed an overhead attack, its blade was not spinning so minimal damage was caused with this attack. Its opponent took the opportunity to drive into the front of SawBlaze and finally righted itself, but was once more scooped up by the forks of Jamison Go's bot.
"Huge shot there, and Lock-Jaw might be in a precarious position..."
— Chris Rose commentates as Lock-Jaw becomes stuck
Lock-Jaw is counted out.
Lock-Jaw's blade hit the front of SawBlaze and bounced the robot upward, throwing it against the housing for the screws. Although Lock-Jaw still had drive, it lacked the power to escape with just one wheel making contact with the floor. As a count began, SawBlaze took on Screw Job, who had lost one of its cones, and pinned it against the paddle. Lock-Jaw was deemed immobile and SawBlaze moved to 2-0.
SawBlaze vs. Skorpios
"Teams trying more bold strategies to beat us is a reoccurring theme; first Lock Jaw shed their forks to add a minibot and top armor, now Skorpios equips the ultimate long-range weapon and extra armor. We were surprised by the decision and didn't quite believe it until we were loaded into the arena."
— Team SawBlaze Facebook post on the Skorpios matchup[9]
SawBlaze with its UMHW "eyelashes".
SawBlaze's penultimate Fight Night opponent was a fellow hammer saw - Skorpios. As added protection, Jamison Go's team fitted their machine with a pair of UMHW "eyelashes" on top of the front plow. To save weight for this attachment, both wheelguards were removed from SawBlaze prior to it entering the BattleBox. Upon learning that Skorpios opted to use its OverKill knife attachment, Team SawBlaze also elected to not power up their own hammer saw to begin with, to minimize the chances of Skorpios breaking its spinner belts.[9]
SawBlaze and Skorpios do battle.
SawBlaze immediately headed to the bottom row of killsaws as both robots met near the center. Ramming the front-right corner of Skorpios - itself encountering balancing issues - it pushed its opponent around in circles while taking a hit from the latter's blade. Though Skorpios now won the ground game and pushed back, SawBlaze reversed and negated a second ramming attempt as it maneuvered back towards the same set of killsaws. Taking advantage of Skorpios' top-heaviness, it scooped up and rammed the Bot Bash Party Crew entry into one of the blue square screws. Bringing its hammer saw into play in the process, SawBlaze twice struck down on Skorpios as the latter rode up and toppled onto its back.
"I want your sword, baby!"
— Jamison Go as SawBlaze prepares to cut into the OverKill blade
Skorpios - trapped between the screw and its top-most mount - was unable to self-right, allowing SawBlaze to cut the top of the OverKill blade. SawBlaze repeated this attack as its opponent was being counted out, cementing a 49-second knockout and a 3-0 record by the season's halfway point. While avoiding a critical hit to its belts, it was discovered by Team SawBlaze afterwards that the robot had sustained a light cut to its weapon bulkhead.[9]
SawBlaze vs. Hydra
The only bot left standing between SawBlaze and a 4-0 Fight Night record was Hydra, both of whom made it to the semi-finals in the previous season.
Hydra wins the war for low ground.
Both robots drove out of their squares intending to meet in the center, but SawBlaze immediately became caught on the floor. Keen to test the front of Hydra, Jamison Go drove towards the flipper but rode up it, allowing Jake Ewert to toss SawBlaze upward. Hydra landed a follow-up flip, but the retracted arm of the 3-0 bot prevented it from tipping over.
"Great start for Jake Ewert. Hydra looks like the lower bot here, and that is bad news for Jamison Go. Hydra just kinda waiting for SawBlaze now..."
— Kenny Florian as Jamison Go looks for a plan B
Hydra launches SawBlaze.
Hydra then got underneath again, this time able to upend its opponent and force SawBlaze to self-right. Looking to reset, SawBlaze threatened with its flamethrower, but Hydra was undeterred and kept its front pointed towards the former semi-finalist. The Team Whyachi robot bided its time before sliding under and throwing SawBlaze through the air - its outermost fork taking the brunt of the fall. Upon landing, Hydra launched Jamison Go's robot again, but it landed upright on this occasion.
SawBlaze leads with its disc.
SawBlaze opted to attack with its blade, backing into Hydra in a desperate attempt to tally up some damage points. At this stage in the fight, its central fork was no longer flush to the floor so SawBlaze drove disc-first into Hydra. This prompted the hydraulic flipper to throw SawBlaze three more times. The outer fork was momentarily able to get in underneath Hydra, but SawBlaze could not get its opponent in a position to slam its hammer saw down. It instead managed to pin Hydra against the wall near the pulverizer, but Jake Ewert retaliated by launching the black and green robot in front of the drivers' booths.
SawBlaze strikes the wedges of Hydra.
In a rare moment of SawBlaze dominance, it was then able to position Hydra in the path of the hammer saw, landing its first meaningful attack of the fight. However, Hydra immediately countered by throwing SawBlaze once again, before mistiming a flip and then landing yet another. SawBlaze remained determined, getting under the front of Hydra again and dropping the hammer saw directly onto Hydra's front wedges. But this attempt to turn the tide was short-lived as Hydra flipped its opponent twice more before SawBlaze's disc ground to a halt. With thirty seconds to go, Dick Stuplich of Team Whyachi instructed Jake Ewert to prepare for SawBlaze righting itself, but Jamison Go's robot appeared immobile.
Kenny Florian: "WOAH! Jake wants to keep going!"
Chris Rose: "Jake Ewert can't resist landing one last flip... even if it means taking this match to a decision. What's he doing?!?"
— Chris and Kenny react as Hydra forces a judges' decision
The Main Event goes the distance.
A count began on SawBlaze as Hydra looked to take the win by knockout. With just two seconds left, however, Hydra inched forward and launched SawBlaze again, forgoing the knockout for several more attacks. Hydra flipped twice more as the clock hit zero, technically allowing the fight to go the distance.
Having been at the mercy of Hydra for much of the battle, the judges ruled unanimously in favor of Hydra, ending the unbeaten run and wrapping up the Fight Night rounds with a 3-1 record.
SawBlaze vs. Blip
SawBlaze in the blue square.
SawBlaze broke into the Top 32 as the No.8 seed, where it first met No.25 seed Blip. In this must-win battle, SawBlaze was equipped with sharper forks and a brand new AR600 steel hammer saw disc.
"The blade is brand new and is very, very sharp. We're putting on our best clothes for our first outing in the Round of 32."
— Jamison Go pre-fight
SawBlaze and Blip face off.
Early in the fight, SawBlaze rushed to the center of the BattleBox as Blip was slower out of its starting square. Blip tried to get underneath the front of Jamison Go's robot, but was unable to prove itself as the lower bot. It instead got around to the side of SawBlaze, but could not get far enough under to flip and the No.8 seed escaped.
SawBlaze pins Blip before unleashing its hammer saw.
SawBlaze then found itself momentarily scooped under by Blip, but Aren Hill's flipper failed to fire its weapon and took a hit from the 100lb pulverizer instead, also losing a fork in the process. SawBlaze then got to the flank of Blip and drove it across the width of the arena before ending its attack with a vicious hammer saw shot. This saw Blip's remaining fork become stuck underneath the robot as it attempted to escape danger, which left it vulnerable to a second charge by Jamison Go.
SawBlaze rams Blip into the Upper Deck.
SawBlaze landed a third shot, striking the extra top armor of Blip as gashes began to show. The fight moved near the drivers' booths, where Blip tried to get the right angle to attack but lost its other fork instead. With its opponent's ground game compromised, SawBlaze remained aggressive and slammed Blip into the screws of the Upper Deck, striking its top with the hammer saw again before releasing Blip in the short corner.
Blip slid itself underneath SawBlaze in order to escape, but was again unable to flip due to SawBlaze disabling the solenoid for its weapon with an earlier attack.[10] It instead managed to get to SawBlaze's flat back as Blip drove the No.8 seed into the rails, almost flipping it over with pure drive power.
Both robots duel in the short corner.
With over half the fight gone, Blip had not fired its weapon once, but Blip's inability to do so was not yet evident to Jamison Go's team, nor Chris and Kenny in commentary. SawBlaze slid under the forkless front of Blip before delivering another couple of visceral blows to the front and top of Blip. It then got under again, driving Blip across the arena and into a short corner as Aren Hill's robot took a blow from the opposite pulverizer.
"Blip has taken some HUGE overhead shots. That top armor is all torn up..."
— Kenny Florian with under a minute of the fight remaining
In spite of this punishment, Blip was still able to get itself underneath SawBlaze in the final minute, having been reduced to a weaponless wedge for most of the battle. However, SawBlaze landed several more brutal attacks to the top of Blip in the final thirty seconds.
Chris Rose: "Well Kenny, about a dozen strikes with the hammer saw for SawBlaze and a total of zero flips for Blip."
Kenny Florian: "Yeah, and watching some of these shots again in slow motion, I think Blip may have lost function to that flipper earlier than we gave Aren credit for..."
— Chris and Kenny acknowledge Blip's loss of its primary weapon post-fight
The fight went the distance and SawBlaze took the unanimous judges' decision, advancing into the Round of 16.
SawBlaze vs. Monsoon
Now in the Round of 16, SawBlaze took on the No.24 seed Monsoon in a rematch from this point in World Championship III, where Jamison Go's team fell four seasons prior. In anticipation for this bout, it combined its regular tri-fork configuration and wheelguards with the UHMW "eyelashes" last used against Skorpios. The "eyelashes" - dubbed 'bunny ears' by Chris Rose - were used to protect its hammer saw arm and 'dampen' blows from the UK machine's larger bar spinner.
"Monsoon's pivoting frame is tricky; their effective fork length is nearly equivalent to ours because the pivot essentially hides the body from wedging. Instead of directly attacking, we used sweeping motions against the weapon pod to parry their massive weapon."
Both robots immediately sized each other up in the center, where SawBlaze scooped up and pushed Monsoon around in circles. The hammer saw of Jamison Go's machine slammed down on Monsoon's right-rear corner, though its reverse swing had the adverse effect of causing SawBlaze to rear up on its opponent. SawBlaze was flipped into a somersault by Monsoon as a result, crashing down on its wheels against an Upper Deck screw mount. The two competitors locked forks, though again SawBlaze outpushed Tom Brewster's entry upon steering it towards another nearby screw mount.
Kenny Florian: "What a counter-shot by Monsoon!"
Chris Rose: "That bar did some damage, it looks like! SawBlaze took a shot!"
Kenny Florian: "Well, this is where SawBlaze has to hold back on that weapon. If they go weapon-to-weapon with Monsoon right now, they will be in big trouble. This is a game of inches with SawBlaze trying to land a strike, and dodge Monsoon's disc."
— As SawBlaze recovers from a big flip by Monsoon
SawBlaze backed up towards the control booth, though Monsoon drove forwards simultaneously along with it. As the pair separated, it was briefly pushed back, but avoided a direct blow to its right fork from Monsoon's spinner. Reversing towards the center, SawBlaze twice collected Monsoon as the latter tried to ram it. The second collision enabled it to turn Monsoon over using the forces of its own bar spinner, while pushing it to the bottom-right killsaw slots and blue square screws. While having its left "eyelash" chewed up and dislodged, SawBlaze swung its own overhead spinner down on the inverted Monsoon, dragging it back while briefly digging into its right-most baseplate.
"Woah! What a strike by Jamison Go! Dropped the hammer saw, avoided Monsoon's weapon. That is precision offense!"
— Kenny Florian as SawBlaze hits and drags Monsoon with its hammer saw
SawBlaze takes advantage of a driving error.
As soon as Monsoon broke free and self-righted under its own momentum, it rammed and pursued the UK machine back towards the center. Sparks flew as SawBlaze tried to bring its flamethrower into play, though this time it took a direct hit to its right fork from Monsoon. SawBlaze quickly turned around, again scooping and shoving Monsoon into the Upper Deck screws. Sparks and pieces of UHMW flew as Monsoon's bar clipped both SawBlaze's fork and other "eyelash". Unrelenting, SawBlaze pushed Monsoon back across to the red square, again taking advantage of its opponent's gyroscopic lifts. While weathering more glancing hits from the Monsoon's bar spinner, it forced Tom Brewster's robot to drive over and wedge itself into the top-left killsaw slots.
SawBlaze pushed the now-upturned Monsoon forwards, causing its bar spinner to graze the BattleBox floor, before cutting into its right-hand wheelguard. Following a less damaging second swing, it hammered down on Monsoon's weapon module. The impact pushed the top-right fork of the UK machine down into its own bar spinner, ripping it off at high velocity. However, this was also enough to cause SawBlaze to 'leap' one foot off the floor and break the gearbox for its weapon arm as it recoiled. From that point, this component of the hammer saw was no longer operable.[11]
Another head-to-head exchange resulted in SawBlaze breaching Monsoon's ground clearance again, before slamming it into a red square screw mount. This knocked Monsoon onto its side, with SawBlaze briefly pinning it in place against the bumper before taking another hit as it reversed. SawBlaze applied further pressure as Monsoon briefly found itself stranded on the nearby paddle. Collecting Tom Brewster's machine once more, SawBlaze pushed the latter back towards the active paddle, while trying to use its flamethrower on its front-left corner.
"Jamison Go in control, taking Monsoon into the corner. Tom Brewster did such a masterful job at drivin' in his upset at Cobalt, but here's SawBlaze scoopin' him up!"
— Chris Rose as SawBlaze steers Monsoon between the top and bottom-left corners
SawBlaze leaves Monsoon to be counted out.
SawBlaze pushed Monsoon into the top-left pocket, just as the paddle threw both machines off course. This exposed the right "eyelash" to Monsoon's spinner, sending more pieces of UHMW flying everywhere. After a few seconds, SawBlaze nudged Monsoon free from the bumper, before slamming and flipping it under the pulverizer on the bottom-left corner. Indirectly, this lead to Monsoon's bar being disabled by the pulverizer operated by its own team. Both competitors separated, with SawBlaze heading across the perimeter and Monsoon retreating back to the center. A head-on collision ensued, allowing SawBlaze to flip Monsoon onto its side and leave it unable to self-right.
Team SawBlaze started to celebrate, with their machine twitching and shuffling triumphantly during John Remar's count-out. SawBlaze emerged the winner by knockout after a dominant and highly controlling display. After exchanging handshakes with Team Monsoon's Tom Brewster, Jamison Go yelled out to the camera in further celebration of his victory.
Chris Rose: "Jamison... was that a scream you've been waiting to unleash for four years since you lost to them?"
Jamison Go: "Absolutely... without a doubt. Confidently, yes!"
Chris Rose: "And how did it feel?"
Jamison Go: "Well, it hurts my throat a little bit, but... get some honey for that. We'll take care of that later. But right now, it's celebrate time!"
— Jamison Go, upon being asked about his post-match 'scream'
During his post-match interview, Go directly attributed the contributions of new team member Aaron Fan in SawBlaze's success up to this point. Fan - tearful in relief and joy - was responsible for many aspects of its World Championship VII redesign. Further celebrations between Team SawBlaze and Team Monsoon followed, with Go and Fan notably exchanging hugs with Tom Brewster and Tim Rackley.
Jamison Go: "The motor selection, the speed controller tuning, he did a lot of customization things that I don't actually know how to do. He's just so happy that it's all paying off. All this hard work..."
Aaron Fan: "It's such a relief, to see it all come together... and work beautifully!"
Chris Rose: "Well Arron, listen... you did a remarkable job. You should be very, very proud. You know, we don't see everything that goes on behind the scenes... but obviously we certainly understand your emotion. And guess what, my man? You are off to the Round of 8... and you get to face off against Minotaur! We can't wait to see it. Great job!"
— As a tearful, but jubilant Aaron Fan receives the spotlight
SawBlaze vs. Minotaur
Advancing to the quarter-finals, SawBlaze faced the No.1 seed Minotaur in a rematch from the previous season's Fight Night rounds. Here, Jamison Go confidently expressed intentions to perform a similar strategy and inflict similar levels of damage as in the pair's 2021 encounter.
"Our fight against Minotaur in World Championship VI taught us that SawBlaze is actually a lot more durable than we initially thought. We were also surprised at the amount of damage that SawBlaze can do. We were able to chop through, we caused a battery fire. The batteries haven't moved since last year, they're still in the rear corner. We know exactly where we need to hit again. Last time, we set Minotaur on fire and he continued to work. This time, we'd love to set him on fire and have him burn to the ground!"
— Jamison Go
SawBlaze begins on the front foot.
Starting from the red square, SawBlaze immediately weaved into the front of Minotaur. Contact between its right fork and Minotaur's drum threw the Brazilian entry into a spin.
Chris Rose: "Woah! Nice shot, SawBlaze, out of the gate!"
Kenny Florian: "Yeah, they ran that fork right into the drum. So far, that fork is holding up. They're able to get underneath Minotaur..."
— As SawBlaze deflects and begins controlling Minotaur early
SawBlaze strikes the top of Minotaur.
SawBlaze gave chase, collecting and pushing Minotaur into an Upper Deck screw bumper, then one set of the screws behind the red square. There, it held its opponent in place before swinging its hammer saw, embedding the spinner into Minotaur's top panel. Sparks flew as Minotaur churned away at SawBlaze's left fork. SawBlaze briefly pushed back, though it would next sustain three heavy hits from Minotaur's weapon. Another head-to-head exchange followed, resulting in SawBlaze scooping, pushing and turning Minotaur over onto an Upper Deck screw.
SawBlaze attacks the vulnerable underbelly of its opponent.
SawBlaze again tried to bring its hammer saw into play, but missed, with Minotaur now stuck on its left fork. Driving further underneath Daniel Freitas' machine, it pierced the latter's baseplate with a third swing, before slamming it into the control booth wall bumper as soon as it self-righted.
Fire erupts within Minotaur as it grinds the front of SawBlaze.
At that point, a puff of smoke billowed from Minotaur, as SawBlaze took damage and was pushed back across the BattleBox perimeter. Dodging the bottom-left pulverizer, SawBlaze collected and tried to push Minotaur under the hazard, as the smoke thickened and flames started flashing from beneath the Brazilian drum spinner.
Kenny Florian: "This is when SawBlaze is at their best – a little bit of smoke coming OUT of Minotaur, Chris!"
Chris Rose: "That is a MAJOR issue for Minotaur!"
Kenny Florian: "Could this be another fire? IT IS!"
Chris Rose: "It is, for the second straight season!"
— As SawBlaze controls and starts a repeat internal fire for Minotaur
Jamison Go attempted to maneuver his blazing opponent across the bottom-left killsaw slots. However, SawBlaze was thrown upwards as Minotaur's drum connected with its left fork, before losing its left wheelguard and taking a direct shot to its spinner. Throwing its weapon arm forward in recoil, it crashed against the bumper, but weathered another fast charge from Minotaur. SawBlaze turned around, ramming Minotaur into the same Upper Deck screw set as before. The collision turned Minotaur over once more, though this time, SawBlaze was unable to capitalize before the former self-righted. After a few moments, it shoved Minotaur back into the control booth bumper, continuing to pressure and steer it around in circles.
Minotaur fights back, throwing SawBlaze over.
As it tried to drive underneath Minotaur once more, SawBlaze was flung onto its back by the former's drum, which also ripped off one of the supports for the hammer saw arm. Though SawBlaze self-righted immediately, it was quickly put on the back foot, as Minotaur flipped it over a second time and kept attacking its weapon assembly.
Kenny Florian: "Jamison Go, with the pressure, but they're taking huge shots here again!"
Chris Rose: "Still ninety seconds to go, and SawBlaze pops into the air! [Minotaur pounds SawBlaze higher off the BattleBox floor] OH!"
Kenny Florian: "That looked like a direct shot to the weapon coupling of SawBlaze! What a comeback this would be by Minotaur!"
— As SawBlaze is flipped and damaged further by Minotaur's drum
Minotaur lands a series of attacks on SawBlaze.
Struggling to get back onto its wheels, it was tossed even higher as Minotaur rammed it drum-first in the center, losing another chunk from its hammer saw arm. This heavy attack re-righted SawBlaze, which dodged and turned its forks into Minotaur's drum once more as the battle entered its second half. SawBlaze rammed Minotaur into the bottom-left corner, only to be blocked by the descending pulverizer. The black and green machine lingered as Minotaur - still on fire - gyrated itself further into the pocket. Within seconds, SawBlaze pinned Daniel Freitas' machine against the bumper and paddle, as more smoke began pouring from the latter's back end. However, it became apparent that the overhead disc had stopped rotating.
"Minotaur has turned the tables here, Chris! They've broken SawBlaze’s weapon, and Jamison cannot afford to get flipped!"
— Kenny Florian reports the damage to SawBlaze's hammer saw
Minotaur upends SawBlaze, who immediately retaliates.
Minotaur fought back by grazing and flicking SawBlaze upwards, while pushing it back towards the center. SawBlaze, with its right fork now also bent, absorbed more rams, but was flipped over by another blow from Minotaur's drum. Self-righting immediately, it deflected a charging Minotaur into a flip, forcing it to self-right as well through gyroscopic procession. SawBlaze, similarly to before, collected and smashed Minotaur into a blue square screw mount, pushing it up against the hazard itself with just under 50 seconds to go.
Kenny Florian: "This is just a nasty brawl here by BOTH robots!"
Chris Rose: "Great job by SawBlaze, pinning his opponent now against the screws!"
— As SawBlaze rams and traps Minotaur against the blue square screws
A flaming Minotaur rests immobile by the screws.
Once Minotaur's drum was left resting against the floor, SawBlaze backed out, waiting on the fringe of the blue square for its opponent to be freed. However, as the screws brought Minotaur down, it immediately became clear that the first seed had become completely immobilized. SawBlaze rammed Minotaur one last time before backing out for good.
Kenny Florian: "Oh Minotaur, may be knocked out here Chris! They may have FRIED their motors!"
Chris Rose: "That is it, I think! SawBlaze... have they done it? Have they pulled off the upset?! The countdown has started! The one seed is history!"
— As Minotaur lays immobile, and Team SawBlaze begin celebrating the knockout win
Team SawBlaze celebrate their win over the No.1 seed.
Jamison Go and his teammates began screaming and jumping in excitement, as SawBlaze paraded across the BattleBox, and David Sanfilippo started the count-out for RioBotz's machine. SawBlaze emerged as the winner by knockout, cementing itself a place in the semi-finals following a spectacular and evenly-fought rematch.
Chris Rose: "One of the greatest fights we have ever seen in BattleBots! How the heck did you do it?"
Jamison Go: "Well... I think things were starting out just as we had planned, and... well, we got the fire started, in more ways than one! And then, it took a sudden turn when they got a really good bite on our forks. It flipped us over, they got a really good shot. No one's actually hit us there before, and you could see [that] the chain flopped out. The arm took a lot of damage. We weren't spinning; the arm couldn't articulate. And at that point, I'm sure Daniel knew that, if they could flip us over once, it would be over. I think my heart sank a little bit, because I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to hang on. Their weapon was still going... still going strong, and we just had to... you can't give up! You've gotta fight to the end. I mean, this is the World Championship! You've gotta keep going, you never know what will happen!"
— Jamison Go recounts his experience of SawBlaze's quarter-final
SawBlaze vs. Ribbot
Now in the semi-finals for the second season in a row, SawBlaze took on a team who had turned their season around following a 0-3 start, Ribbot. This served as a rematch from World Championship IV, which Jamison Go's team won.
Ribbot and SawBlaze dance near the drivers' booths.
SawBlaze immediately took advantage of a rare driving error from its opposition driver, hooking underneath Ribbot's right-front tire and causing both robots to perform a dance of death across the killsaws.
"If I stop turning, he's gonna hit me."
— Jamison Go to referee David Sanfilippo
As Chris and Kenny questioned whether the robots were stuck together, Jamison Go explained he was continuing to spin to prevent Ribbot from landing a strike on SawBlaze. Likewise, Ribbot refused to back down as David Jin did not want to leave his robot vulnerable to an overhead attack. Both robots began driving in larger and larger circles until Ribbot caught a seam in the floor and was finally free, much to the delight of the live audience.
"Alright, 2:12 on the clock. Time to take the gloves off, boys."
— Chris Rose as both robots look for an angle to attack
SawBlaze damages the shell of Ribbot.
From here, Ribbot attempted to out-drive SawBlaze and turned to face Jamison Go's robot, but rode up the forks as the No.8 seed spun to pin Ribbot against the housing for the screws. With its hammer saw spinning, SawBlaze struck the top of its opponent, shattering the vacuum-formed frog shell and slicing into the frame beneath. This caused a small fire within Ribbot as its vertical spinner appeared to have died, and plumes of smoke followed.
SawBlaze asserts its dominance against Ribbot.
Although it tried to equal SawBlaze's aggression and control, Ribbot found itself held against the Upper Deck. SawBlaze dealt another hit to the weapon housing of Ribbot, whose smoke became more thicker and more abundant as time went on. SawBlaze drove Ribbot back, slamming it into the rails and then the Upper Deck once more.
"Alright Kenny, we're gonna need Sky Chopper 7 to start giving us an are- OH, there we go! I can see the flames from here!"
— Chris Rose as fire erupts within Ribbot again
A panicked Ribbot escapes the Upper Deck while on fire.
SawBlaze forced the flaming Ribbot into the screws again, and then dragged onto the Upper Deck. Several seconds passed before Ribbot exited the hazard via the red side's short corner. Smoke began to fill the BattleBox as Ribbot remained hooked on the front wedges of Jamison Go's machine, finding itself bullied across the arena courtesy of SawBlaze. David Jin's robot landed on the Upper Deck again in the closing seconds. Ribbot escaped for a second time and managed to evade SawBlaze as the clock hit zero.
All three judges awarded the fight in SawBlaze's favor, propelling the team into their first ever Championship fight.
SawBlaze vs. HUGE
In the title decider, SawBlaze met an unlikely opponent in the No.6 seed and as-yet undefeated HUGE. Neither bot had been successful in lifting the Giant Nut prior to this fight.
SawBlaze's configuration for the Championship final.
This final marked the first in four World Championships in which the Giant Nut would not be won by a four-wheel-drive robot with a vertical spinner. HUGE would use Tegris wheels for this match instead of its usual UHMW wheels as the former was stronger, whereas Jamison Go decided to go with a much more risky approach, taking one of the plows, inverting it and welding it into the front of his robot in the hopes that it would catch the vertical spinner of HUGE. He also added two "eyebrow attachments" to maintain control of HUGE during the fight.
During the pre-fight interviews, Jamison Go highlighted the improvisational approach to the attachment, and how big a risk said attachment was.
"There's a lot of improv in this build right now...If HUGE can clear our obstacles and damage our weapon systems, that's gonna be a victory for HUGE."
— Jamison Go
HUGE immediately throws SawBlaze through the air.
The fight began with SawBlaze immediately box-rushing HUGE while the latter turned towards the lower perimeter of the BattleBox. SawBlaze rammed and spun Jonathan Schultz's machine towards itself, though this indirectly gave HUGE an opportunity to attack with its own vertical spinner. With only three seconds on the board, SawBlaze was flung into a 360-degree flip, landing on its wheels.
"Let the battle for the Giant Nut begin - a box-rush by SawBlaze out of the gate! Stickin' his nose right in there and doin' a 360 is Jamo!"
— Chris Rose as SawBlaze immediately engages with HUGE
Despite the attack, it managed to briefly slow down the blade of HUGE as it absorbed more direct blows to the plow, only for its opponent's weapon to start spinning again.
SawBlaze lands on top of HUGE's wheel.
A short struggle ensued, with SawBlaze pushing HUGE sideways before taking a second big hit. Thrown upwards into the air, it landed on its back and self-righted quickly, only to take a heavy side-on blow from HUGE's spinner. This was followed by a third hit by HUGE, which sent SawBlaze cartwheeling even higher onto the bottom-left killsaw slots. SawBlaze bounced back upright, charging back towards HUGE in an attempt to target its left wheel. In response, HUGE tossed SawBlaze over itself, with the fall of Jamison Go's machine only being broken by its opponent's other Tegris wheel.
Chris Rose: "What a start for Schultz!"
Kenny Florian: "HUGE continues to uppercut SawBlaze – OH-ho-ho!"
Chris Rose: "AND another... OH, he landed almost on top of HUGE!"
Kenny Florian: "HUGE is out to a BIG lead!"
— As HUGE asserts early dominance over SawBlaze
HUGE continues to throw SawBlaze around.
SawBlaze, despite the consistent hits from HUGE up to this point, quickly self-righted once more upon crashing down to the BattleBox floor. It proceeded to rush into and absorb more blows from HUGE's spinner, only to be flipped another full 360 degrees and take a heavy slam to its right-hand side.
SawBlaze drives HUGE into the wall.
Following these hits, SawBlaze managed to stop the blade of HUGE, retaliating by pushing Jonathan Schultz's machine into a blue square screw mount. While pinning HUGE against the nearby paddle and side wall, it hooked and swung its weapon arm near the center of the former's blade, landing its first hit of the fight. SawBlaze lifted HUGE further upwards as the latter tried to wriggle free; a second activation of the hammer saw ironically allowed HUGE to drive deeper into the bottom-left corner.
HUGE turns to face SawBlaze as its belts lay snapped on the floor.
A pair of belts - both from HUGE's weapon mechanism - lay strewn across the BattleBox floor following these attacks. SawBlaze nudged and followed HUGE towards the center. Upon slamming into HUGE's left wheel, it sustained another serious of enormous hits from HUGE.
"Jamison Go still lookin' to make up ground after that opening barrage from HUGE. Tryin' to attack those Tegris wheels now... and push him into the Upper Deck!"
— Chris Rose, as SawBlaze chases and pushes HUGE across the arena
SawBlaze pins HUGE against the wall before landing a vital hit to its weapon hub.
Again, SawBlaze managed to stop HUGE's bar spinner, before continuing to pressure it across the BattleBox. It proceeded to push Schultz's machine towards the Upper Deck screws, only to be flipped over by HUGE and be forced to self-right. A glancing blow to SawBlaze's plow slowed its opponent's weapon down once more. SawBlaze chased HUGE back into the lower perimeter, ramming and pinning it against the control booth wall, while breaking another section of belt off. There, it landed two further hits with the hammer saw; one into the center of HUGE's spinner, leaving a massive gash in the weapon hub, and another on its right-hand eye attachment. A third hit made contact with the side of HUGE's frame, just as the match reached its halfway point.
Chris Rose: "SawBlaze, utilizing that hammer saw nicely."
Kenny Florian: "Oh!"
Chris Rose: "And again!"
Kenny Florian: "We had our doubts, but this is turning out to be an effective game plan for Jamison Go!"
— As SawBlaze pins and pounds HUGE against the control booth wall
SawBlaze continues to play the aggressor.
SawBlaze kept pushing and ramming HUGE across the perimeter as this happened, but took a blow from a nearby pulverizer. Another ram allowed it to fling HUGE into the air while stopping its bar spinner; itself now running at a significantly slower speed. An attempt by HUGE to run away came to nought, as SawBlaze raced in pursuit of it, knocking it onto its side at one point. While continuing to follow and push HUGE back - eventually into the control booth wall again - SawBlaze did everything it could to keep its blade from spinning back up to full speed. With the blade seized, it rammed HUGE at high speed into the bottom-left paddle and Lexan, then the bottom-right wall sections with just over a minute remaining.
Kenny Florian: "This is an amazing drivers' match, here! Jonathan Schultz tryin' to get some space, tryin' to get that blade up to full speed!"
Chris Rose: "Jamison Go right on top of HUGE! Approaching a minute to go in our title fight, and it is NECK AND NECK!"
— As HUGE is controlled by SawBlaze during the second half of the match
SawBlaze rams HUGE again, but HUGE remains a threat.
Though HUGE escaped again, SawBlaze did not let up, slamming it into the control booth wall and bottom-right paddle. Swinging its hammer saw down once more, it forced HUGE upwards against the bumper, before inflicting another blow to its opponent's chassis. SawBlaze began to control HUGE's drive and weapon further, pinning it against the control booth wall yet again. Jamison Go pushed the ailing HUGE over and around the BattleBox center, bringing his opposing machine back towards the control booth with the same drive. Reversing briefly to break itself free, SawBlaze collected and shoved HUGE into the bottom-left corner once again. There, it slammed down on HUGE's front bulkhead and right wheel, which was suddenly left incapacitated.
"This is the first time we've seen HUGE slow down all year... will it be enough?"
— Kenny Florian, as SawBlaze continues to pressure an ailing HUGE
HUGE is pinned and attacked again by SawBlaze.
During the final ten seconds, SawBlaze pushed HUGE back over the blue square screw mount, hitting it one last time with the hammer saw. Backing away, it headed to the center as the end buzzer sounded, ending an intensely-fought title decider between the two competitors. Under instruction from David Sanfilippo, it drove back towards the blue square and spun its hammer saw disc up a final time, proving that it still had full functionality.
All three judges enter the BattleBox.
The match went to a judges' decision, which involved the entire panel examining both robots for damage and reviewing the entire footage. In their deliberation, they unanimously ruled in favor of SawBlaze, making it, Jamison Go and his team the overall champions of World Championship VII.
Team SawBlaze celebrate their Giant Nut win.
During the Road to the Giant Nut after-show, Jamison Go celebrated with his team, as well as pointing out his mother in the crowd. He discussed how BattleBots inspired him into engineering from a young age, and how everything he had achieved to date concerning combat robotics had led to winning the Giant Nut.
Jamison Go's mother celebrates SawBlaze's win.
"That's my lifelong dream to get the Giant Nut. Don't let your dreams be dreams; make them reality."
— Jamison Go as the season comes to a close
BattleBots: Champions II[]
SawBlaze vs. SHREDDIT BRO!
SawBlaze returned for BattleBots: Champions II as the most recent Giant Nut winner. Its first round opponent in the Golden Bolt was the first Sin City Slugfest winner, SHREDDIT BRO!.
SHREDDIT BRO! is pinned onto the side of the Upper Deck as SawBlaze attacks.
Both robots began by advancing to the center of the arena, but SHREDDIT BRO! overshot slightly as SawBlaze ran into the ground tiles. SHREDDIT BRO! attempted to turn around, but was caught in the forks of SawBlaze and was taken into the bottom-left corner of the BattleBox, where SawBlaze attacked its left wheels. Managing to pry itself loose, SHREDDIT BRO! then tried to attack SawBlaze's hammer saw once more, but was caught and taken to the edge of the Upper Deck. Here, SawBlaze attacked its back, successfully lodging itself in before first reversing slightly then driving towards the Drivers' Booth, where it was released. Following that, SHREDDIT BRO! attempted to face SawBlaze, pirouetting several times, but failed as it was dragged closer towards the bottom pulverizer before finally escaping.
Chris Rose: "That's got to hurt, right on the back! Oh man..."
Kenny Florian: "Welcome to the big leagues, SHREDDIT BRO!"
— Chris Rose and Kenny Florian react to SawBlaze's initial onslaught.
SawBlaze reverses as SHREDDIT BRO! begins to smoke.
After this, SHREDDIT BRO! escaped to the middle of the BattleBox once more, turning around but failing to land a clear shot before its drum collided with the floor, propelling SHREDDIT BRO! into the air, where it was pushed by SawBlaze onto the wall between the Screws. Here, SHREDDIT BRO! eventually escaped, but was immediately pushed back into the Screws by SawBlaze, which attacked its back once more. However, this attack proved to cause critical damage, compromising one of the batteries and causing a fire.
"Yeah, Jamison Go got to the batteries with that shot. This is a LiPo fire, and a bad one at that!"
— Kenny Florian
Neither robot is visible as smoke fills the arena.
SHREDDIT BRO! was first dragged backwards and then into the corner of the Upper Deck. After some difficulty in maneuvering, SHREDDIT BRO! was then dragged into the gap between the Screws before being driven into the left-hand screws, where it was held for several seconds. Finally, it was reversed by SawBlaze and driven first into the top pulverizer, and then back towards the drivers' booth. However, at this stage, smoke emitted by SHREDDIT BRO! had greatly worsened visibility, with a leak being visible and SawBlaze remaining unable to dislodge itself from SHREDDIT BRO!
With crew unable to separate both robots, the fight went to the judges. They voted unanimously in favor of SawBlaze, ending SHREDDIT BRO!'s remarkable streak.
SawBlaze vs. Tantrum
In the Golden Bolt semi-finals, SawBlaze fought Tantrum in a rematch from World Championship V, which it previously lost.
SawBlaze takes Tantrum to the pulverizer.
SawBlaze wasted no time in scooping up Tantrum, driving it towards the pulverizer but failing to land a blow to Tantrum's thickened top armor. It then eased Alex Grant and Ginger Schmidt's robot to a more advantageous position before slamming its disc down. This was immediately followed by a direct pulverizer shot to Tantrum's punching mechanism. Before the hammer released its pin, SawBlaze introduced fire to the attack, striking again with its hammer saw as the hazard reset.
SawBlaze misses a couple of swings.
Tantrum driver Dillon Carey fled on the first opportunity, showing characteristic agility as it circled SawBlaze and looked to bait the reigning Giant Nut winner into a mistake. But it was Carey who made the next error, showing its side to SawBlaze as Jamison Go's robot slid underneath the former Giant Nut winner with ease. SawBlaze failed to capitalize upon this, twice missing with its hammer saw before Tantrum rode up the front of its opponent again.
Tantrum sits on the screws, poised for another SawBlaze attack.
This time, SawBlaze rammed Tantrum into the blue square's screws and it was dragged onto the BattleBox hazard, striking the top of Tantrum again before the semi-final fight moved to the center of the arena. SawBlaze again got underneath the side of Tantrum, whose wheels were smoking against the steel arena floor.
SawBlaze strikes Tantrum again.
It delivered yet another hit to the top of Tantrum, tearing through its Tegris top armor with this attack. This piece was momentarily stuck in SawBlaze's weapon, but was freed soon after. SawBlaze spun its disc up again as Dillon Carey dashed away from danger again.
"And Dillon Carey has to start attacking from the side. SawBlaze is getting under them [Tantrum] on every head-to-head engagement."
— Kenny Florian as SawBlaze sets up yet another overhead attack
Tantrum threatens a couneback.
As the fight approached the halfway point, SawBlaze held Tantrum in prime position to land a attack with its weapon once more, but instead opted to carry it around the arena until Tantrum slipped free. The Seems Reasonable Robotics entry then got to the side of SawBlaze's front forks, landing its first few meaningful attacks of the fight. Tantrum then dealt a punch to the back end of its opponent, and then made contact with its front.
"First jab we've seen from Tantrum's fist... and there's another good shot! The former champs are starting to mounting a comeback."
— Kenny Florian
Tantrum delivers a flurry of attacks.
Tantrum continued to build on its momentum, breaching the front of SawBlaze and driving it back towards the blue square. But again, SawBlaze got underneath Tantrum and shoved it back towards the Upper Deck, almost forcing it atop the platform. It instead rammed Tantrum into the spiked rails on the opposite end of the BattleBox before an overhead attack tore away the other Tegris armor panel.
SawBlaze rests behind a visibly-damaged Tantrum.
This attack damaged the armor mounts on Tantrum, meaning its wraparound armor began to peel away from the frame. SawBlaze backed away as it became evident Tantrum was not moving with around forty seconds remaining. Wanting to deal one last hit, SawBlaze engaged once more, but struck the BattleBox floor instead. The robot rebound, flipping SawBlaze over in the process. This impact also broke the gearbox powering its arm, meaning the Giant Nut winner could not self-right in the closing seconds with both of its wheels off the floor.[12]
Chris Rose: "Wait a second!"
Kenny Florian: "SawBlaze went for an extra shot, but might've knocked itself out!"
— Chris and Kenny react to the fight's dramatic conclusion
Tantrum's team began to celebrate as referee John Remar threatened a count on the reigning Giant Nut winners, opting to initiate a count-out as the fight entered its final ten seconds.
Chris Rose: "How did this happen?!"
Kenny Florian: "HE CAN'T SELF-RIGHT!"
Chris Rose: "Oh my God, the countdown's started! Jamison Go cannot believe it! What's gonna- wait a second! WAIT A SECOND! WAIT A SECOND!! IS THAT A... IS THAT A KNOCKOUT OR NOT?!"
Kenny Florian: "THEY MIGHT HAVE SURVIVED IT, CHRIS! WOW!! Tantrum is in disbelief! Did they survive it?!"
— Chris and Kenny as the clock, and the referee's count, hit zero
Both teams' captains hug it out.
In a breathtaking twist, Jamison Go appeared despondent as the jubilant Tantrum team celebrated. Irrespective of the the drama, both teams expressed surprise at the unprecedented circumstance they found themselves in as referees assessed the fight to make a call on whether this would be declared a knockout or judges' decision.
Post-fight, John Remar gathered both teams to the front of the BattleBox to announce his call.
"Alright, before the end of the count, the clock went to zero. Therefore, it's going to the judges."
— John Remar
John Remar speaking to the teams.
A judges' decision was then announced, which was revealed to be split. Judge Lisa Winter scored the battle for SawBlaze, whereas Fon Davis ruled it in Tantrum's favor. Casting the decisive vote, Derek Young scored SawBlaze victorious, advancing it to the final of the Golden Bolt.
Omitted from the televised broadcast, Tantrum's team originally issued an Appeal - not against the judges' decision, but to instead review the declaration of a judges' decision rather than a knockout, as according to Alex Grant, there were "24 seconds" left on the BattleBox timer when SawBlaze became immobile.[12] However, as soon as Seems Reasonable Robotics got confirmation that the fight could not be reviewed as part of the Appeal process, they withdrew their request.
In a November 2023 recap video by Seems Reasonable Robotics, Jamison Go revealed that due to its shock-mounted design, the hammer saw arm is allowed to over-travel. This was the reason SawBlaze's disc struck the floor and threw the robot over.
SawBlaze vs. End Game
One step away from becoming the first robot to hoist both the Giant Nut and Golden Bolt in the same year, SawBlaze took on the defending Bolt holder End Game in the final. This marked the third time that both robots had fought each other, with one victory apiece.
SawBlaze gets the early upper hand.
A tentative early stand-off lead SawBlaze to drive over End Game's center forks and scoop it up from the right-hand side. From there, it pushed the Kiwi machine over the red square screws, taking this opportunity to land its first direct hit to its opponent's forks. SawBlaze dragged and pushed End Game back and forth against the screws, then into the control booth bumper, with End Game's center-left fork becoming lodged in its own flamethrower vent.
"SawBlaze winning the battle for low ground in that first exchange. That bodes very well for the champs..."
— Kenny Florian as SawBlaze controls End Game in the opening moments
Both robots reach a stalemate, leading to an unstick.
More tactical driving from Jamison Go allowed SawBlaze to briefly place End Game over the red square pulverizer marker nearby. Neither the hazard, nor its own hammer saw, were fired before the two competitors separated under the watch of referee David Sanfilippo. Omitted from the televised edit, an unstick occurred during this fight as one of End Game's front forks became lodged in SawBlaze's plow. Once free, the fight was allowed to continue.
Another nervy exchange saw both robots attempting to exploit each other's ground clearances with their forks. End Game won out most of these, but initially could not capitalize as SawBlaze briefly pushed it back once again.
"A very tactical fight to this point, Chris. Both teams being deliberate with their positioning. You can tell how much respect these two champions have for one another, but so far, it's been Jamison Go and SawBlaze who have been in control."
— Kenny Florian, as both competitors exhibit strategic driving
End Game fights back, overturning SawBlaze.
A head-to-head collision with End Game's disc threw SawBlaze over; sparks flew as SawBlaze swung its hammer saw arm and was flipped onto its wheels by the resulting second impact. Undeterred, the black and green machine drove around and pushed End Game from the left-hand side, pressing it against the control booth bumper. With the 2020 season champion held in place, SawBlaze's weapon smashed down on End Game's piano key arrangement, setting up another push towards the BattleBox center.
End Game continues to harass SawBlaze.
There, more sparks flew as SawBlaze weathered a series of attacks to its forks from End Game, while also causing the latter's center-left fork to make contact with its own disc spinner. After this, it pushed End Game backwards under the bottom-left pulverizer, setting up another back-and-forth exchange, where SawBlaze was again flicked upwards by its opponent's weapon. Tanking more direct hits to the front, SawBlaze proceeded to maneuver End Game back into the center, only to be pushed and attacked from the front-left corner as the match entered half distance.
Kenny Florian: "SawBlaze showing the power of their drivetrain. Now, End Game goin' to work with their weapon!"
Chris Rose: "Under ninety to go in the title fight!"
Kenny Florian: "OH!"
Chris Rose: "End Game's got SawBlaze in the corner!"
Kenny Florian: "These are nasty shots by Team End Game here, Chris!"
Chris Rose: "Knocked it on its head... SawBlaze, back to its belly, but a little stunned for the first time in this fight!"
— As SawBlaze begins to be flipped around more by End Game's spinner
End Game batters and grinds into SawBlaze's right fork.
End Game churned and twice threw SawBlaze upwards in the bottom-right corner; a third bite allowed it to flip Jamison Go's machine completely over against the paddle nearby. SawBlaze self-righted immediately, thrashing itself into a half-spin as End Game tried pushing it back into the corner. End Game, unrelenting, landed another series of heavy blows on SawBlaze, only for SawBlaze to shove it back into the control booth bumper. An attack to its front-right corner caused SawBlaze to be flipped over again. SawBlaze, taking a direct hit to its top armor, flung itself around with its hammer saw arm to self-right.
Seconds later, the World Championship VII champion took more fleeting damage, as it again attempted to attack Jack Barber and Nick Mabey's machine from the front. SawBlaze began being outpushed by End Game, while being flung into another backwards somersault. This pattern would be maintained in the next series of head-to-head clashes, though the flexing in End Game's center-left fork caused it to finally detach.
Chris Rose: "Thirty seconds to go in the Golden Bolt final!"
Kenny Florian: "Yeah, SawBlaze has gotta have to do something very aggressive here, Chris, if they want to win this fight!"
— As SawBlaze, on the back foot, tries to swipe End Game with its corner forks
End Game sends SawBlaze to the Upper Deck.
SawBlaze was flipped over twice more, while being shepherded towards and onto the Upper Deck. Jamison Go's machine crawled off the platform with just over ten seconds remaining, getting flipped over one last time by End Game as the match went to a judges' decision. An attempt to ram End Game during these final moments only caused SawBlaze to ride up over the former's front-right corner.
"Tough... tough match! Damn! Definitely had him at the beginning."
— Jamison Go, exchanging a post-match fist bump with teammate Liam Chapin
Team SawBlaze applaud their opponents.
Even with its struggles in the latter half, SawBlaze's more controlling start enabled the decision to become a 2-1 split, to the surprise of Jamison Go. While having received Derek Young's vote, it would ultimately lose the decision - and its chance to win the Golden Bolt - to the more aggressive End Game. Nevertheless, SawBlaze emerged as the runner-up of BattleBots: Champions II, marking the end of its championship-winning 2022 campaign.
"He's so mean his opponents scream, "Please, don't blaze me, bro!" It's SAWBLAZE!"
"Say hello to Jamison Go. His old team broke up like The Beatles so he went solo. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"Kids, come in for recess, it's about to be nap time. We may not be on the playground, but I do see-saw. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"This bot will cut you with hot steel like you're a three-course meal. It's time to make reservations at T.G. Die Friday's. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper. This is a stupid game because fire and saw beats them all. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"Prepare to be amazed by a blade that's also ablaze. It'll cut you like butter before you can utter "Please, stop burnin' me, man!" It's SAWBLAZE!"
"This bot's favorite dance is... the robot. Here to breakdance all over you, it's SAWBLAZE!"
"This bot comes in fast with saws ablazing and vicious attacks that are hair-raising. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"With a saw and flames that burn kind of greenie. It'll roast your buns like a cocktail weenie. Relish in the glory of SAWBLAZE!"
"It's a regular New England Slay-triot. Put on your dad socks, you're about to be Boston Ruined by SAWBLAZE!"
"It's scarier than the Alien and it's going to Ripley you up. Green flames like the acid in a Xenomorph's veins. You better have a plan, cause it's game over man! I've got a bad feeling about this bot. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"From MIT, they blaze, they saw, they conquer. SAWBLAZE!"
"Are you a glutton for punishment? If not, better run. It's the #7 seed that's the seven deadly sins, wrapped in one. Everyone prays, but everyone pays. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"At lucky number seven, it's the flaming green machine from MIT. So hot, it gets jalapeno business, G. It's nacho lucky. It's the spicy slicey, SAWBLAZE!"
"This bot comes fast, its saw's a-blazing. Bringing the heat, it's temperature raising. Putting you through punishment like it was hazing, and I also got to admit, the engineer's hair is amazing. Give it up for SAWBLAZE!"
"His giant blade can chop opponents down to a smaller height. And what he's cooking up can give you a buzz like his name was Walter White. We all have fun here on BattleBots, win, lose or draw, but if you want your opponents to be Breaking Bad, you better call Saw. Now, say his name... it's SAWBLAZE!"
"This bot's engineer is a college drop-out like Kanye. In the box, he's heartless and cooks opponents like entrees. Now he's watching the throne and his ambitions are bigger. He won't settle for silver or bronze. He's a gold digger. This bot is back and he's in his prime. And yo, I'mma let you finish, but SawBlaze is the greatest robot of all time! Give it up for SAWBLAZE!"
"It's got a saw and a flame that burns kind of green-y. It'll roast your buns like a cocktail weenie. Relish in the glory of SAWBLAZE!"
"Like chocolate and peanut butter, mmm-mmm, or PB&J, two great tastes that taste great together can waste bots all day. This potent pairing will make you remember his name. You've got fire in my buzzsaw. You've got blade in my flame. Here to cut you into pieces like Reese's, it's SAWBLAZE!"
"From Cambridge, Massachusetts, your championship dreams are about to go up in flames against SAWBLAZE!"
"From Cambridge, Massachusetts, it came, it saw, it blazed. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"From Cambridge, Mass., he's got a vertical saw to murder you all. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"This bot's from the home of MIT, and if I had to take a guess, that stands for mutilating, impaling, and torturing 'cause that's what he does best. He graduated magna cum laude at the top of his class and earned a master's degree in kicking your ass, with a minor in communications, of course. Give it up for SAWBLAZE!"
"This means got the green light. No time to stop. Let's Jamison Go. His trigger finger must be a green thumb, cause look at your terror run. You'll be green around the gills when his six saw starts to shred. And when you see what he's done to your body, you'll be green with envy for the day. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"This bot swings a blade like Conan the Barbarian and has no sense of humor. It'll give you a splitting headache, but don't worry. It's not a tumor. Thinking you beat him is True Lies, and when this Terminator attacks, you can just call the cemetery and tell them, 'I'll be back. Hasta la vista, baby.' It's SAWBLAZE!"
"From Cambridge, Massachusetts, he came, he saw, he sawed some more. Give it up for SAWBLAZE!"
"From Cambridge, Massachusetts. Remember that FDR quote? 'The only thing we have to fear is giant spinning blades and flame throwers.' I'm paraphrasing but you get it. It's SAWBLAZE!"
"It takes precision to be a champion. It takes a plan to win a title. First they saw their bracket, then they blazed the path out to the finals. The flipper, Blip, got too close and soon, was filled with dread when that giant blade dropped and put a hole up in his head. They had clear skies until they had to face Monsoon. How would they respond? The British bot got fried like fish and chips and sent back across the pond. With Minotaur on deck, they could've waved the white flag. But they dodged the bull in an all-time classic and put 'em in a body bag. Last up was Ribbot, who was quickly cast aside when they chopped the frog wide open and took Mr. Toad on a wild ride. Now they have a Huge obstacle in their way. Prepare to be amazed when they chop the giant bot to the ground and we say, 'They came, they saw, they blazed.' Give it up for SAWBLAZE!'
"The reigning world champion's taking a shot at perfection. He's got the Nut. Now he'll add a Golden Bolt to his collection. He Natty Iced the SHREDDIT BROs. They couldn't handle the horror. Tantrum tried to pitch a fit. But he put baby in the corner. Now he's hunting big game, it's the end of their days, and when he's left with the Bolt, all that'll be left is a blaze. It's SAWBLAZE!"
Merchandise[]
Any appearances by SawBlaze in merchandise are listed below:
Early builds of SawBlaze originally used pool noodles to fill its tires.
SawBlaze's first fight was a regular fight for the two-hour Discovery premiere, but was the Main Event for the international premiere.
In their World Championship IV Top 16 fight against Son of Whyachi, the battle timer activated prematurely, making it appear as though SawBlaze was continuing to attack after the clock hit zero. Both teams confirmed it was a minor error, and no harm was done.
SawBlaze featured in the opening fight of three consecutive BattleBots seasons between 2019 and 2021.
Jamison Go's 3lb robot Silent Spring was inducted into the Combat Robot Hall of Fame in 2019.
SawBlaze, along with Whiplash, featured in the first Platinum Rivals set released by HEXBUG in 2021. These used rechargeable LiPo batteries as opposed to the AAAs used in previous Rivals sets.
Despite SawBlaze's HEXBUG counterpart not featuring a flamethrower, the tube which flame releases from was still replicated in the remote control toy.
SawBlaze does, however, boast the most wins in a single season, with a final 10-2 record overall.
Both SawBlaze and Tantrum went from being beaten in the Semi-Finals to winning the Giant Nut the following season.
SawBlaze and Bite Force are the only bots to defeat the #1 seed en route to the Giant Nut. They are also the only two bots to win the World Championship as the lower seed in the final.
SawBlaze fought Witch Doctor and End Game three times each throughout its career and holds a 1-2 win/loss record against each of them.
.jpg){kind=link}
