SawBlaze (2022)

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 current 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.
It could also be equipped with various fork and scoop attachments depending on its opponent. In later seasons, the cutting disc 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.
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 Card 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 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 Card 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 in successive seasons. 
Returning for World Championship VI, SawBlaze enjoyed its best season up to this point. 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.
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.https://www.facebook.com/SawBlazeBattlebots/posts/pfbid0EzGHobJer5wfU4k61ZMbDZgwWwKcAtbBJtgy7kw6vKUgBKc6f6gmJYPKvYHokqDKl The team confirmed their inclusion in October 2022, showcasing their crates being shipped ahead of filming for the competition.https://www.instagram.com/p/CjbVHq1t91H/?hl=en
SAWBLAZE_PITS.png|SawBlaze in the pits during World Championship VII.
Sawblaze_2020_cad.png|CAD of SawBlaze ahead of World Championship V.
Wc iv render sawblaze.jpg|A render of SawBlaze ahead of World Championship IV.
SawBlaze_2018_render.jpg|An early render of SawBlaze cutting into Overhaul.
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.https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=597880945678657&set=pcb.597880975678654 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. 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 is due to compete in BattleBots: Champions II where it will automatically qualify for the Golden Bolt tournament. It will be joined by reigning Golden Bolt champion End Game, World Championship VI winner Tantrum and five Sin City Slugfest bracket winners.
==Robot History==
===World Championship II===
SawBlaze vs. Razorback
SawBlaze's BattleBots debut came against Zach Bieber's Razorback. Before this match, SawBlaze swapped its front wedge prongs for a dustpan. Despite controlling most of the fight, its weapon was damaged by Razorback around thirty seconds into the fight. Though still functional, the saw now lacked a chain and would be less effective. In any case, SawBlaze shoved and controlled Razorback for the rest of the match but did not put its saw into use again, while Razorback's drum made no big connections, only being able to grind at the former's wedge. Towards the end of the battle, Razorback's drum was also disabled. Despite this, Razorback won on a controversial 2-1 judges' decision. SawBlaze was not chosen to be a wildcard, meaning it was eliminated from the tournament.
SawBlaze vs. Overhaul vs. 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'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'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'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 KO.
SawBlaze vs. Bronco
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 GameSawBlaze 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. MonsoonSawBlaze 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'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 out of control making ROTATOR inverted. It took SawBlaze a bit of time to bring its saw down as the team had some problems with their weapon controller, causing the saw to have trouble spinning up. Once it got going, SawBlaze brought down its saw 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 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. BlacksmithSawBlaze'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 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 WhyachiHaving 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.
SawBlaze vs. Witch Doctor
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. WhiplashSawBlaze'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 Vazquez 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. UppercutIn 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. RustySawBlaze 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. KrakenSawBlaze 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 DoctorNow 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. TantrumNext up was Aren Hill's Tantrum, 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 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 drumbot 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 gave chase, 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. MadCatterFollowing 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 GameSawBlaze'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.https://www.facebook.com/SawBlazeBattlebots/posts/353211836812237 As a result of this, several fights including Retrograde vs. HUGE were pushed back a day in the schedule.
SawBlaze vs. HiJinxDespite 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. P1Now 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. RiptideIn 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 DoctorNow 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.
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. HyperShockReturning 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.https://hypershock.tv/blogs/fight-breakdowns-s7/fight-1-sawblaze-the-rise-of-hyperblaze Ahead of this fight, the team were experiencing issues regarding their new vulcanized rubber tires, but persisted with them.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 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.
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 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-JawSecond in SawBlaze's schedule was former semi-finalist Lock-Jaw, who was without any forks for this battle.
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.
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.
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
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.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. 
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.
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.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.
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 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.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.
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. BlipSawBlaze 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.
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 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 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.https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/13g2og2/comment/jjy3a3a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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 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.
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.
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.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. 
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 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.
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. 
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.
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.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.
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.
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.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.
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.
This final marked the first 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 their usual UHFW 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 improvisaional approach to the attachment, and how big a risk said attachement was. 
The fight began with a box rush from SawBlaze while HUGE turned towards the bottom side of the BattleBox. SawBlaze rammed into HUGE which in turn managed to place HUGE facing towards SawBlaze. This consequently gave HUGE an opportunity to attack with its vertical spinner, which it did with only three seconds on the board. Sawblaze was flung into the air, landing on its wheels, and ready to attack again. Despite the attack, it managed to briefly slow down the blade of HUGE, only for the weapon to start spinning again. 
A short struggle ensued, but HUGE managed to realign itself and landed a second big hit on SawBlaze, which sent it into the air. A third and a forth hit, the biggest ones yet, tossed Jamison Go's machine into the air on both occasions. Despite the consistent hits from HUGE, SawBlaze would quickly self-right after each attack.
After another hit, SawBlaze managed to stop the blade of HUGE and started pushing Jonathan Schultz's machine into the arena wall. SawBlaze aimed its weapon arm near the center of HUGE's blade and landed its first hit of the fight. Next, it landed another hit on the side of HUGE while attempting to pin the robot. HUGE managed to wriggle free, and tried to drive towards the center of the BattleBox to give itself more time to spin up the weapon. Jonathan Schultz's machine turned towards SawBlaze once again, but a misaligned hit meant that the weapon slowed down significantly, which made the second hit not as powerful. As a result, SawBlaze once again had the blade completely stopped. HUGE managed to escape and get the blade running once again as it fled away from SawBlaze. The latter spent the next few seconds pushing HUGE from the side of once of its TEGRIS wheels, and sustained another enormous hit from HUGE. 
Following multiple attempts from SawBlaze to stop the spinning blade of HUGE, it managed to lure Schultz's machine into the wall for a second time. There, SawBlaze landed another hit into the center of HUGE's blade which created a huge gash in the weapon hub. SawBlaze then aligned itself for another hit, which made contact with one of its own eyebrow attachments. A third hit made contact with the side of HUGE's frame. HUGE's weapon was made significantly slower, which made it susceptible to being open to more attacks. An attempt to run away by HUGE was met with SawBlaze racing towards the machine and doing everything it could to keep HUGE's blade from spinning up to full speed.
===BattleBots: Champions II===
SawBlaze vs. TBC
SawBlaze returned for BattleBots: Champions II as the reigning Giant Nut winner. Its first round opponent in the Golden Bolt tournament is as-yet unknown.
===World Championship VIII===
SawBlaze vs. Black Dragon
SawBlaze returned for World Championship VIII to face off against Black Dragon last years win over RIPperoni. 
Fortunately for SawBlaze, the primary weapon of Black Dragon died just ten seconds into the match, and it was reduced to a push-bot for the remainder of this fight. Having tanked the initial attack from its opponent, SawBlaze initially misfired before getting under slicing Black Dragon over and then onto the screws. Black Dragon drove off and righted itself against SawBlaze, but Julio Cortez's bot gave chase. SawBlaze sliced Black Dragon multiple times while it was caught in the short corner and several more times against the pulverizer in that corner. As the fight wore on, SawBlaze continued to slide its hammersaw arm underneath Black Dragon's defunct flamethrower and slicing it around the BattleBox. Black Dragon's drive was still working though, so SawBlaze showed no signs of letting off. Later in the fight, SawBlaze sliced Black Dragon towards the screws and was close to achieving an stuck shot, but SawBlaze escaped, though its drive was now slowing down. SawBlaze's eighteenth and final slice beached Julio Cortez's bot against the screws where it was unable to get movement. Black Dragon was counted out by Kathryn Godfrey and SawBlaze advanced in 1-0 and Black Dragon is now 0-1.
SawBlaze vs. Banshee
SawBlaze goes 1-0. Its second round opponent in the eighth season is Banshee who lost its first fight agianst RIPperoni.
==Results==
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===Competitive Wins/Losses===
*Wins: 25
*Losses: 10
=== Exhibition Wins/Losses===
*Wins: 1
*Losses: 0
===Total Wins/Losses===
*Wins: 26
*Losses: 10
Competition 	Wins 	Losses
World Championship II 	Overhaul and Road Rash (Exhibition Rumble)	Razorback
World Championship III 	
Overhaul (Undercard Match)
Reality (Undercard Match)
Mohawk (Undercard Match)
End Game (USA vs. The World)	
Bronco (Main Event/Undercard Match)
Monsoon
World Championship IV 	
ROTATOR (Undercard Match)
Blacksmith (Undercard Match)
Ribbot (Undercard Match)
Son of Whyachi	Tombstone (Main Event/Undercard Match)
Witch Doctor
World Championship V 	Whiplash (Undercard Match)
Rusty (Undercard Match)
Kraken
Witch Doctor	Uppercut (Main Event/Undercard Match)
Tantrum
World Championship VI 	Minotaur (Undercard Match)
MadCatter (Main Event/Undercard Match)
HiJinx
P1
Riptide	End Game (Main Event/Undercard Match)
Witch Doctor
World Championship VII 	HyperShock (Undercard Match)
Lock-Jaw (Undercard Match)
Skorpios (Undercard Match)
Blip
Monsoon
Minotaur 
Ribbot
HUGE	Hydra (Main Event/Undercard Match)
World Championship VIII	Black Dragon 	TBA
==Honors==
|}
== Faruq Tauheed Introductions==
"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 Slaytriot. 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!'
==Merchandise==
Any appearances by SawBlaze in merchandise are listed below:
*SawBlaze/HEXBUG
==Trivia==
*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 became the second robot to win the Giant Nut despite a loss in the Fight Night rounds, after End Game in World Championship V.
*SawBlaze is the first hammmer saw bot to win the Giant Nut.
==References==
==Navigation==
Category:BattleBots Competitors
Category:Heavyweight Robots
Category:Robots armed with Circular Saws
Category:Consolation Rumble Winners
Category:Robots from Massachusetts
Category:Student-Built Robots
Category:Tool Based Robots
Category:Robots armed with Flamethrowers
Category:Robots with more Wins than Losses
Category:Main Event Participants
Category:Crowd favorites
Category:Robots that fought on television
Category:MIT Robots
Category:Robots with puns for names
Category:Reboot competitors
Category:Robots which debuted in World Championship II
Category:Robots that fought in untelevised fights
Category:Heavyweight Quarterfinalists
Category:Robots made into toys
Category:Robots that could self-right
Category:Founder's Award Winners
Category:Heavyweight Semifinalists
Category:Heavyweight Finalists
Category:Heavyweight Champions