Polaris News

Polaris 27 will take place in Newport, Wales on March 23rd, 2024 and it will feature a welterweight grand prix with 8 of the best grapplers in the world from that weight class. With a grand prize of $20,000 available for the winner, the men who get invited to compete will undoubtedly be fighting tooth and nail to win the tournament. Out of the field of competitors, 7 of them will be invited based on their accomplishments in the sport and performances on the Polaris mats. The final spot will then go to the winner of a Polaris contenders tournament that will take place on February 24th, 2024 at Great Britain Top Team HQ in London, England. Although all competitors will have to weigh in at under 77kg for Polaris 27, those competing in the contenders tournament will be allowed to weigh as much as 80kg on the day. This will also serve as a great build-up for Polaris 27, as it will give fans of preview of one of the dark horses to take home the grand prize.

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With just a few days left before Polaris 26 kicks off, the preliminary card has now been finalised with the last five matches confirmed. First up is a BJJ blue belt Franck Takoudjou who comes all the way from Cameroon, courtesy of the Francis Ngannou Foundation. He's one of the top prospects competing in the UK right now and he will be facing one of his biggest challenges yet in Gracie Barra Top Team's Archer Colaco. Takoudjou's coach and the founder of the BJJ program at the Francis Ngannou Foundation, Sam Crook, will also be competing at Polaris 26. Crook faces Mike Parry in an exciting rematch between two veteran black belt competitors. UFC veteran Phil Harris is returning to the Polaris mats too, and he'll be facing off against another experienced competitor in Mark Phung. Harris isn't the only man with Polaris experience competing on the preliminary card either, as Justin Moore returns to face Mathew Fitz-James. That match is sure to deliver plenty of action too, as both men are known for their exciting styles. The final preliminary card match is between two veterans of the women's MMA scene in the UK, as Kerry Isom and Jade Barker...

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The full main card lineup for Polaris 26 has been finalised, with the last match rounding out the event and adding even more excitement. The final main card match will see Polaris Contenders winner Marcin Maciulewicz returning after a valiant effort at the Polaris Absolute Grand Prix. He looked incredible at the Polaris Contenders tournament but had the bad luck of drawing reigning ADCC world champion Giancarlo Bodoni in the opening round of the grand prix. Although Maciulewicz was submitted, that match was a huge step up in competition and he still remains one of the top grapplers in Europe. Maciulewicz will be facing Max Bickerton, the head coach of one of the top no gi grappling gyms in the UK. Although Bickerton is busy bringing on the next generation of talent at Grapple Collective, he's also a Polaris veteran who is coming off a slick submission win in his last appearance. It's a great matchup between two top talents where both men will be eager to find the finish and make a huge impression on the biggest show in Europe.

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With Polaris 26 fast approaching, the preliminary card has just started to fill out with the first four matches taking shape. The first one features a pair of Polaris veterans, Dominic Dillon and Claudio Brudny, facing each other in what will almost certainly be an exciting match where both men will be hunting for the finish. They aren't the only men with Polaris experience on the preliminary card either, as Nathan Johnstone is a fan favorite who always guarantees excitement. he will be making his return to the Polaris mats in a tough matchup against top European competitor Luiz Finocchio. Along with experienced veterans, there are some top UK prospects who will also be competing at Polaris 26. Jack Hassard has a number of big wins on the regional grappling circuit and he'll get his first shot on a major promotion against Abraham Dannan, a tough grappler under the wing of Owen Livesey. Nia Blackman has emerged as one of the top female talents in the UK over the last few years, and Amanda Pamela Nicole will be making the journey over from Ireland to challenge her.

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Polaris 26 is fast approaching and another two matches have been added to the lineup, featuring three men who have won ADCC Trials in the past. Owen Jones catapulted himself to the top of the sport earlier this year when he managed to upset several big names at the ADCC European Trials and win the 66kg division. An exciting young competitor who has only just started his career at the highest level, he will be facing Polaris Contenders winner Bart Dubbeldam. Although he has a little more experience against elite competitors, Dubbeldam is also a relatively fresh talent who is known for his exciting style. The second match added to Polaris 26 is a battle between two men who have already competed at the ADCC world championship. Oliver Taza won the ADCC European Trials in 2017 and 2021 while Tommy Langaker won in the same continent in 2022, with both of them competing at 77kg. Taza is a New Wave Jiu-Jitsu representative with several gold medals from major IBJJF no gi events and podium placements at multiple other Trials events. Langaker has medalled at multiple major IBJJF gi events, including the IBJJF World Championship, and is a Polaris fan-favorite.

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Polaris openweight champion Kendall Reusing will be making her return to professional grappling competition at Polaris 26 on 4th November, 2023. Reusing has not competed for over a year, as she suffered a knee injury during her semi-final match at ADCC 2022. Prior to that Reusing was an IBJJF No Gi World Champion and No Gi Pan Champion, and she won her place at the ADCC World Championship by winning the North American Trials. She has been the inaugural women's openweight champion since Polaris 17 in 2021 and has already successfully defended her title against Amanda Leve at Polaris 19. Reusing isn't taking an easy match in her return to competition as she will be defending her title against Leticia Cardozo. While she has been a top prospect during her rise through the colored belt ranks, Cardozo was only recently promoted to black belt. She has already established herself as a top competitor though, as she won the super-heavyweight division of the IBJJF No Gi World Championship in 2022. Reusing will be looking to reaffirm her place at the top of the division upon her return, while Cardozo has the opportunity to add a huge name to her resume.

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Polaris 26 is scheduled for 4th November, 2023 at Southampton Central Hall and one of our champions will be making his return to the mats. Craig Jones is the reigning Polaris light-heavyweight champion and was previously the middleweight champion before he vacated the title to move up in weight permanently. Jones is often referred to as the second-best grappler in the world and he's definitely earned that title over the years. He reached the podium at ADCC 2019 and ADCC 2022, earning silver medals in the under 88kg and under 99kg divisions respectively. His opponent is a UFC veteran who is known for his fantastic grappling ability. Gerald Meerschaert has had over 50 professional MMA fights and has been signed to the UFC since 2016, fighting the best middleweights on the planet since then. Meerschaert has a 35-17 MMA record with an astonishing 27 submission wins to his name, and he currently holds the record for most submission wins in the UFC middleweight division. He will be a fresh opponent and a tough challenge for Jones as he makes his return to the United Kingdom and the Polaris mats.

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Polaris 25 is just a matter of days away but the lineup has undergone a few minor changes at the last minute. One of the early favorites, Eoghan O'Flanagan, has been forced to withdraw from the absolute grand prix taking place at the event. He is being replaced by Jason Rau, one of the best leglockers and most well-respected instructors on the planet. Rau joins an incredibly tough tournament, with ADCC world champions Kaynan Duarte and Giancarlo Bodoni standing out as the most difficult opposition he might face on the night. Elsewhere, Nathaniel Wood has also withdrawn from the card. He was scheduled to take on former UFC bantamweight world champion Aljamain Sterling in the main event superfight and he's now been replaced by another UK MMA veteran, Mike Grundy. While Nathaniel has had more success in his MMA career, Grundy has a much higher level of grappling experience. He's a former wrestler for Team GB and a Judo Commonwealth games medalist who will undoubtedly be eager to make a statement by beating Sterling.

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Polaris 25 is scheduled for September 30th, 2023 and although the main attraction is the absolute grand prix, the superfight also features two big names. Aljamain Sterling is the former UFC bantamweight world champion and one of the best MMA fighters on the planet, primarily using his grappling to succeed at the highest level. He was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American at the beginning of his combat sports career and he's been able to develop his fantastic wrestling to include an impressive submission-threat as well. He's racked up several submission wins throughout his MMA career, including some notable ones over Cory Sandhagen and Cody Stamann. Sterling is travelling to the UK in order to take on one of the most popular MMA fighters in the country, Nathaniel Wood. Not only does Wood also compete in the bantamweight division of the UFC, but he also won a Cage Warriors title in the division before he signed with the world's biggest MMA promotion. Wood also has several submission wins in the UFC bantamweight division, but he's recently moved up to featherweight and won his first 3 fights there too.

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With Polaris 25 fast-approaching, the final two competitors who are being invited to Absolute Grand Prix can now be confirmed and only one spot remains for the winner of the Contenders tournament. Kaynan Duarte is not only a two-time IBJJF world champion and a two-time ADCC world champion, but he's no stranger to absolute divisions either. Duarte has reached the podium of absolute tournaments on several occasions and he will be one of the heaviest competitors in the bracket, so he stands a great chance of winning. It's tough for anyone to beat Duarte but the Absolute Grand Prix is stacked with elite grapplers and they're all capable of stopping him on the right day. The second grappler invited to Polaris 25 is also the lightest competitor so far, Fabricio Andrey. Although he generally competes at 70kg or less, Andrey is still an IBJJF world champion in his own right. He has a fast-paced style that always produces exciting matches and even though he'll be at a size disadvantage, he has what it takes to outwork bigger opponents. Andrey is also a Polaris veteran too, as he had three matches where he helped Team Brazil storm to victory at Polaris...

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