We’re now at a point where the roster for the upcoming Team UK & Ireland v Team USA edition of Polaris Squads is half-full as both teams now have four members included.
Team UK & Ireland have been given a huge boost with the return of the first and only Polaris triple-champion Ashley Williams. This will mean that Williams has competed at all three Squads events so far, after being part of the victorious Team UK & Ireland from the first event and winning his third title at the second event with a victory over former Squads teammate Tom Halpin. The Welsh grappler is an IBJJF European no gi champion who keeps up an incredible pace and excels at the armdrag, using it to great effect on opponents significantly bigger than him on numerous occasions.
Opposite him on Team USA is a member of the Danaher Death Squad, Nick Ronan. While Ronan might be new to Polaris, his teammates have competed at the very top of previous events with both Nicky Rodriguez and Nicky Ryan having served as main event athletes. He might be the competitor with the least experience so far, but that’s not a reason to overlook Ronan’s phenomenal talent as his appearance here is technically overdue. He fought his way through a 32-man tournament just last year in order to earn his spot in the Polaris Absolute grand prix that was unfortunately cancelled due to pandemic restrictions, so he’ll be eager to prove he belongs.
