Last night saw Polaris 18 go off without a hitch and it was arguably one of the best cards yet. Unlike some of the previous Squads formats, this Polaris returned to its old structure which was a night of super fights. As a result, there was less stalling and people went for it more which made for some great matches. Here’s how the main event matches went down.
Lloyd Cooper Vs. Tom Barry (Cooper via decision)
Polaris veteran Lloyd Cooper just about won this one by a decision as he was constantly looking for leglocks. With Cooper, you’d expect nothing else. In fairness, Barry did attack with some of his own and even passed the guard of Cooper at one point.
Still, Cooper’s aggressive leg game got him a decision win. He announced his retirement from competition afterwards but also said he’d be open to one last fight against AJ Agazarm.
Leon Larman Vs. Bryn Jenkins (Larman via decision)
This was a gi match and both had been on opposing gi Squads teams before at UK Vs. Europe. Larman got the victory which was probably due to completing a couple of sweeps, however Jenkins also showed he was a tough opponent with an equally tricky guard. This was very much a modern match with plenty of lapel and worm action throughout.
Stevie Ray Vs. Craig Ewers (Ray via Twister)
Arguably, this win was the submission of the night that saw Stevie Ray win via Twister. Here, the ex-UFC fighter fought a veteran Judoka in Craig Ewers. After a few exchanges, Ray attempted a pass which saw Ewers grab a toe hold.
However, Ray used this toe hold to take the back of Ewers. Interestingly, he finished the Twister whilst maintaining a body triangle. After the match, he said how the triangle was purposeful, which shows just how good he is at BJJ.
Igor Tanabe Vs. Tommy Langaker (Tanabe via Bow & Arrow choke)
Although Langaker was the favorite before this gi match, Tanabe showed his worth and that he was a name for the future. The 21 year old Brazilian put on a world class performance and showed unnatural movement for a big man, often threatening passes and sweeps as well as Kimuras. Later in the match, he got Langaker’s back and eventually sunk in a bow and arrow choke.
This was the shock of the night, considering little was known about Tanabe before the bout outside of Japan. Keep your eyes peeled for his name in the future, it’s not very often you see Langaker getting tapped out.
Jed Hue Vs. AJ Agazarm (Jed Hue via decision)
Returning to no gi, Jed Hue won yet another Polaris match by outscoring AJ Agazarm. He may have even popped Agazarm’s knee at one point with a fairly deep knee bar and heel hook combination. As for Agazarm, he simply couldn’t pass the Brit’s guard whilst offering no submission attempts of his own.
Agazarm was up to his usual antics though, mimicking a British accent after the match mocking Hue’s lack of wrestling, and also calling out Ash Williams for a title shot. Is Agazarm BJJ’s biggest troll?
Ash Williams Vs. Paulo Miyao (Ash Williams via decision)
The main event saw Welshman Ash Williams defeat Paulo Miyao in a very tight decision. Two of the judges called it a draw, whilst the one gave him the win. Honestly, it probably could have gone either way and some fans claimed Miyao should have won it.
This gi match was very tense with both looking for sweeps and passes. Around half way through, Miyao threatened some tough pressure passes but couldn’t pass Williams. Perhaps what won it for Williams was his toe hold and footlock attempts on Miyao which scored in the ruleset. Arguably, this was a tactical masterclass from Williams.
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