Polaris 38 takes place on July 11th, 2026, headlined by an eight-man welterweight grand prix at Bath University sports village.
PJ Barch enters as the returning champion, having won the last Polaris welterweight tournament at Polaris 27, where he beat three top competitors to take the title. He’s known for elite wrestling and strong counter-leglocks.
Mateusz Szczecinski has a mixed history with Barch: he lost to him on points at ADCC 2024 en route to a bronze medal, but beat him by shotgun armbar at Polaris 31: North America vs Europe the year before, avenging an earlier loss. Szczecinski is known for his leglocks and shotgun armbar finish, and sits on the opposite side of the bracket from Barch.
Tommy Langaker has faced both Barch and Szczecinski before and is 0-3 against the pair, though each match has been competitive. He’s on Barch’s side of the bracket and wouldn’t meet him until the semifinal. Langaker is a well-rounded competitor whose main strength is finding and finishing from the back.
Taylor Pearman is known for his leglock game, particularly the false reap. He’s drawn against Barch in the first round.
Deandre Corbe is a well-rounded competitor known for his gameplanning and his advocacy for ecological (position-based) training methods. He faces Szczecinski in the first round.
Michael Liera Jr. has competed at the top level of the sport for well over a decade and has faced most of the era’s leading competitors, though not Barch or Szczecinski. He’s 1-1 against Langaker in past meetings. His first-round opponent is Carson Coles.
Carson Coles has spent the past year building a reputation on the UK grappling scene and is regarded as close to an international breakout. He meets Liera Jr. in the first round.
Sebastian Patyk is the only competitor on the card who earned his spot rather than receiving a direct invite, winning the Polaris Contenders tournament to qualify. He’s drawn against Langaker in the first round. He reached the semifinals of the 2025 Ocean BJJ Pro Championship and has a win over an ADCC veteran on his record.
Sarah Galvao vs. Zara Di Tofano — Bantamweight Title
This will be Sarah Galvao’s second appearance for Polaris. She won her promotional debut at Polaris 36 and now challenges for the vacant bantamweight title. Zara Di Tofano is an Irish black belt and one of Europe’s top female competitors.
Preliminary Card
- Ashley Bendle vs. Ana Maria Arboleda
- Mark Hibbard vs. Nata Tenca
- Madison Murphy vs. Buffy Price
- Joe Matthews vs. Hugo Dvorecky
- Yakira Perez-Crespo Garcia vs. Emily Leyva
- Jonathan Lewis vs. Dylan O’Brien
- Danilo Rodrigues vs. Rhys Richardson
- Sim Hussain vs. Gavin Stewart
- Thomas Clifford vs. Yalcin Sucu
- Chris Leyendeckers vs. Max Armstrong
- Cormac Anderson vs. Ash Gibson
