SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2019 – POOLE, ENGLAND and Once again Polaris’ did not disappoint, particularly on the prelim matches, which were outstanding, a real pro-grappling show. We often praise the matchmaking of this promotion, but it truly is a pleasure to see what they accomplish with a local talent heavy prelims card which always delivers.
On the main card, a special reference to the dominant performances of blue belt phenom Nick Rodrigues (Nicky Rod), 10th Planet veteran Richie Martinez and THE NEW lightweight champ, Ashley Williams. Fantastic performances by all three athletes. Full match reports below.
FIGHT(S) OF THE NIGHT
– Ashley Williams vs Ethan Crelinsten
– Jeff Lawson vs Andy Roberts
NICK RODRIGUEZ def. ASHLEY AMOS by RNC
Nicky Rod made it look easy against UK brown belt Amos. Dominant snap-down takedowns dictated the story of this match. Rod took Amos down repeatedly, looking to expose the back of the British athlete on the scrambles. Ash was well aware of this and did not allow Rodriguez to reach full back control on first 3 or 4 occasions, standing back up at the first chance he could. Eventually, the American grappler got to where he wanted and wrapped his world-class squeeze around Ashley’s neck for the tap.
RICHIE MARTINEZ def. MIHA PERHAVEC by RNC
25-second match but a lot happened. Big takedown by Miha early on, with a lightning fast scramble that followed. On it, Perhavec tried a Kazushi Sakuraba style kimura when Martinez had his hands wrapped around his waist, in what looked like a loose attempt for a takedown. Instead of defending the TKD/back attack, Miha opted for the flashy kimura, a huge mistake by the overconfident brown belt. Richie is a high-level black belt who lives for gifts like these and his skill should have been respected. The 10th Planet athlete took full advantage of the mistake by controlling the back and sinking the choke for a quick tap.
CAOL UNO def. LEIGH REMEDIOS by Americana lock
A tex-book, dominant performance by the Japanese MMA legend over the British MMA pioneer. Takedown > half-guard > submission. Never in danger.
ASHLEY WILLIAMS def. ETHAN CRELINSTEN by decision
Wowser, what a Berserker of a match! Super close decision. Williams looked absolutely outstanding against the heavy favorite Ethan, the Welshman threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Danaher Death Squad athlete and did not play defensively at all, and the feeling was mutual.
On the other end of that match was the Canadian Ethan, famous for his lightning-quick back takes and heel hooks. Both athletes traded sweeps, guard passes, and footlock attempts. This match had it all. Fantastic showing by both competitors and certainly worthy of Match Of The Night honors.
CRAIG JONES def. MATHEUS LUTES by decision
This was a tough clash to read from the get-go. Lutes is renowned for his elusive style with good takedowns, good distance management, does not like to bull rush on his passing and is happy to play on the counter. To have an easier path to victory Jones would have to take Matheus down, which was easier said than done.
Craig realized this and did try to exchange takedowns with Lutes, unsuccessfully. He then opted to pull guard to keep the match going, but, as expected, Lutes stayed away from the Aussie’s dangerous leg entries and controlled the distance for the most part. Not the most exciting of matches, but Jones took the win for trying to engage throughout the match, against Lutes’ very loose passing attempts and backward movement.
NICKY RYAN def. URIJAH FABER
Aggressive snap downs from inside of Ryan’s guard was nearly the full extent of Faber’s tactics. If the former UFC standout was trying to bully the 17-year-old Nicky Ryan into submission, the strategy did not work.
Ryan was very composed and able to connect a few leg entries throughout the match, but Faber’s aggressive scrambles were too powerful for the teenager to fully lock on the end move. Decision win for Ryan and a very good learning experience for him as Faber brought a ton of aggression, walking on a very thin line between MMA and BJJ.
From the many solid matches on display, we would like to reference the match between Jeff Lawson and Andy Roberts as the best of the entire show. Action packed from start to finish and plenty of exchanges between these two well established UK black belts in a submission win for the famous Judoka / Jiu-Jitsu man. Beautiful match, one we will be watching again in the future at the UFC Fight Pass library.
– Jeremy Skinner def. Kamil Wilk by heel hook
Catchweight (68 kg) NOGI
– Igor Terreco def. Phil Harris by split decision
Catchweight (63.5 kg) NOGI
– Jeff “Ippon” Lawson def. Andy Roberts by armbar
Catchweight (80 kg) GI
– Craig Ewers def. Luiz Finocchio by armbar
Catchweight (76 kg) NOGI
– Pete Robson def. Konstantinos Chioutakos by wristlock/armlock
Middleweight (83.9 kg) NOGI
– Enrique Villasenor def. Trevor Birmingham by unanimous decision
Catchweight (63 kg) GI
– Michael D’Aguiar def. Spencer Hewitt by unanimous decision
Catchweight (63 kg) NOGI
