Once postponed due to the COVID19 crisis, the Polaris Grand Prix has returned and is ready to be unleashed on the grappling community. The tournament will feature some of the finest British talents, including submission-only specialists, IBJJF world champs, catch-wrestlers, MMA fighters, and more.
The event is set as an under 80 kilograms tournament and will be held behind closed doors as by government stipulation. Fortunately, we will be able to watch the action via UFC Fight Pass.
Below is a small introduction to the event’s main characters.
POLARIS GP 2020 LINE-UP
Date: July 11, 2020 (Saturday)
Starts: 6 pm (England Time)
Stream: UFC Fight-Pass
ROSS NICHOLLS
(Roger Gracie Academy)
Arguably the most talented submission-only athlete produced by England thus far, Nicholls has gone “toe-to-toe” with the likes of Lachlan Giles, JT Torres, Vagner Rocha, Gianni Grippo, Nathan Orchard to name a few and is also the country’s most prolific leg-locker.
Being a veteran in both Polaris and the ADCC Worlds as well as an ADCC European trials winner, Nicholls has all the ingredients to make a run for the top. The area where he may struggle will be in his size disadvantage as there are a few substantially larger men on Ross’ path.
FRÉDÉRIC VOSGRÖNE
(Carlson Gracie London)
Once famous for his use of a red singlet in submission-grappling events, Carlson Gracie London’s Frédéric Vosgröne has developed into much more than a gimmick.
The Polaris veteran is a very solid athlete: strong, with great foot-locks and solid submission defense, Vosgröne is also a bronze IBJJF World No-Gi medalist at the adult black belt division with an undefeated record in submission-only rules. If you didn’t know him prior to the Grand Prix event, we can almost guarantee you will after. The German should be seen as one of the favorites here.
TOM BREESE
(Renegade JJ / TriStar)
Although a professional MMA fighter and a member of the UFC roster, Breese is also a regular face in England’s professional grappling circuit. This includes a previous presence at Polaris, currently 1-0 in this well known British promotion. Breese is well rounded and physical, with vast experience training in one o the world’s top no-gi camps – TriStar, a camp that heavily favors footlocks and back attacks.
Breese will have one of the favorites on the very first round – Freddy Vosgröne in what should be a Match-Of-The-Night contender.
TAYLOR PEARMAN
(ZR Team)
Many see brown belt, Pearman as England’s biggest prospect, and they would not be far off the mark. Incredibly talented, Taylor has been training under coach Alain Pozo since he was a child, having an array of accomplishments at the highest level with the gi, including numerous European Open medals and a submission win over grappling phenom Roberto Jimenez.
But the gi is not Taylor’s only home. No stranger to no-gi, Taylor is also an IBJJF World No-Gi champion as a purple belt, having amassed plenty of submission-only experience over the past couple of years, taking his time to study the leg-lock game also. On a good day, Pearman has all the right tools to take home Polaris’ grand prize and it is safe to say the young ZR Team standout does not have many bad days.
SILVIU NASTASA
(N/A)
Solid athlete here, the Romanian representative is a natural-born grappler and a Polaris Contenders tournament champion.
Nastasa spent his formative years wrestling, a sport he started when he was 4-years-old. Since moving to England, Silvio has become a prolific submission-wrestler, competing regularly in the country’s no-gi circuit while training across London’s top jiu-jitsu gyms. While staying active in jiu-jitsu, Silviu also added judo to his weekly activities, earning a black belt in the process while winning plenty of British tournaments.
DOMINIC DILLON
(N/A)
Trying to pin Dominic to one team is no easy task. Dillion has trained in various gyms over the years and competed in many rulesets also. From John Hathaway at Umbra Combat to Yousuf Nabi at Elements BJJ in Brighton or 10th Planet in London, Dominic Dillion has had a wide range of sparring partners.
Competition wise is no different, Dillon has competed in Catch Wrestling, submission-only jiu-jitsu, and even the gi. A very game and very experienced athlete.
BRADLEY HILL
(Fight Zone)
Originally from Birmingham and a black belt under Braulio Estima, Hill is currently training at Fight Zone in London, under the Checkmat banner, an academy with a wide range of outstanding sparring partners for Bradley such as Samatha Cook, Marco Canha, Rafael Colonhese, Jackson Sousa to name a few.
A very experienced athlete in all ranges of the various grappling rulesets, Bradley has a new-school game with a solid X guard, good use of footlocks, and is well known for his omoplata attacks.
SHANE CURTIS
(N/A)
We know very little of Shane, we know he has competed in some of England’s top submission-only shows, such as Grapplefest and Battle Grapple and we believe he represents the Nottingham Mixed Martial Arts team banner. We
JED HUE x DINU BUCALET
We pointed out Jed as one of Europe’s most promising colored belts last year and we stand by that claim. Extremely talented, Hue’s forte lies in the leg-lock game. Romania’s Bucalet is an experienced black belt, with a broader game than Hue, which will make for a fun clash of styles.
