On Saturday, April 4, the small town of Newport in Wales will serve as the capital of the jiu-jitsu world by housing one of the sport’s biggest professional events, the Polaris Invitational.
In preparation for their 13th event, Polaris is setting up a grandiose tournament, possibly their biggest venture yet, taking into account the names already on the table. The event’s prize money (20,000 US dollars) and the value associated with the promotion’s brand has certainly been in their favor when gathering the interest of names such as Kaynan Duarte, Patrick Gaudio, and Adam Wardzinski.
– What?
This Polaris 13 event will feature 32 athletes in a no-gi setting, who will compete under Polaris’ submission-only rules, and so far we have 4 names.
– Where?
The Coldra, Catsash Road,
Newport – Wales
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– Who? (so far)
Stars don’t come any bigger than Kaynan in the sport of jiu-jitsu. During his first year as a black belt (2019), the young Brazilian grappler conquered it all — ADCC, IBJJF World and Pans Championships as well as the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi Pro, amassing almost 100 matches in 12 months. Truly impressive career start for the Atos standout.
At Polaris, Duarte will make his return to Britain, and we would be hard-pressed to find a better candidate for the gold medal than this young man.
One of the bigger names in the sport today is Gaudio, a powerhouse with a very physical style, one that earned him titles in the European Open, Pan Championship, and Brazilian Nationals. Always entertaining, Gaudio’s issue here will be his lack of commitment to the tap, with his submission to win ratio being at 22%. This gap in his game might cost him in a submission-only ruleset, though beating him will be no small feat.
FREDERIC VOSGRONE
Out of the British no-gi circuit is German’s own Frederic Vosgrone, who represents the Carlson Gracie London Academy. “Fredinho” has been tearing up the submission-only circuit in the UK, currently being undefeated under that ruleset. The former red singlet grappler surprised a lot of people last year, by taking a bronze medal in the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship and should not be taken lightly.
Poland’s foremost competitor and one of the finest grapplers in the world, Wardzinski is an ACB European No-Gi Champion, ADCC European Trials champion and ADCC World Championship veteran whose game is one of the most interesting to follow in modern jiu-jitsu.
One of the interesting prospects of this tournament is the possibility of a clash between Gaudio and Adam, as they are in similar weight classes but are yet to clash in the sport. A thrilling clash of styles between Gaudio’s scrappiness versus Wardzinski’s more scientific approach.
More details soon.
