Polaris 29: Williams vs. Oliveira is a grappling event to take place on September 7, 2024 at the Lighthouse, Arts and Entertainment in Poole, Dorset, England, United Kingdom.
Fight Card
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Ashley Williams vs. Diego Oliveira Batista
Jacob Rodriguez vs. Mohammed Avtarhanov
Tainan Dalpra vs. Tarik Hopstock
Cole Abate vs. Sam Mc Nally
Fellipe Andrew vs. Arya Esfandmaz
Jed Hue vs. Julián Espinosa
Cammy Donnelly vs. Dominic Dillon
Preliminary Card
Saul Rogers vs. Carson Coles
Jack Gover vs. Franck Takoudjou
Harry Fall vs. Liam O'Brien
Background
Polaris returns on September 7th with one of our most stacked shows to date.
Ashley Williams puts his undefeated Polaris record on the line as he faces Diego Oliveira Batista in the gi in the main event.
Jacob Rodriguez makes his European debut against Straight Blast Gym Ireland's highly touted prospect, Mohammed Avtarhanov in a match that has all the makings of a classic.
Mendesbros' top talents Tainan Dalpra and Cole Abate face off against Europe's top talents Tarik Hopstock and Sam Mc Nally. New AOJ Academy recruit and Craig Jones Invitational runner up Fellipe Andrew debuts against Polaris fan favourite Arya Esfandmaz.
Polaris' most winningest athlete, Jed Hue ventures into a new weight class as he faces Brasileros champion Julián Espinosa. Former title contender Cammy Donnelly clashes with Polaris Squads veteran Dominic Dillon.
Polaris 29 Full Preview
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira vs Ashley Williams
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira is making a rare appearance in the UK in the main event, and he’ll be facing off against the promotion’s former triple-champion Ashley Williams. It’s unusual to see Williams competing in the gi these days but he has had a lot of success in it on the IBJJF circuit in the past. Oliveira has won the IBJJF World Championship three times though, including the last two years in a row. This will actually be a rematch of the opening round of ADCC 2024 as well, where Oliveira won 6-0 on his way to getting a silver medal. All those factors added together should mean that Oliveira wins this match.
Jacob Rodriguez vs Mohammed Avtarhanov
Jacob Rodriguez might be considered the favorite in this matchup but it’s not quite as one-sided as it might appear on first look. Rodriguez has phenomenal wrestling that makes him a danger to anyone and he’s fresh off a career-best performance at ADCC 2024 that saw him win a silver medal. Mohammed Avtarhanov is a virtual unknown by comparison, but he’s equally solid when standing and is a phenomenal positional grappler on top. Avtarhanov will make life very hard for Rodriguez and definitely has the ability to win, but Rodriguez still has an advantage on paper.
Tainan Dalpra vs Tarik Hopstock
Tainan Dalpra is one of the top gi grapplers on the planet and for the first few years of his black belt career, he was almost completely dominant. Although he’s suffered more losses since 2023 than ever before, one was a close match that he lost on advantages and the other was a disqualification. Tarik Hopstock on the other hand might be a top European competitor, but he hasn’t yet been able to reach the same heights as Dalpra. Dalpra is the clear favorite in this match and he should come away with the win, but he’ll have to watch out for Hopstock’s unique game along the way.
Fellipe Andrew vs Arya Esfandmaz
Fellipe Andrew is another big name in the gi world and he’s also up against a top European grappler in the form of Arya Esfandmaz. They have actually met once before, with Andrew winning by submission with an arm-triangle choke back in 2019. Esfandmaz has done well since then but Andrew has hit a whole new level entirely. That was relatively early in his black belt career and he’s since won multiple major IBJJF events, including an IBJJF World Championship in 2023. The most likely outcome here is that history repeats itself and Andrew moves to 2-0 against Esfandmaz.
Cole Abate vs Sam McNally
This is one of the most interesting matches in the whole preview of Polaris 29, as it features several factors that are difficult to predict. Cole Abate is one of the top Art of Jiu-Jitsu products in recent years and he’s been beating elite competitors in no gi tournaments since he was a young teenager. This is a gi match though, where he hasn’t had the same success in black belt competition. He will face Sam McNally, one of the best competitors to ever come out of Ireland who also has more success in no gi competition. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this match go either way, but Abate should probably be considered the slight favorite.
Cameron Donnelly vs Dominic Dillon
Cameron Donnelly is a rising talent who is known for being a fantastic leglocker and he’ll be looking to bounce back after an unsuccessful attempt at winning the Polaris featherweight title. Donnelly has a tough task ahead of him though, as he’ll be facing Polaris veteran and exciting grappler Dominic Dillon. Dillon has put on several impressive performances on the Polaris mats in recent years and he has an unorthodox style that’s difficult to prepare for. If Donnelly can get into his strengths then he can submit Dillon but otherwise, Dillon is also able to outwork him to a decision or submission from the top.
Jed Hue vs Julian Espinosa
Jed Hue is another familiar face for Polaris fans, and he’s also known for producing some exciting results in the past. Although he has generally competed at either middleweight or welterweight in the past, he’ll be dropping down in weight to meet Julian Espinosa. With an equally-entertaining style, Espinosa is incredibly fast-paced and focused on offense from both the top and the bottom. This should be a close match with both men likely having windows to find the finish, but Espinosa might be able to capitalise on one of those opportunities first.
