Polaris 12: Live Results, Discussion and Play By Play

Join us today (Saturday, 30th November) for live updates on Polaris 12 from The ICC Arena in Newport, Wales. Polaris 12 features a stacked card of some of the biggest names in BJJ and MMA including Luke Rockhold, Nick Rodriguez, Ashley Williams, Richard Alarcon, Gilbert Burns and Michelle Nicolini.

Polaris 12 Main Card

Nick Rodriguez v Luke Rockhold (No gi Catchweight 104.3kg)

They tie up. Both aggressively pushing forward. Rockhold with hard snapdowns. Rodriguez returning the favor. They bump heads and Rockhold gets a cut. The match is paused and he is attended by the medics. They start again and Rodriguez tries for the back. Lots of snapdowns, collar ties and pushing. Rockhold giving Rodriguez his leg, but still no succesful attacks. Rodriguez with the armdrag to the backtake. Rockhold escapes from the backmount into mount. Rodriguez working on a no-gi ezekiel from top mount. Rockhold escapes. They stand and Rodriguez throws Rockhold. They reset and tie up again. Rockhold with an unsuccessful shot. Rodriguez with a nice double and they end on the mats momentarily with Rockhold looking for a guillotine, but Rodriguez pulls away and they stand again. Another shot from Rockhold and a quick reaction knee tap from Rodriguez. It goes to decision.

Nick Rodriguez wins via unanimous decision.

Richard Alarcon v Ashley Williams (No gi Bantamweight Championship)

Both come out aggressively. Williams gets an armdrag takedown and goes for the back, but Alarcon defends. Williams falls back for a heelhook attempt. Alarcon pulls out and they stand. Alarcon with a low takedown attempt, but Williams goes for a kimura straight away and then transitions into an armbar. Alarcon bridging, but Williams breaks his arm.

Ashley Williams wins via armbar.

Tommy Langaker v Gilbert Burns (Gi Catchweight 80kg)

Langaker pulls guard straight away. He quickly threatens an omoplata and gets a sweep, then transitions to a tight armbar, but Burns manages to wriggle out of danger. Langaker ends up on top. Burns regains halfguard and they end standing. Langaker sits guard and establishes collar sleeve guard and Burns starts working to pass. They end up in closed guard. Langaker attempts a triangle, but Burns pulls out and starts working passes again. Another triangle attempt from Langaker, Durinho pulls out and goes for a heavy pressure pass, but Langaker is too flexible and maintains guard.

Langaker with a quick stand up and transition to Burns’ back. Langaker gets the seatbelt and both hooks in. Langaker gets double collar grips and tries working on a choke, but Burns manages to remove a hook and escapes into 50/50. Langaker stands up and tries to pass to the back again, but Burns gets a single leg and forces Langaker to pull guard once again. Another omoplata attempt from Langaker, but Durinho escapes. Burns working quick passes and they end up in another leg entanglement and into 50/50 again. Burns tries for a knee bar, but Langaker escapes and catches a tight triangle. Langaker tries to armbar Burns from inside the triangle, but Burns escapes, as the clock runs out.

Tommy Langaker wins by unanimous decision.

Michelle Nicolini v Vanessa English (No gi Catchweight 57kg)

They feel each other out on the feet. Quick armdrag to single from English. Nicolini in bottom half guard, working on a triangle, but English is staying tight and working a body lock. Nicolini gets closed guard. English working a São Paulo pass, but Nicolini gets an overhook and keeps threatening a pendulum sweep. English stands up, manages to break the guard, but Nicolini gets a butterfly sweep and ends up on top. Nicolini falls back for a toe hold attempt. They scramble, separate with English quickly trying to pass. They end in a leg entanglement. English working an Estima lock. They scramble and Nicolini ends up in bottom half guard. Another scramble with Nicolini ending up on top and she falls back for another toe hold and gets the tap.

Michelle Nicolini wins via toe hold.

Devhonte Johnson v Arya Esfandmaz (No gi Catchweight 104kg)

They tie up. Both trying to set up takedowns. Armdrag to single leg attempt from Johnson, but it is shrugged off by Esfandmaz. They tie up and continue wrestling. Lots of snapdowns from Esfandmaz. Johnson goes for a takedown, but they end up out of bounds and are reset. Johnson tries for a power double, but it is stuffed by Esfandmaz. Once again a takedown attempt from Johnson is stopped, as it is on the edge of the mat. Esfandmaz jumps for guard. Johnson trying to knee cut straight away. Esfandmaz with solid guard retention. They end on the edge of the mat and they’re reset standing in the middle. Esfandmaz sits to guard. Johnson working hard on passing. Johnson passes with a body lock, but Esfandmaz reguards. They stand up again. More collar ties and snapdowns. Esfandmaz tries a footsweep (ashi barai), but misses and ends up on the ground. He manages to stand up and they continue wrestling. It goes to judges decision.

Devhonte Johnson wins by unanimous decision.

PJ Barch v Marcin Held (No gi Welterweight 77.1kg)

Barch tries an ankle pick right off the bat, but Held pulls away. They tie up. Barch attempts a d’arce and they go to the ground. Held gets out and gets a reversal. Barch attempts a triangle, but Held pulls out and goes for a leglock. They scramble and Barch pulls away. Barch working on passing and Held trying for a few leglocks. They scramble and Held ends up on top. Held goes for a straight anklelock, but it isn’t deep enough and Barch pulls him into closed guard. Barch attempts an armbar from guard, but Held pulls out and they end back in full guard. Held breaks the guard and they end up in half guard.

Held keeps trying to pass, switching between longsteps and pressure passing. Held falls back into an inside ashi garami and goes for a straight ankle lock, but Barch defends and ends up on top. Barch working a d’arce from top half guard. The scramble and end up on the edge of the mat, so they’re reset. Held is checked by the doctor, as he has a minor cut. They start again and Held shoots and gets the takedown. Held falls back to attempt a leglock. Barch gets on top and manages to pass, but they end standing and wrestle. Held shoots, but Barch gets top position. Held goes for a kimura from bottom half guard as the bell rings. It goes to judges decision.

PJ Barch wins via split decision.

Undercard

Espen Mathiesen v Bryn Jenkins (Gi Catchweight 79kg)

Mathiesen attempts a single leg, but ends up pulling guard. Plays Del La Riva and gets in on a toehold, but they roll out of bounds. Mathiesen hits a sweep, immediately starts attempting a backstep pass and transitions directly into a rolling backtake. Jenkins puts his back on the mat to defend but Mathiesen catches an armbar for the tap.

Espen Mathiesen wins via Armbar.

Stefan Petrov v Shane Fishman (No gi Light-Heavyweight 93kg)

Fishman sits guard. Petrov tries for a rolling kimura and Fishman defends and attacks the legs back. Petrov escapes and tries the same thing again. The same thing happens, but this time Fishman is closer. He almost gets the back, but Petrov gets back to guard. Fishman sits for a leglock and catches a deep inside heelhook for the tap.

Shane Fishman wins via Inside Heel Hook.

Stephen Ramos v Justus Goeschel (No gi Lightweight 70.3kg)

They tie up. Ramos pressures the takedown hard, ends up on top turtle. He gets one hook in, but Goeschel escapes back to his feet. He attempts an arm drag, ends up playing guard. Ramos threatening multiple passes and leglocks. Goeschel gets back to his feet. Good wrestling from both men. Ramos hits a kani basami to enter the leg entanglement, but Goeschel defends and the stand. Ramos attempts an imanari roll. Goeschel on top now . Ramos attempts a kimura, Goeschel turns it into a solid armbar, but Ramos pulls out. Ramos on top, forces the turtle again. Takes the back, locks the body triangle, and ends the match squeezing the face. Ramos wins the decision.

Stephen Ramos wins via Decision.

Liam Cann v Craig Ewers (No gi Welterweight 77.1kg)

Cann sits to guard instantly. Ewers hits a rolling kimura to pass and almost gets an armbar but Cann escapes, ends up in half guard. Ewers looks for a backstep pass, Cann is not having it. Cann gets the dogfight position and almost takes the back. Ewers tries another over/under pass, but Cann inverts out of it. Cann playing seated guard most of the time. Ewers keeps looking for headlocks and pressure passes and Cann for leg entanglements. Time runs out and Ewers gets the descision.

Craig Ewers wins via Decision.

Frederic Vosgrone v Ash Amos (No gi Catchweight 95kg)

Both men come out aggressively. Vosgrove gets a single leg early. Amos catches a guillotine with his corner claiming a tap, but the ref doesn’t agree. Vosgrone gets in on a leg but Amos clears the knee and keeps looking for guillotines. Vosgrone passes. Amos gets to his knees and they scramble out of bounds. Reset in the middle. Vosgrone sprawls on a shot, spins to the back and attacks a choke. Amos scrambles out and Vosgrone grabs a guillotine, getting the tap.

Frederic Vosgrone wins via Guillotine.

Jeremy Skinner v Eoghan O’Flanagan (No gi Catchweight 79kg)

Skinner sits to guard. O’Flanagan makes a rolling kimura attempt and almost gets caught in a leg entanglement, but quickly pulls out of it. He gets on top half guard, kills the space, jumps past the guard and then to mount. Skinner shakes his way out of the mount and back to open guard. He attacks a straight ankle lock, but again O’Flanagan defends and attacks his own. Skinner now on top with O’Flanagan looking for leg entanglements. A few footlock attempts are exchanged before Skinner finds an inside heelhook for the win.

Jeremy Skinner wins via Inside Heel Hook.

Fred Greenall v Shane Price (No gi Catchweight 85kg)

Greenall pulls guard immediately and tries to spin under from Reverse De La Riva. He gets to a couple of leg entanglements, but Price escapes. Greenall spins to crab ride and attacks a toehold, ending up on top. This time he maintains top position. Price attacks a toehold of his own from the bottom, but it is too shallow. Greenall passes to side control. Price gets to his knees and tries to wrestle his way back to the top but Greenall uses this opportunity to grab a kimura grip and hit a nice armbar.

Fred Greenal wins via Armbar.

Nastasa Silviu Georgian v Jamie Hughes (No gi Catchweight 90kg)

Both competitors working for a takedown. Georgian hits a footsweep, Huges manages to scramble to his open guard. Georgian looks to pass from the kneecut position. He eventually passes with an x pass and attempts a backtake, but gets caught in half guard. However he keeps a kimura grip and immediately uses it to pass, this time locking a side-on triangle and getting the tap.

Nastasa Silviu Georgian wins via Triangle Choke.