A rundown of the biggest headlines and news from the world of competitive grappling.
Sticking to the traditional superfight format proved to be a stellar decision for the people behind Polaris as their 18th event was a rousing success. The biggest grappling promotion in Europe put together a stacked card from top to bottom that was headlined by the return of their triple-weight champion Ashley Williams, who put on a gi and challenged the legendary Paulo Miyao.
It was incredibly close but in the end, Williams earned a split decision victory. Prior to that, Polaris fan-favorite Jed Hue also put on exciting display in the co-main event as he took on Florida-native and Bellator veteran AJ Agazarm. The best submission-finishes of the night came earlier however as Igor Tanabe submitted Tommy Langaker with a bow and arrow choke, and Stevie Ray locked up a modified twister against Craig Ewers.
Full results for the event can be found here.
Jon Jones announces grappling match with Jake Hager that doesn’t exist
It was a strange sequence of events, but it started with Jon Jones announcing that his return to combat sports would actually be in a grappling match instead of an MMA fight. Alongside this, it would be against Bellator fighter Jake Hager and it would be for the fledgeling grappling promotion Fury Grappling on December 9th. Shortly after, Hager gave his response to the announcement and things got even more unusual again.
Hager first took issue with Jones using a name he used to wrestle under for WWE, Jack Swagger, and secondly for describing him as a ‘WWE Superstar’ when he currently wrestles for AEW. Most importantly though, Hager denied Jones’ version of events and claimed that no contract has been signed, nor terms discussed. It seems as though Hager was likely telling the truth, as Jones quickly deleted the original tweet once the response came.
Andre Galvao added to ADCC Hall of Fame
The ADCC Hall of Fame opened with their first inductee, Roger Gracie, and the promise of another addition every week for the foreseeable future. Now that the second week has come and gone, the most decorated ADCC champion in history has taken his rightful place among the greatest to ever step onto their mats, Andre Galvao. This should come as no surprise to anyone given Galvao’s impressive resume.
Galvao earned two bronze medals in the 2007 world championships before improving in 2009 by earning a silver and since then, has not lost a single ADCC match. He won gold in both his weight and the absolute division in 2011, followed by winning the superfight championship from Braulio Estima in 2013. The next three events have seen Galvao defend his title every time, setting a record that he will attempt to improve upon in 2022.
ADCC 2022 tickets sell out in less than 24 hours
Head organizer Mo Jassim announced earlier this year that he was setting incredibly high expectations for the 2022 world championships as he was aiming to seat over 10,000 fans, more than double the 4,000 seen at ADCC 2019. While that might not have seemed likely at first, early signs looked incredibly promising; particularly when the North American East Coast trials attracted a record-setting 800 competitors.
Nobody could have predicted this however, as the first batch of tickets released by the promotion have sold out in less than 24 hours. The first two trials events have no doubt helped increase the hype around the biggest show in professional grappling, but the main attraction is likely the recent revelation that Andre Galvao will be returning to defend his superfight title at least one more time against Gordon Ryan.
Quick Hits
- Royce Gracie’s son, Kheydon Gracie, has chosen not to continue in the family business of Jiu-Jitsu and instead has enlisted in the US army.
- Shinya Kumazawa decided to compete in his most recent MMA fight at RIZIN 32 wearing a gi, but got submitted with a Bow and Arrow choke in the end.
- Former BJJ world champion Erberth Santos was thrown out of a bar by Brazilian police, and he accused the officers of ‘racism’ as a result.
- One of the UFC’s hottest prospects, Khamzat Chimaev, defeated Middleweight contender Jack Hermansson in a freestyle wrestling match.
Technique Corner
K-Guard to Backside 50/50, to Inside Heel Hook
Two options for breaking grips when finishing an Armbar
The Accordion Pass