Held in the Newport ICC on December 27th, Polaris 18 will make it’s long awaited return to Wales.
With COVID restrictions holding back the professional grappling invitational to England, Wales finally opens up to allow atendees to watch the biggest grappling show in Europe.
Polaris 18 features the world’s best grapplers on a stage that is touch to match and while the original eveant was meant to be a Squads event that featured team Europe and team USA, the squads format was shelved until the new year.
Unlike most Polaris events, 18 is a good mix of Gi and NoGi, with matches that feature many of the European Squads alumini. Matches include Leon Larman vs CF24’s Bryn Jenkins, Norway’s Tommy Langaker going up against Igor “Fat Ninja” Tanabe, plus Polaris’ first Gi headliner with Paolo Miayo.
One of the biggest things noticed on the card is how heavy the welsh influence is, with 9 Welsh competitors, Polaris are really looking to play to the venue’s strengths and the patriotic home crowd.
Another notable point is the inclusion of the welsh team Draig.
Who are Draig?
Draig is the combinded efforts of Chris Rees Academy (CRA), headed by headcoach Chris Rees and Ashley WIlliams, and SARU Jiu-Jitsu, headed by Ashley’s twin brother Joshua Williams.
The team features 6 team members on the Polaris 18 card.
We sat down with those members of Draig, looking to make a name for themselves on the big stage.
https://youtu.be/xEAiKvOMv6o
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