Polaris 40 already has its main event set, and it comes loaded with history. Garry Tonon and Sam McNally meet again on Saturday, November 21, at the Southampton Central Hall in Southampton, England, with the British promotion’s lightweight belt on the line. The two have already crossed paths on grappling’s biggest stage: at ADCC 2022, the Irishman upset the American, then the No. 1 seed in the division, and won 3-0 on points.
The announcement was made by Polaris itself, which sold the match as a settling of scores. In the event’s official presentation, the promotion sums up the mood in a few words: Tonon is back, and this time it’s personal. For now, their match is the only bout confirmed on the card, and the rest of the night’s matchups are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks, as is usually the case with the promotion’s numbered events.
FOUR YEARS AFTER THE ADCC UPSET, GARRY TONON WANTS PAYBACK AGAINST SAM MCNALLY WITH A BELT AT STAKE
Garry Tonon is one of the best-known names in no-gi grappling over the last decade. The American rose to fame for his aggressive style, always hunting the submission, especially with heel hook attacks, and later took that arsenal to MMA, where he built a career in ONE Championship. That is why his opening-round loss at ADCC 2022 was one of the biggest surprises of that edition, and the rematch at Polaris 40 is his chance to turn the page.
On the other side, Sam McNally carries that win as one of the milestones of his career. The Irishman knocked off the bracket’s favorite and now has the opportunity to prove that the result from four years ago was no fluke. The difference is that, this time, there will be no tournament bracket and no second chance: it will be a superfight, under Polaris superfight rules, and whoever gets his hand raised leaves Southampton with the lightweight belt.
POLARIS 40 RETURNS TO THE SOUTHAMPTON CENTRAL HALL, THE STAGE OF SOME OF THE PROMOTION’S MOST MEMORABLE NIGHTS
The Southampton Central Hall is a familiar venue for Polaris. It was there that Craig Jones faced Brazil’s Davi Ramos at Polaris 17 and, years later, took on UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert in the main event of Polaris 26. The venue also hosted Polaris 19 and Polaris 22, the night of the middleweight GP that also featured Ash Williams vs. Carlos Condit, a former UFC interim champion, on the same card.
The promotion reaches its 40th numbered event with strong momentum. At Polaris 39, on October 3, at the Doncaster Dome, Japan’s Yuki Takahashi spoiled Shay Montague’s debut and won the bantamweight belt, while Norway’s Tommy Langaker got the better of Eoghan O’Flanagan. Before that, at Polaris 38 in Bath, Poland’s Mateusz Szczecinski won three matches to take the welterweight GP, which brought together eight of the best athletes in the division, up to 77kg.
BRAZILIANS KNOW POLARIS WELL: AT POLARIS 37, BJJ STARS LOST TO THE HOME TEAM IN DUBLIN
Brazilian fans have reasons to follow Polaris closely. At Polaris 37, in Dublin, Ireland, the Team Polaris All Stars squad beat the BJJ Stars team 20-10 in the Squads format, which puts entire teams head to head. On the same night, between the team matches, Helena Crevar defended the women’s lightweight belt. BJJ Stars, the event created by Fepa Lopes, had a very different night at BJJ Stars 19 – World Cup, when Gregor Gracie won the Masters GP and took home R$200,000.
Polaris 40 will stream live on FloGrappling, and tickets are already on sale on the promotion’s official website. The Mat Nation will cover the rest of the card as matches are confirmed.
This article was originally published in Portuguese: read the original version.
