This is the first Polaris event of this year and we got a star studded women's grand prix. As Ffion Davies said "This is like an ADCC women's absolute division". This is fair characterization as it has both ADCC champs and many competitors. This was one of the biggest prizes I've ever seen in female BJJ($20,000) and it is good to see the prize money is going up for everyone. This event also featured a super fight between former UFC champ Chris Weidman vs Owen Livesey. I should mention that this event used points instead of submission only style rules, although the system was different from what you'd typically see in the IBJJF. Luckily nobody played for points and that is what made these matches so great. Let's take a look at the results now.
Results
Ffion Davies def Giovanna Jara via points
Elizabeth Clay def. Joanna Dineva via rear triangle
Amy Campo def. Julia Maele via RNC
Brianna Ste-Marie def. Maggie Grindatti via armbar
Elizabeth Clay def. Ffion Davies via toehold
Amy Campo def. Brianna Ste-Marie via RNC
GP Final
Elizabeth Clay def. Amy Campo via points
Super Fight
Owen Livesey def. Chris Weidman via Decision
How People Won
This is exactly what you like to see in a grappling event. Not only were the matches exciting, but there were lots of finishes. 62.5% of the matches ended in submission, which is about as good as you can get for a grappling event. This event followed the familiar pattern of chokes followed by legs and then arms. There were actually quite a few attempts at other submissions, but it seems it was easier to finish chokes than any other submission. Overall I think the ladies did a great job of not only keeping the pace up, but also finishing the matches in style.
Stats
There were a variety of submissions at Polaris 23, but the most common was the RNC as you'd expect. Elizabeth Clay really showed some amazing technique and almost hit 2 gogoplatas and managed to finish a
rear triangle. There was also a choi bar, which has been very popular over the past year. Clay also hit a toehold which although is generally rare, seems very popular in female BJJ. Clay really put on a clinic of submission technique in this event.
There was a lot of guard pulling in this event, so there weren't a ton of takedowns. However if you are a fellow standup lover, check out the Weidman/Livesey match. This match proves that you can have exciting standup matches in BJJ. Lots of throws, foot sweeps, etc. Amy Campo also had a nice single leg against Brianna Ste-Marie. If you're someone who wants to know how to use Judo style throws and sweeps, make sure to watch Owen Livesey's match.
The trend of wrestling up is continuing, but there were a lot of traditional sweeps as well. It was a bit suprised to see some of the sweep more commonly seen in gi appearing here. The berimbolo and matrix were used and people actually found success with them. I wonder if these will continue to be popular throughout the year or if this is just one isolated incident.
As far as passing goes we saw a lot of pressure passing. There were some quick kneeslices, but mostly it was grinding halfguard passing. There were some bodylock attempts as well, but none bore fruit. Surprisingly a cradle pass was secured and helped Amy Campo not only pass, but also make think uncomfortable for her opponent.
At Polaris 23 there were a number of positions used, but mostly it was backtakes. There were 4 backtakes in total and 1 finish. Although there were 2 RNCs, one came from a turtle position and the rear triangle was setup without full back control.
What to Watch
Elizabeth Clay vs Ffion Davies - Great leg lock finish and guard retention from Clay. Clay might be the greatest woman in the world when it comes to leg locks and her finish here was beautiful.
Owen Livesey vs Chris Weidman - This was an amazing back and forth match. This is a much watch if you like standing grappling and takedowns. I'll be studying this to see how Owen entered the clinch and setup up his throws.
Brianna Ste-Marie vs Maggie Grindatti - This was a great match to study if you're looking for how to attack submissions from halfguard. Brianna gets aggressive from the bottom and almost catches a kimura before reattacking and catching a choi bar.
Elizabeth Clay def. Joanna Dineva - Clay puts on a clinic from the back and how to setup the rear triangle. Clay threw the kitchen sink at Joanna and finally got the finish. It was a fun ride.
Overall
This was a great event and an amazing start for Polaris in 2023. All the matches were action packed and there were tons of submissions. Elizabeth Clay has had a tough year in 2022, but she is looking very strong this year and even defeated the ADCC +60kg champion Amy Campo. This event definately lived up to the hype and I hope they do another women's GP next year. 2023 has started slow, but with events like this the future of grappling is bright.
Year to Date Subs
So far I've only covered 2 events, but here is where we are at so far. This year I event have failed attempts.
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