On July 11, 2026, Polaris 38 crowned a new welterweight grand prix champion after eight grapplers battled through a single-day bracket, while the women's bantamweight title changed hands with a fast first-round submission.
Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27
Sources: Yahoo Sports and Kakutogi, July 2026.
Polaris built its July 11 card around an eight-man welterweight bracket rather than a single marquee superfight, and that format alone made the night unpredictable. Going in, PJ Barch and Mateusz Szczecinski were tabbed as the two favorites, but Tommy Langaker's European competition pedigree and underdog threats like Taylor Pearman and Deandre Corbe meant nobody had an easy walk to the final.
The quarterfinal round set the tone. Szczecinski needed only two rounds to lock up an achilles hold on Corbe, while Barch ground out a decision over Pearman. On the other side of the bracket, Michael Liera Jr. edged Carson Coles on points, and Langaker needed overtime to get past Sebastian Patyk, a sign that the depth in this field ran deeper than the seeding suggested.
By the time the semifinals rolled around, fatigue was already a factor. Szczecinski dispatched Liera with a sharp armbar to book his spot in the final, and Barch choked out Langaker with a rear naked choke. That set up the exact final the promotion wanted on paper, but nobody could have scripted how close it would end up being.
What made Szczecinski's run stand out was not any single technique but the fact that he had to solve three completely different puzzles inside a few hours. Against Corbe he hunted a leg entanglement early and got the tap. Against Liera he showed patience in a scramble before locking the armbar. By the final against Barch, both men were running on fumes, and the fight came down to positioning and grip fighting rather than any highlight finish.
The judges gave Szczecinski a split decision, meaning at least one scorer had Barch ahead heading into the final horn. That kind of narrow margin, after three matches in one day, says as much about recovery and pacing as it does about raw skill. Grapplers who can still make sharp tactical decisions in the third match of an afternoon are demonstrating a different kind of conditioning than what a single 10-minute superfight demands.
While the welterweight bracket ran through its rounds, Sarah Galvao defended her women's bantamweight title against Zara Di Tofano, finishing the match in the first round with a choke from the front headlock family. Galvao, an Atos representative, has now built a run in super fight competition without a loss as a black belt, and her ability to close matches early rather than grind out decisions is becoming her calling card.
Galvao was not the only Atos athlete to have a strong night. Emily Leyva and Nata Tenca also picked up wins on the card, giving the academy three victories on a single card, a reminder that depth at one gym often shows up across multiple weight classes and match types on the same night.
A single elimination bracket run in one day is a different test than the typical superfight format that dominates most professional grappling cards. Competitors have to manage their energy across multiple matches, adjust their gameplan on short rest against opponents they may not have scouted in depth, and avoid the kind of small mistakes that compound when you are fighting your third match of the afternoon rather than your only match of the night.
For everyday grapplers, the lesson translates directly to the mat at your own gym. Anyone who has rolled five or six rounds in a single class knows that technique holds up fine in round one, but composure and cardio decide what happens in round five. If watching a card like Polaris 38 has you wanting to build that kind of conditioning yourself, the best next step is finding a local BJJ gym and getting on the mat. Most schools, including 10th Planet affiliates that specialize in the no-gi leg lock and scramble game on display at Polaris, offer a free intro class.
You do not need to have watched the stream live to take something useful from this card. Here is what stood out.
BJJ Gyms is an independent directory, not a gym. We feature 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu as our recommended no-gi system. Always take a free trial and vet any academy yourself before committing.
Polaris is a professional no-gi submission grappling promotion known for high-level superfights and tournament-format cards featuring some of the best competitors in the sport.
A grand prix is a single-day elimination bracket where competitors can face multiple opponents in one event, unlike a typical superfight card where each athlete has just one match.
An achilles lock is a leg entanglement submission that applies pressure to the achilles tendon and ankle, one of several foot and leg attacks common in modern no-gi grappling.
Use the gym finder at BJJGyms.org to find a BJJ or no-gi academy near you. Most gyms, including 10th Planet locations that emphasize leg locks and scrambles, offer a free introductory class.