JitsCast #55 features Matt Benyon; the founder of both Scramble and Polaris, and a key figure in the growth of European Jiu-Jitsu over the last few years. Scramble have become one of the biggest brands in the sport and they’ve sponsored both elite competitors and rising stars, helping them forge a career in a difficult sport. It’s his work as one of the founders of Polaris that has had the biggest impact on Jiu-Jitsu though, as it has become the biggest grappling promotion in Europe. Not only have many European competitors grown their careers on the Polaris mats, but they’ve also hosted many of the biggest international stars.
Jits Magazine spoke to Benyon about the experiences that led to him founding Scramble and Polaris, including some of the inspiration behind the promotion. He even spoke about his visit to one of the earliest Metamoris shows, and some of the lessons that he learned from them before officially launching Polaris. Benyon then talked about two of the biggest developments in the world of BJJ promotion in recent years, the increasing amount of money available in the sport and the rise in exclusive contracts. For Polaris specifically, he compared the money paid out in their very first show with their latest events.
Benyon also took the time to explain how Polaris approaches exclusive contracts, and why they actually felt that it was a good idea to start using them in the first place. He also talked about the birth of Polaris Squads, his promotion’s unique team grappling ruleset that has been a huge success. The rules used for it today have been developed over time, so Benyon talked about that ongoing process. Finally, Benyon explained the motivation behind Polaris leaving UFC Fight Pass for FloGrappling; one of the biggest pieces of news to come at the end of this year.
JitsCast #55 with Matt Benyon is now available to watch on the official Jits Magazine YouTube channel, click here to subscribe for more or check out the interview below:
