Jitsmagazine will be on hand to provide the live results, play-by-play, analysis, and highlights of Polaris 27: Welterweight Grand Prix, which will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass on Saturday, March 23rd, 2024. This is a big moment for the promotion and they’ve decided to celebrate the landmark event by putting together an incredible Welterweight Grand Prix lineup. There’s a $20,000 grand prize available for the winner and 3 elite opponents awaiting them in the tournament bracket, along with an fantastic title-fight rematch between Ffion Davies and Brianna Ste-Marie as the main event.
Polaris 27: Welterweight Grand Prix Live Results
Opening Round
Luiz Paulo vs PJ Barch
PJ Barch and Luiz Paulo both come out looking to wrestle and Paulo hits a beautiful footsweep that sends Barch to the mat, but he bounces straight back up. They get reset after going close to the edge and Paulo sits to guard around the two-minute mark. Barch starts pressuring him and Paulo stands up, latching onto a guillotine and cranking it as Barch rolls to defend and gets tangled in the camera-wires off the mat. They get reset in a standing neutral position and Paulo doesn’t look too bothered by the bad luck, as he quickly accepts the need to return to the centre.
After a little more battling on the feet, Paulo sits to guard again and Barch drops straight into half-guard to start pressuring him. Paulo uses the hip-clamp to extend Barch and starts reaping the knee, exposing Barch’s back as he defends the leg-attack. Barch rolls through and attacks a heel hook of his own, briefly exposing Paulo’s heel before Paulo is able to defend and recover. Barch takes up top position and starts passing but Paulo is able to invert after a while and he transitions to butterfly ashi garami. Barch frees his leg and tries to step over into an armbar, but Paulo defends and scrambles back to his feet.
They get reset in the centre after going out of bounds and Paulo sits to guard again, with Barch looking to pin his legs and pass. Paulo takes control of a leg and tries to hit a sweep but Barch re-balances and maintains top position pretty quickly. Barch drops into a knee-cut pass but Paulo defends well and starts working with a de la riva hook, using it to invert and get in on Barch’s legs. Barch defends and counters with a leglock attempt of his own but Paulo comes up on top to shut it down and the match ends shortly after. With no points on the board, the judge’s decision is read and Barch wins a very close match.
PJ Barch defeats Luiz Paulo via Decision – Split
Max Hanson vs Espen Mathiesen
Espen Mathiesen sits to guard early and Max Hanson starts engaging immediately, dropping into the split-squat position to pressure him. Mathiesen inverts to attack the back but Hanson uses the opening to attack the legs, but Mathiesen defends quickly. Hanson returns to top position and starts pressuring him again but Mathiesen elevates him and exposes the back, getting close to being able to climb up and secure the position. Hanson defends brilliantly though and he’s able to maintain top position by switching between threatening the legs and passing with heavy pressure.
Mathiesen inverts from de la riva and puts a ton of pressure on Hanson’s knee to turn him away, opening the opportunity to take the back. Hanson recovers and gets back to passing but Mathiesen has a very challenging guard, and he’s inverting so quickly to shut down any attempt at a pass. Mathiesen manages to expose the heel in transition but he isn’t able to control the knee-line before Hanson frees his leg. There’s another good attempt at inverting from reverse de la riva by Mathiesen and he’s chasing the back again, but Hanson drops down to his back to defend.
Mathiesen briefly considers coming up on top to score points but he opts to stay down and Hanson gets up to resume passing. Another inversion from Mathiesen and this time he makes a more concerted effort to come up on top when Hanson sits back to defend, but Hanson is able to force him back down. Mathiesen is able to invert again and Hanson dives over the top in order to free his legs completely. Another inversion and Mathiesen gets a lot closer on the back-take but he still can’t quite secure the position before Hanson escapes. The match ends shortly after and Mathiesen is declared the winner thanks to the relentless offense he employed from his back.
Espen Mathiesen defeats Max Hanson via Decision – Unanimous
Levi Jones-Leary vs Shane Curtis
Levi Jones-Leary sits to guard immediately and Shane Curtis tries to sit down for a leglock, but Jones-Leary immediately starts inverting and attacking the back. Jones-Leary is chasing the back relentlessly and switching sides beautifully before settling for top side control and scoring the first point of the match. Curtis is able to create space but it it isn’t long before Jones-Leary is able to put him under pressure again. Another bit of space and this time Curtis stands up, but Jones-Leary sits to guard immediately. Jones-Leary inverts as soon as Curtis comes forward and again he makes his way to side control, scoring another point to bring the score to 2-0.
Curtis creates space and stands up, quickly pursuing an armdrag. Jones-Leary defends and pulls guard shortly after, inverting immediately again in order to hunt the back. Jones-Leary takes side control once more and moves the score to 3-0, before Curtis is able to escape to standing again. It isn’t long before Jones-Leary sits to guard again and Curtis is a little slower to engage this time, as he’s being more cautious in his approach. Jones-Leary inverts again and he gets up to top position, scoring another point to move to 4-0. It’s more of the same as Jones-Leary pulls guard quickly and Curtis tries to counter with a leg attack when he inverts this time.
Jones-Leary defends and finishes the sweep he started, moving to 5-0 before Curtis escapes to standing again. Curtis lands a takedown this time but Jones-Leary pops back up to deny the points, only to sit to guard straight after. Curtis engages again and Jones-Leary is able to hit the back-take he’s been looking for all match, locking up a body-triangle as he goes 6-0 up. There’s over a minute left on the clock and Jones-Leary is able to lock up the rear-naked choke, submitting Curtis and moving on to the semi-final.
Levi Jones-Leary defeats Shane Curtis via Submission – Rear-naked Choke
Harrison Woods vs Jozef Chen
Jozef Chen and Harrison Woods are both happy to wrestle on the feet to start off their match, but neither one of them is willing to over-commit to anything. Chen uses an arm-drag to set up a quick takedown at around the two-minute mark and he secures top position to score the first point of the match. He starts to pass incredibly quickly but Woods is able to get to 50/50 in order to slow Chen down, but Chen stays standing in the position. Woods tries to get underneath Chen but he counters with a deep heel hook attempt and puts Woods in serious danger. Woods is able to recover though and he manages to find his way back to safety after a few moments of concern.
After a little more time in 50/50, Chen is able to free his leg and he picks back up his relentless passing game after they get reset in the center. Chen pressures in but Woods is able to come up on top in a scramble and secures a point of his own, bringing the score to 1-1. He starts attacking the legs but Chen keeps calm and frees himself, quickly coming up on top to bring the match back into his favor at 2-1. They get reset in the center shortly after and Woods uses the waiter sweep to set up a leg attack on the opposite leg, but Chen counters with a slick back-take as soon as he’s under threat.
Chen secures the body-triangle and scores another point, getting to 3-1 before Woods is able to clear the legs and escape. Chen comes up into half-guard and gets the underhook quickly, dropping his hips through into side control and scoring another point to move to 4-1. Woods is able to create space and almost escapes but Chen threatens him with a triangle choke to shut down the attempt. Chen switches to a kimura and rolls through to crank on the arm, forcing Woods to tap and securing his place in the semi-final
Jozef Chen defeats Harrison Woods via Submission – Kimura
Semi-Finals
PJ Barch vs Espen Mathiesen
Mathiesen comes out looking like he might wrestle but as soon as he makes contact with Barch, he sits straight to guard. A quick inversion by Mathiesen puts Barch under pressure and it gives him access to his leg as he defends, so he starts pummeling his legs inside. Barch backsteps and Mathiesen switches to 50/50 but Barch is incredibly quick on the counter and he locks up a heel hook to get the tap and book his place in the final
PJ Barch defeats Espen Mathiesen via Submission – Heel Hook
Levi Jones-Leary vs Jozef Chen
Jones-Leary sits to guard immediately and Chen starts using really quick lateral movement in order to put him under pressure. Jones-Leary is pummeling his legs in very quickly and he manages to get an entry to K-guard, quickly exposing Chen’s back and latching on to the seatbelt control. Chen stops Jones-Leary from locking up the body-triangle but he scores a point for back-control with hooks anyway, getting 1-0 ahead. Chen stays calm and starts to slide his back out but Jones-Leary manages to secure the body-triangle anyway and switches the angle to get full control over his back.
Jones-Leary sinks his first arm in but Chen is handfighting to defend, so Jones-Leary tries to crank on the forearm over the jaw instead. Chen is in trouble but he takes advantage of the smallest of gaps in Jones-Leary’s positional control in order to turn and escape to top position. Chen immediately puts the pressure back on and he’s moving from knee-cut passes to pinning the legs, while Jones-Leary is framing and keeping up with the attempts well. Chen is moving from side to side and ducking under the legs brilliantly, getting close to a pass at one point before Jones-Leary is able to pummel back inside.
Jones-Leary uses a deep de la riva hook to threaten Chen but Chen deals with it well and is able to disengage, but he quickly picks up the pace again. Chen is working frantically in order to secure the pass and he’s moving from left to right relentlessly at this point, as the time is winding down on their match. Jones-Leary’s guard looks impenetrable at this point though and he’s using the threat of the back-take to keep Chen from getting too deep on any attempts. Chen picks up the pace even more as the clock winds down but he can’t get anything to work and the match ends with Jones-Leary 1-0 up.
Levi Jones-Leary defeats Jozef Chen via Decision – 1-0 on Points
Final
PJ Barch vs Levi Jones-Leary
Barch is looking to wrestle from a distance with some quick level-changes before he actually makes contact with Jones-Leary, preventing him from pulling guard. He shoots in for a double-leg and gets Jones-Leary down within the first minute, securing the first point of the match. Barch is engaging with Jones-Leary’s guard from a distance and Jones-Leary is able to work his way back to his feet with the space, but Barch shoots in for a double-leg and scores once again to bring it to 2-0. Barch stands again and he’s moving laterally very well, keeping Jones-Leary from getting much going from his back.
Jones-Leary hits a quick berimbolo that exposes Barch’s back but Barch breaks free and even manages to retain top position as well. Jones-Leary gets a good grip of the leg to stop Barch from passing and he uses it to enter the crab-ride, threatening Barch’s back once again. Barch is able to disengage and he continues passing from side to side before dropping into the split-squat position. Jones-Leary is able to invert under Barch’s free leg and he gets grips around his waist but Barch stands immediately and explodes free.
Jones-Leary pulls guard again and he gets really close on a berimbolo this time, getting fully behind Barch and forcing a big reaction from him. Barch scrambles quickly to escape and Jones-Leary tries to transition to an armbar, but Barch keeps moving and manages to stay safe. Barch gets back up on top and he’s dealing with every attack from Jones-Leary really well, staying heavy and not letting him getting underneath his hips as he makes several frantic attempts before the match ends. Barch smiles as the buzzer sounds and he delivers the results in the Polaris 27 Welterweight Grand Prix.
PJ Barch defeats Levi Jones-Leary via Decision – 2-0 on Points
PJ Barch wins the Polaris 27 Welterweight Grand Prix
Ffion Davies vs Brianna Ste-Marie – Flyweight Title-Fight
Ffion Davies pulls guard early in the match but it isn’t long before she tries to wrestle up. Brianna Ste-Marie disengages to shut it down but Davies sits to guard again when it doesn’t work. Davies hits a quick arm-drag and wrestles up again, securing the top position this time but ending up in Ste-Marie’s closed guard. Ste-Marie gets an arm under Davies’ leg and starts a muscle sweep but Davies is able to deal with it and drop back down to her knees. Davies stands up to try and pass but Ste-Marie gets an underhook on the leg and gets into K-guard quickly to try and attack the legs.
Davies counters and gets a good bite on a straight ankle-lock, but Ste-Marie stands up and is able to keep herself free from any deep leg entanglement. Davies locks up closed guard but Ste-Marie is able to stand and break it open, while Davies latches on to another straight ankle-lock grip in de la riva. It looks like she might be attempting the Caio Terra footlock but Ste-Marie escapes and they get reset into the center. Davies gets back to de la riva and as Ste-Marie deals with the hooks she’s able to threaten her with a kneebar, but again Ste-Marie defends comfortably.
Davies tries for a shotgun ankle-lock and goes belly-down but Ste-Marie is able to free her knee enough to deal with the pressure. Ste-Marie makes an attempt at a heel hook but Davies deals with the threat and loops her leg inside to attack a calf-slicer from behind Ste-Marie. Davies gets a bodylock and uses it to unwind her legs, switching to attacking the back instead and immediately going for the choke. Ste-Marie handfights her way out of the choke but Davies has solid control over her back, and she maintains position for a while. Davies transitions to an armbar and switches off to a tarikoplata from there, but she can’t finish it before the time runs out.
Ffion Davies defeats Brianna Ste-Marie via Decision – Unanimous
Davies wins the Polaris Flyweight Title
Polaris 27 Superfights Live Results
Nathaniel Wood vs Alex Caceres
Nathaniel Wood and Alex Caceres are both eager to fight for a dominant position in the clinch and Wood gets the first quick takedown, picking up a single-leg that gets Caceres on his back but he can’t keep him there. Wood lands another quick takedown and he controls from top position a little longer, but Caceres pops back up again. Caceres is working on footsweeps but he can’t get them to work as Wood lands another quick takedown, but it’s back to standing again after a few seconds. Caceres lands a footsweep and he secures top position for a little while, before Wood attempts a sweep that ends with him finding his way back to his feet.
A quick break as Caceres receives an accidental eye-poke but they’re straight back to work in the clinch on the reset. Wood picks up another single-leg and he controls Caceres’ legs better from top position this time, but Caceres takes advantage of some space to stand back up. Caceres shoots in but it’s stuffed pretty easily by Wood, and they continue fighting for an advantage in the clinch. Wood tries to use to a guillotine attempt to set up a snap-down, following it up with a footsweep that sends Caceres to the ground. Caceres pops back up again but it doesn’t last long before Wood lands another takedown and starts pressuring his way into half-guard.
Caceres returns to standing and Wood shoots in for a takedown shortly after, but Caceres sprawls heavily to shut it down. Caceres quickly spins to the back and manages to secure the body-triangle, frantically handfighting to set up the choke. Wood is defending the choke well but he can’t deal with Caceres’ legs, and he turns to his knees to try to stand. Caceres brings him down to the mat and temporarily switches to the armbar before bailing out and returning to back-control just as the buzzer sounds for the end of the match.
Nathaniel Wood defeats Alex Caceres via Decision – Unanimous
Cameron Donnelly vs Keith Krikorian – Featherweight Title-Fight
Cameron Donnelly sits to guard early and Keith Krikorian gets to work passing, but Donnelly is able to off-balance him and sit him down a few times to attack the legs. Krikorian defends quickly each time and resumes passing, before diving on a heel hook attempt that he can’t get deep enough on. Krikorian lands a completely accidental strike to Donnelly’s nose and the match is paused, but it resumes with Donnelly seated again shortly after. Donnelly manages to sit Krikorian down again and tries to come up to sweep but Krikorian gets his hips higher and maintains top position. Donnelly is chasing the legs but Krikorian dives over his guard and attacks the armbar, going belly-down to force the finish.
Keith Krikorian defeats Cameron Donnelly via Submission – Armbar
Krikorian wins the Polaris Featherweight Title
Preliminary Card
Phil Harris defeats Kris Edwards via Submission – Armbar
Finn Carey defeats Nathan Kay via Decision – Unanimous
Manu Perez defeats Norman via Submission – Heel Hook
Christian Ozbek defeats Shane Price via Decision – Unanimous
Robyn Lucas defeats Kristie Raby via Submission – Arm-triangle Choke
Will Nichols defeats Max Armstrong via Decision – Unanimous
Early Prelims
Nikolas Koretsis defeats Joe Matthews via Decision – Unanimous
Will Southern defeats Ryan Williams via Submission – Heel Hook
Stuart Duffy defeats Gavin Thomas via Submission – Straight Ankle-lock
Yalcin Sucu defeats Harry Evans via Submission – Heel Hook
Archer Colaco defeats Tassanai Soniak via Decision – Unanimous
Alex Aston defeats Josh Ellis via Submission – Armbar
The full Polaris 27: Welterweight Grand Prix preliminary card event replay can be found below and the main card replay is available to watch on UFC Fight Pass.
