Polaris 28 is scheduled for June 15th, 2024 and we’ll be breaking down each of the fantastic superfights that the promotion has booked in this preview. The main event is a very interesting battle between Owen Livesey and Yoel Romero, a pair of explosive competitors who both excel at standing grappling. There’s plenty to look forward to before they take to the mats as well, as there’s several interesting matchups throughout the card. Alongside all the other fun matches supporting the main event, there will also be a pair of title-fights involving some of the best talent that the sport has to offer from all around the world.
Polaris 28 Full Preview
Owen Livesey vs Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero has competed at the highest level of both wrestling and MMA during his combat sports career, winning a silver medal at the Olympics and fighting for a UFC world title. Owen Livesey has had a pretty varied career himself too, winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth games for Judo and winning the Catch Wrestling world championship. This match is going to be a standing grappling war and it’s likely that it will be decided by whoever is able to win the battle for takedowns. Livesey has recently beaten Chris Weidman under similar circumstances so he should be able to get a narrow decision victory here too, but it really could go either way.
Mateusz Szczecinski vs Levi Jones-Leary
Mateusz Szczecinski is one of the scariest competitors in Europe, which might seem unusual to say about a welterweight. It’s not his physical stature that makes him intimidating though, it’s the fact that he has lightning-quick leg attacks and a unique mastery of breaking pressure in his shotgun ankle-locks. He won the vacant welterweight title back at Polaris 24 with a perfect display of this, but Polaris might have been able to find the perfect stylistic match for him. Levi Jones-Leary is one of the best grapplers on the planet when it comes to hunting the back and these two men should each be able to counter one another.
Helena Crevar vs Jessika Torttila
The other title on the line is the women’s under 70kg belt, which is currently vacant. Helena Crevar will be making her Polaris debut and she’s facing off against Jessika Torttila for the title. Crevar has been a top prospect in the sport for quite some time now, but she’s recently broken through to the highest level with some big wins. Torttila earned a silver medal at ADCC Trials with an impressive performance so she won’t be an easy opponent, but Crevar is the clear favorite here.
Santeri Lilius vs Ben Bennett
This match is flying under the radar a little but it has pretty big implications for European grappling. Ben Bennett might not be too well-known to many people outside of the UK, but he’s a fantastic grappler and he had a breakthrough performance at ADCC Trials this year. He finished with a silver medal then and demonstrated that he belongs among the best in Europe, but now he gets a chance to prove it in a bigger way against Santeri Lilius. As a two-time ADCC Trials winner, Lilius is a consistent figure at the top of the continent at this weight class. This should be an exciting match from start to finish and although Bennett does have the skill necessary to beat him, Lilius is a slight favorite thanks to his more extensive track record of competition success.
Jed Hue vs Stevie Ray
Stevie Ray is more known for his professional MMA career, having had a lengthy UFC career and currently fighting for PFL, but he’s also had some great performances on the UK professional grappling circuit. Now Ray will be facing the toughest test of his grappling career in Jed Hue, a Polaris veteran who has had plenty of entertaining matches against elite competitors. Hue has had success at a higher level in grappling so he should be able to come away with thewin, even if he can’t get the submissio. Ray has surprised fans recently by submitting Shane Curtis at Grapplefest 17 though, so he definitely can’t be counted out.
Sam Quinn vs Ellis Younger
Grappling fans outside the UK or Europe might not be aware of either of these men but for those who do know them, they must be looking forward to this matchup. Ellis Younger is a fantastic grappler with a lethal guard and he already holds wins over some high-level competitors like Chris Wojcik. Younger will be facing Sam Quinn, one of the best-kept secrets in the UK grappling scene right now. Younger has had a higher level of success but Quinn is not one to be slept on and even though he might be a slight underdog on paper, this match could easily go either way.
The full Polaris 28 event, including all of the matches in the above preview, is available to watch live on June 15th, 2024, on UFC Fight Pass.
