Polaris 29 is scheduled for September 7th, 2024 and we’ve put together a full preview of every match on the main card. There are several excellent matches booked for the event and it will feature the promotional debut of some of the best grapplers in the world like Tainan Dalpra and Cole Abate. There’s a focus on the gi for this event as well, as many of the superfights will be contested in it. All of them will be leading up to the superb main event match too, as Polaris fan-favorite Ashley Williams will be competing in the gi for the first time in years against Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira.
Polaris 29 Full Preview
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira vs Ashley Williams
Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira is making a rare appearance in the UK in the main event, and he’ll be facing off against the promotion’s former triple-champion Ashley Williams. It’s unusual to see Williams competing in the gi these days but he has had a lot of success in it on the IBJJF circuit in the past. Oliveira has won the IBJJF World Championship three times though, including the last two years in a row. This will actually be a rematch of the opening round of ADCC 2024 as well, where Oliveira won 6-0 on his way to getting a silver medal. All those factors added together should mean that Oliveira wins this match.
Jacob Rodriguez vs Mohammed Avtarhanov
Jacob Rodriguez might be considered the favorite in this matchup but it’s not quite as one-sided as it might appear on first look. Rodriguez has phenomenal wrestling that makes him a danger to anyone and he’s fresh off a career-best performance at ADCC 2024 that saw him win a silver medal. Mohammed Avtarhanov is a virtual unknown by comparison, but he’s equally solid when standing and is a phenomenal positional grappler on top. Avtarhanov will make life very hard for Rodriguez and definitely has the ability to win, but Rodriguez still has an advantage on paper.
Tainan Dalpra vs Tarik Hopstock
Tainan Dalpra is one of the top gi grapplers on the planet and for the first few years of his black belt career, he was almost completely dominant. Although he’s suffered more losses since 2023 than ever before, one was a close match that he lost on advantages and the other was a disqualification. Tarik Hopstock on the other hand might be a top European competitor, but he hasn’t yet been able to reach the same heights as Dalpra. Dalpra is the clear favorite in this match and he should come away with the win, but he’ll have to watch out for Hopstock’s unique game along the way.
Fellipe Andrew vs Davis Asare
Fellipe Andrew is another big name in the gi world and he’s facing top New Wave Jiu-Jitsu prospect and exciting competitor Davis Asare. It should be a very interesting match as Andrew will most likely be happy to play guard and might force Asare into areas he’s not as comfortable in. Asare is a very talented grappler but Andrew has hit a whole new level entirely over the last few years. He’s won multiple major IBJJF events in the gi during that time, including an IBJJF World Championship in 2023. The most likely outcome here is that Andrew wins but if Asare is able to get deep into some leg attacks then he could cause an upset.
Cole Abate vs Sam McNally
This is one of the most interesting matches in the whole preview of Polaris 29, as it features several factors that are difficult to predict. Cole Abate is one of the top Art of Jiu-Jitsu products in recent years and he’s been beating elite competitors in no gi tournaments since he was a young teenager. This is a gi match though, where he hasn’t had the same success in black belt competition. He will face Sam McNally, one of the best competitors to ever come out of Ireland who also has more success in no gi competition. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this match go either way, but Abate should probably be considered the slight favorite.
Cameron Donnelly vs Dominic Dillon
Cameron Donnelly is a rising talent who is known for being a fantastic leglocker and he’ll be looking to bounce back after an unsuccessful attempt at winning the Polaris featherweight title. Donnelly has a tough task ahead of him though, as he’ll be facing Polaris veteran and exciting grappler Dominic Dillon. Dillon has put on several impressive performances on the Polaris mats in recent years and he has an unorthodox style that’s difficult to prepare for. If Donnelly can get into his strengths then he can submit Dillon but otherwise, Dillon is also able to outwork him to a decision or submission from the top.
Jed Hue vs Julian Espinosa
Jed Hue is another familiar face for Polaris fans, and he’s also known for producing some exciting results in the past. Although he has generally competed at either middleweight or welterweight in the past, he’ll be dropping down in weight to meet Julian Espinosa. With an equally-entertaining style, Espinosa is incredibly fast-paced and focused on offense from both the top and the bottom. This should be a close match with both men likely having windows to find the finish, but Espinosa might be able to capitalise on one of those opportunities first.
The full Polaris 29 event, including all of the matches in the above preview, will be available to watch live on September 7th, 2024 on UFC Fight Pass.
