# Polaris 36 > Superfight in Croydon, England, United Kingdom | March 07, 2026 ## Overview **Event Type:** Superfight **Series:** Polaris **Organizer:** Polaris **Description:** Polaris 36 was a high‑stakes professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event held in Croydon, England on March 7, 2026, built around three championship bouts and a stacked superfight card. It marked Polaris’ return to a classic super‑fight format after a year focused on team‑based “Squads” shows, delivering a submission-heavy night headlined by title defenses from established champions and a breakout crowning of a new featherweight king. ## Event overview Polaris 36 took place at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, reinforcing the UK promotion’s status as Europe’s flagship professional grappling show. The card combined an accessible prelims slate with a marquee main card streamed through FloGrappling, giving international visibility to both rising prospects and established names. After experimenting heavily with team formats, Polaris used this event to refocus on its traditional superfight template, organizing twenty individual matchups with a strong emphasis on submissions. The result was a night defined by pace and finishing intent rather than conservative, points‑oriented grappling. ## Titles on the line Three Polaris titles were featured at Polaris 36: the men’s lightweight championship, the women’s openweight championship, and the men’s featherweight championship. This structure gave the card a clear narrative backbone, with each belt fight anchoring a different stylistic storyline at the top of the show. In lightweight action, champion Ethan Crelinsten returned to defend his belt against Belgian challenger Shaï Gerena, who had earned his shot by winning a recent Polaris tournament and running through four opponents in a single night. Crelinsten entered as a proven elite at 155 lbs, known for aggressive back‑takes and finishing ability from rear control, while Gerena represented the surging European trials scene graduating into full championship contention. The women’s openweight title fight matched reigning champion Kendall Reusing against Anabel Lopez in a clash of physicality and pressure passing versus bottom‑game scrambles. Reusing came in as a seasoned competitor returning to professional no‑gi after time away, bringing a reputation for oppressive top control and methodical positional dominance over larger and smaller opponents alike. Featherweight gold was on the line between Gianni Grippo and Owen Jones in a bout to determine the new Polaris men’s featherweight champion. Grippo’s resume of high‑level international podiums and deep competition experience contrasted with Jones’ energetic pacing and attacking style, making the match one of the evening’s most anticipated technical showcases. ### Championship bouts at a glance | Division | Matchup | Stakes | Key storyline | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lightweight | Ethan Crelinsten vs Shaï Gerena | Men’s lightweight title defense | Established champion vs surging grinder | | Women’s Open | Kendall Reusing vs Anabel Lopez | Women’s openweight title defense | Return of dominant top‑player | | Featherweight | Gianni Grippo vs Owen Jones | Men’s featherweight title (vacant) | New champion at talent‑stacked weight | ## Style and submission highlights Statistically, Polaris 36 produced a 35% submission rate across its twenty matchups, underscoring the promotion’s “finish first” ethos. Early on the card, a pair of back‑to‑back Scottish Twister finishes set the tone, as local competitors hit rare spinal‑lock submissions that immediately became viral talking points among grappling fans. Beyond those unusual finishes, the event showcased a broad submission spectrum: rear naked chokes from the back, armbars from dominant top control, and hybrid upper‑body attacks like triangle‑kimuras all appeared in key bouts. This diversity highlighted Polaris’ matchmaking philosophy of pairing submission‑oriented athletes and giving them rule sets that reward continuous offense over positional stalling. ## Main card narratives The main card blended championship stakes with stylistically intriguing non‑title pairings, maintaining competitive tension from the opening superfight to the final bell. Matchups such as PJ Barch vs Shane Fishman at middleweight added a physical, wrestling‑heavy flavor to an otherwise lighter, fast‑paced lineup, while veteran UK names helped anchor the card for the home crowd. Across both prelims and main card, several underdogs capitalized on the spotlight with upset wins and gritty decision performances, adding unpredictability to a night otherwise structured around defending champions. Combined with the strong submission rate, those upsets gave Polaris 36 the feel of a turning‑point card where new contenders announced themselves on a major European stage. ## Significance for Polaris Polaris 36 reaffirmed Polaris Pro Grappling’s identity as Europe’s leading professional Jiu-Jitsu platform, capable of blending international elite talent with local rising stars in front of a live UK audience. By successfully pivoting back from a season of team‑based events to a classic superfight structure, the promotion demonstrated flexibility in format without sacrificing entertainment value. In the broader grappling calendar, the event helped set up future storylines, including subsequent title defenses and a teased cross‑promotional squads matchup pitting Polaris all‑stars against BJJ Stars representatives. For athletes, coaches, and fans alike, Polaris 36 functioned as both a culmination of existing arcs—through title defenses and belts changing hands—and a launchpad for the next chapter of European professional Jiu-Jitsu. **Status:** Scheduled ## Dates **Start:** March 07, 2026 ## Location **Venue:** Park Lane **Address:** Park Ln **Location:** Croydon, England, United Kingdom ## Links - Source: https://www.flograppling.com/events/15519879-2026-polaris-36 ## Tags Gi, No-Gi, Adults, Live Stream, Invite Only --- **Last Updated:** April 13, 2026 **Data Source:** BJJ.Space (https://bjj.space/events/polaris-36)