Polaris returns to Dublin on Saturday, June 6, with one of the more interesting team-format events of the year: Polaris 37: BJJ Stars vs. Polaris All-Stars. The event takes place at the National Basketball Arena in Dublin, Ireland, with Polaris listing the show from 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.
This is not just another grappling card with a few good names attached. It is a promotional crossover between one of Europe’s most established professional jiu-jitsu stages and one of Brazil’s most recognizable event brands. Polaris has spent the last several years building its identity around high-level superfights, European stars, and its increasingly fun team “Squads” format. BJJ Stars, meanwhile, brings a Brazilian roster loaded with athletes who are used to bright lights, aggressive matchups, and the kind of pressure that turns a team event into chaos fast.
The Polaris side is expected to lean on a familiar core of European no-gi talent. Taylor Pearman, Mateusz Szczecinski, Pawel Jaworski, Lucas Kanard, Santeri Lilius, and Eoghan O’Flanagan have all been tied to the Polaris squad in available event previews and prior team-format coverage. That group gives Polaris a dangerous mix: leg-lock threats, veteran pacing, strong wrestling exchanges, and athletes who already understand how to win under this particular format.
That last part matters. Polaris has become comfortable in these team-versus-team scenarios. At Polaris 35, the promotion’s All-Stars edged WNO’s team 14-12, with Eoghan O’Flanagan and Owen Jones scoring key submissions that ultimately swung the matchup. In other words, this is not a novelty ruleset for Polaris anymore. They have a blueprint for how to survive the early storm, steal points in the right spots, and make a team match feel like home turf.
BJJ Stars is not coming to Ireland as a ceremonial opponent, though. The Brazilian team has been promoted around names including Gabriel Sousa, Henrique Ceconi, Isaque Bahiense, Ruan Alvarenga, and Julio Martins, giving the visitors serious firepower across the lineup. Sousa alone gives the BJJ Stars side a proven submission threat with big-stage experience, while Bahiense brings the kind of physical, pressure-heavy style that can grind opponents down and change the tone of a round.
The most intriguing part of the matchup may be the stylistic clash. Polaris’ European squad has a reputation for tactical no-gi grappling, sharp lower-body attacks, and athletes who are comfortable working in long sequences without forcing bad risks. BJJ Stars’ team should bring a more explosive Brazilian tournament edge, with athletes who can push pace, create scrambles, and turn one mistake into a sudden submission threat.
In team grappling, that contrast becomes even more important. A single submission can do more than win one exchange; it can shift the emotional momentum of the entire bench. If BJJ Stars can make the event feel wild early, Polaris may have to fight from behind. If Polaris slows things down, forces technical exchanges, and keeps the score tight, the home promotion’s experience in the Squads format could become the deciding factor.
The key names to watch for Polaris are Eoghan O’Flanagan and Taylor Pearman. O’Flanagan has already shown he can be a difference-maker in this format, and his ability to hunt submissions against elite opposition makes him one of the most valuable athletes on the board. Pearman, meanwhile, gives Polaris a dangerous finisher who can attack quickly and create momentum at the exact moments when a team match starts to tilt.
For BJJ Stars, Gabriel Sousa and Isaque Bahiense feel like the tone-setters. Sousa’s attacking style makes him a threat against nearly anyone in his range, while Bahiense’s pressure and experience could be crucial if BJJ Stars needs to slow down one of Polaris’ more dynamic players. The visitors may not have the same familiarity with the Polaris team format, but they have enough individual talent to make that irrelevant if they start collecting submissions.
Polaris 37 feels like the type of card that could get messy in the best possible way. It has the promotional rivalry angle, the Europe-versus-Brazil flavor, the team scoring tension, and enough elite names to produce breakout moments throughout the night.
For Polaris, the question is whether its All-Stars can defend their format and keep the winning streak alive. For BJJ Stars, the opportunity is bigger than one result: come into Dublin, beat Polaris under Polaris rules, and remind everyone that Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s deepest talent pool still travels extremely well.
Either way, Polaris 37 should give fans exactly what team grappling is supposed to deliver: strategy, momentum swings, and a room full of elite competitors trying very hard not to let their side down.
