WNO 26 and Polaris 31: Top 3 matches to watch on this stacked BJJ weekend

While UFC 312 will likely garner the most headlines this weekend, there are also two top notch grappling events that are worth watching before that. WNO 26 and Polaris 31 happens back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, with two stacked cards poised to produce some excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) action.

There will be several elite level talent on this big weekend for BJJ, and if you need a guide on which ones to keep an eye out for, here are the three best match ups from both events.

3. Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira vs. Keith Krikorian

There’s a bunch of excellent bouts from both WNO 26 and Polaris 31, but an easy pick on this list is the headlining title bout that features one of the top pound-for-pound grapplers today. Interestingly enough, it also coincidentally sticks to the WNO vs. Polaris theme for this weekend.

WNO 26 will be headlined by a WNO champ vs. Polaris champ, with Diego “Pato” Oliveira defending his WNO lightweight title against Polaris featherweight champ Keith Krikorian.

While the current professional scene is filled many no gi specialists and rarely feature the gi, Pato is a throwback to the earlier days when BJJ world champions excelled at both. Pato, a five-time IBJJF world champion across gi and no gi, just won gold at the IBJJF Euros in the traditional kimono last week, and will immediately go back to no gi to headline WNO 26.

Pato previously faced Krikorian in the opening round of ADCC 2022, where the Brazilian submitted him with a straight ankle lock. Both men have improved from that match almost three years ago, with Krikorian coming off a win over Jed Hue at the last Polaris event.

The two-division WNO champion is still going to be the favorite here, as Pato is widely regarded to be among the top grapplers today. With their styles though, the match should be entertaining either way.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

2. Roberto Jimenez vs. Elder Cruz

There are arguably bigger names competing this weekend, such as Tainan Dalpra and Jay Rodriguez, who are facing separate opponents at WNO 26. The second spot on this list will go to Roberto Jimenez vs. Elder Cruz though, as this bout could likely be just as fun those two, but also far more competitive and unpredictable.

Both Cruz and Jimenez are high level IBJJF no gi world champions, and they also have some history. The biggest moment of Roberto Jimenez’s career was when he beat bigger opponents and won the absolute division at the 2023 IBJJF No Gi World Championship. The man who stopped him from winning double gold that night was Cruz, who narrowly beat Jimenez by points in their division.

Elder Cruz is also coming off winning absolute gold at the 2024 IBJJF No Gi World Championships.

Jimenez is known as one of the most entertaining grapplers today, and as this match can really go either way, it’s really not one to miss.

1. Polaris Squads: Team Europe vs. Team North America

The card also has BJJ prodigy Helena Crevar defending her Polaris title against no gi world champ Anabel Lopez Beard, but taking the number one spot on this list and a must watch for this weekend is the Team Europe vs. Team North America match up at Polaris 31. Technically that’s not just a single match, but hey, it’s my list and I make the rules!

Anyone who has watched any Quintet event knows how entertaining team grappling can be. Grapplers will be of varying sizes, and winners of each match get to stay on the mat, with the potential to wipe out multiple members of the opposing team. Team Grappling is chaotic and pretty much guarantees entertainment or even potential breakout stars, which is why even CJI shifted to this format.

If this will be your first time to watch this format, you’ll certainly be in for a treat as this Polaris Squads line up is filled with several BJJ champs and notable stars as well.

Team Europe will have Jozef Chen, Owen Jones, Eoghan O’Flanagan, Mateusz Szczecinski, Taylor Pearman and Santeri Lilius, while Team North America will consist of PJ Barch, Chris Wojcik, Kieran Kichuk, Devhonte Johnson, Mike Perez and Julian Espinosa.

UPDATE: Team Europe’s Owen Jones has pulled out due to an infection, and has been replaced by Pawel Jaworski on extremely short notice.

On a weekend with two cards and several elite level BJJ talent worth watching, this is the one likely to bring the most entertainment.

WNO 26 and Polaris 31: How to watch, live stream, start time

WNO 26 happens in Costa Mesa, California on Friday night (February 7, 2025), and will be streamed on FloGrappling starting at 9 p.m. ET. The earlier matches can likely be streamed live for free on their YouTube channel.

Polaris 31, on the other hand, happens several hours later in Doncaster, England. The event can be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass on Saturday afternoon (February 8, 2025), starting at 2 p.m. ET.

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