Polaris 7 Results: UFC veteran Gilbert Burns defeats Gregor Gracie via injury from suplex

Polaris 7 hailed from the famous O2 arena in London on Saturday and featured a number of intriguing matchups in competitive grappling. Four matches were held to decide who would move forward in the featherweight and welterweight title tournaments, and Gregor Gracie faced off against Gilbert Burns in the main event.

Gregor Gracie and Gilbert Burns presented an interesting main event in a rematch from 2014. This time it would be Burns who’d come out with the win, but not in the way he’d like.

Gracie and Burns exchanged multiple scrambles throughout the match, with both men taking control in various positions. At one point, it seemed like Gracie was aiming to finish with a belly down arm bar, but Burns was able to position himself to safety.

The end came suddenly during yet another scramble that led to Burns getting behind Gracie with a tight waist lock. He lifted Gracie into the air and they came down with a thud, and it was immediately clear that Gracie was hurt. He was clutching his shoulder and replays would show that he stuck his arm out on the way down, taking the full brunt of his and Burns weight. When the fight conclusion was being announced, Gracie could not even lift his arm to embrace the remorseful Burns.

The featherweight tournament called forth Nicky Ryan who competed against Polaris veteran Phil Harris, and Ash Williams competed against Masakazu Imanari.

Ryan came out of the gates very aggressive, looking to push the pace against Harris. He immediately attacked with his various leg lock entries, but the tide truly turned when he locked up a triangle to break Harris’s posture. Harris fought out of the first one and after some more scrambles on the feet and the mat, Ryan locked in the triangle again. This time he would switch to an arm bar to secure the victory and move on to the next match.

Williams and Imanari had perhaps the best match of the night. Imanari and Williams exchanged multiple attacks, but Williams would find the better positioning throughout much of the fight. He was able to avoid Imanari’s dangerous leg locks, and actually implemented a few leg attacks of his own, including a dangerous toe hold that caused some panic from the stoic Imanari. Williams also locked in a tight head and arm triangle but Imanari was able to roll through as Williams attempted to use the position to take the back. Williams would take the victory via split decision.

Over in the welterweight tournament, it would be Oliver Taza and Ross Nicholls moving onto the next round.

Nicholls and Nathan Orchard battled for the first slot and it would be Nicholls who’d come out on top via decision. Throughout the match he continually found a way to sweep Orchard and end up in the controlling positions. Even through Orchard was able to scramble out from bottom and regain his footing; he would immediately find himself on his back again as Nicholls properly timed all of his attacks.

Taza and Lachlan Giles also went the full 15 minutes to which Taza would earn the victory. Just like his teammate Ryan, Taza was aggressive in every aspect of the match; looking for takedowns and passing when the opportunity presented itself. Giles was able to attack off of his back, but was unable to find anything to finish against Taza.

In the opening main card match, Samantha Cook as once again victorious over Venla Luukkonen; taking the win via unanimous decision.

Polaris 7 is available for watching on demand on UFC Fight Pass.