Ribeiro-Nakamura, Tonon-Imanari Top Lineup for 2nd Polaris Jiu-Jitsu Invitational

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The second Polaris Jiu-Jitsu Invitational will be headlined by a 15-minute, submission-only gi match between multiple-time world champion Vitor Ribeiro and Japanese veteran Daisuke Nakamura.

The event takes place Sept. 12 at St. David’s Hall in Cardiff, Wales. Details regarding an online pay-per-view stream are expected to be released soon.

Ribeiro is a former MMA champion in such organizations as Cage Rage and Shooto and has also won several titles in BJJ and grappling tournaments. “Shaolin” retired from MMA in 2013 after dropping four of his last five fights.

Nakamura is a judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has been one of the top BJJ competitors in Japan. He's won several All Japan championships in the black belt division.

The co-featured bout of the evening will see Garry Tonon, a multiple-time world champion in IBJJF tournaments and countless other competitions, squaring off against Masakazu Imanari, one of the most decorated grapplers in Japan.

Tonon, a black belt under Tom DeBlass, recently submitted Javier Vazquez in the 2015 Gracie Nationals. Before that, he subbed Bellator veteran Marcin Held at Polaris 1 and recorded a tapout of Zak Maxwell at Metamoris 5.

Imanari, an MMA veteran of Pride FC and One Championship, is one of the most dangerous men on the ground. The Marco Barbosa black belt captured titles for Deep, Cage Rage and Dream.

Additionally, Eddie Cummings is slated to face off against Reilly Bodycomb in a 15-minute no-gi matchup. Cummings holds wins over top-tier grapplers Nathan Orchard and Denny Prokpo. Bodycomb has won several grappling tourneys and is unbeaten in MMA.

Also on the card will be a women’s battle between Michelle Nicolini and Gezary Matuda in a 15-minute gi match. Nicolini, a black belt under Robert Drysdale, is a seven-time BJJ champion who also sports an ADCC title on her resume. She competed on the first Polaris card, where she won via toehold over Angelica Galvao. Matuda is the reigning 2015 Pan Ams black belt champion and has captured several jiu-jitsu titles along the way.

Another matchup features Pedro Bessa versus Luca Anacoreta in a 15-minute gi match. Bessa is one of the most accomplished European grapplers in the sport, having won multiple world titles, most notably the Europeans and World Championships. Anacoreta, who hails from Italy, has also won several European grappling titles.

Polaris 2 will also include a gi match between grappling legend Baret Yoshida and Robson Moura, as well as a no-gi duel between Tom Barlow and Giannia Grippo.

The first Polaris Professional Jiu-Jitsu Invitational took place in January and saw Keenan Cornelius tap Dean Lister in the evening’s main event.