Garry Tonon Subs Bellator MMA's Marcin Held at Polaris Pro Jiu-Jitsu Invitational

Keenan Cornelius, one of the brightest young stars in the jiu-jitsu world, controlled long-time grappling legend Dean Lister in the main event of the inaugural Polaris Pro Jiu-Jitsu Invitational in Cardiff Wales.

Cornelius used his lanky frame to keep Lister honest and when he found the opening he needed, the Team Atos standout capitalized.

After several submission attempts that were thwarted by “The Boogeyman,” Cornelius saw daylight during a scramble. Keenan seized the Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran’s back, briefly thought about the rear-naked choke and then switched gears to an arm bar. Lister saw both attempts coming so Cornelius immediately altered his plan and latched on a triangle choke from the back. Lister fought it off the best he could, but when the bulkier grappler rolled over to his knees, he had to tap out.

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Leg lock specialist Garry Tonon made surprisingly quick work of fellow leg grappler and Bellator MMA phenom Marcin Held with a heel hook submission about four minutes into the match. The two expert sub artists went back-and-forth with various leg and foot locks until the New Jersey-based Tonon locked on the submission, forcing the shocked Held to tap out.

Pablo Popovitch fought Eduardo “Teta” Rios to a grueling draw in their no-gi matchup. Popovitch controlled most of the action but the smaller Rios kept his foe at bay throughout the duel and prevented any real attacks from happening during their allotted 15 minutes.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu player Eduardo Telles utilized tremendous pressure and control to dominate American Mike Fowler for 15 minutes, but the Team Nine Nine representative was unable to put away his North Shore BJJ counterpart, thus settling for a draw.

Gracie-Barra’s A.J. Agazarm had a heck of a battle with rival Oliver Geddes as they traded submission attempts throughout the battle. Agazarm was the busier and much more effective of the two and he continuously had the Roger Gracie disciple on the defensive. However, around 12 minutes into their thrilling encounter, Agazarm switched from a typical arm bar to a bicep slicer, forcing the tap.

Australia’s Kit Dale and Brazil’s Victor Silverio neutralized each other’s offense for the duration of their matchup, thus resulting in a constant stalemate throughout. In the end, neither man was able to land any submissions and the fight ended up a draw.

Michelle Nicolini was all over Team Atos’ Angelica Galvao from the start and dominated her foe throughout the lone women’s bout. After several submission attempts fell short, the Checkmat BJJ fighter inverted herself and quickly locked up a slick to hold, forcing the tap around the 9:30 mark of the skirmish.

In the opening bout of the evening, Max Campos and Darragh O'Conaill fought hard for 15 minutes, but each man’s attacks were countered by perfect defense. In the end, neither competitor was submitted and the fight was declared a draw.