Lachlan Giles and Craig Jones– plus their up-and-coming Absolute MMA teammates– are lined up to invade the UK on June 1 for a night of submission-only grappling action.

Surging ADCC European Trials Winner Ross Nicholls will defend his Grapplefest middleweight crown for the first time against ADCC Asia-Oceania Trials Winner Lachlan Giles, with both men looking to keep up their scintillating run of form ahead of the ADCC World Championships in September. 

Watch Grapplefest 5 

LIVE or On Demand | June 1 | Click for details

Giles exploded into consciousness as an elite competitor in his own right, as well as the coach to Craig Jones, who was one of the breakout stars of ADCC 2017. The Absolute MMA St Kilda head coach has qualified for the ADCC World Championships three times in a row, and scored a stunning heel hook over Bradley Hill to open his Grapplefest slate at the last event.

Roger Gracie black belt Nicholls has made a name for himself as arguably the best no-gi grappler in Europe at the moment thanks to his outstanding tournament wins and superfight performances, which include a trio of victories over Jack Grant, Sean McDonagh, and Gianni Grippo under the Grapplefest banner.

Jones gets the win over Matheus Diniz

Craig Jones and Miha Perhavec meet in an all-international co-main event battle that promises fast-paced, attacking action from two athletes that relentlessly hunt for the finish.

Two-division Polaris champion Jones has an unblemished record as a Grapplefest athlete with a tight decision victory over Matheus Diniz in his first outing, and then a rear-naked choke win over Gabriel Arges at the last event. He has submitted grappling titans such as Leandro Lo, Murilo Santana and Jake Shields, which is evidence of his finishing prowess. 

Globe-trotting Perhavec is an extremely decorated grappler on the European circuit who has shown his submission efficacy in high-level matchups, but Jones would undoubtedly be the biggest name on his resume.

The rise of Grapplefest 

Liverpool-based promotion Grapplefest has quickly risen to become one of the world’s premier submission only events, attracting elite grapplers from around the world to England’s North West. 

Their fifth installment at Fusion Nightclub on Saturday, 1st June is no different, with competitors flying in from Australia, the USA, and Slovenia. 

This is on top of the best of British, with many of the UK’s leading submission specialists on the card, complemented by exciting regional talent.

“GF5 is an unreal card, probably the best we have produced so far in terms of the matches,” said Grapplefest matchmaker Chris Thompson

“A lot goes into matchmaking — it's not just a case of throwing big names together. It's all about the styles of each grappler and showcasing people who hunt for submissions and the finish, rather than anti-grapplers whose aim is just not to get tapped.

“We are pretty sure this will be our most exciting card so far!”

On the undercard

Renzo Gracie Academy’s Frank Rosenthal takes on Australia’s Jeremy Skinner in another international bout, with both men mixing day-to-day with some of the sport’s elite, and carving their own successful competitive careers in the submission only realm. 

New Yorker Rosenthal started grappling life as a wrestler but he now boasts an extremely versatile game, while Skinner — like Jones and Giles — is a heel hunter with fantastic entries into leg entanglements.

Rosenthal in action

Ashley Williams and Kev Corkhill go head-to-head in a title eliminator bout at 70kgs, and there are plenty more recognizable names including current and former UFC stars Tom Breese and Phil Harris, and in-form Yorkshireman Lloyd Cooper to name just a few. 

Find the full, up-to-date Grapplefest 4 card below  

Lachlan Giles (Absolute MMA) v Ross Nicholls (RGA Gymbox) u80kgs belt

Craig Jones (Absolute MMA) v Miha Perhavec (ECJJ)

Frank Rosenthal (Renzo Gracie) v Jeremy Skinner (Absolute MMA) u70kgs

Ashley Williams (CRA) v Kev Corkhill (LBJJ) u70kgs belt eliminator

Tom Breese (Inglorious Grapplers) V Andy Clamp (Blackledge) u100kgs

Jamie Hughes (Pedro Bessa) v Adam Ellis (ARBJJ) u100kgs

Charlie McDonald (Sukata) v Freddie Sykes (RGA) u80kgs

Izaak Michell (Absolute MMA) v Craig McIntosh (Higher Level) 75kgs

Phil Harris (Gym 01) v Mikail Yahaya (Absolute MMA) 62kgs

Neil Atkins (Sukata) v Jay Butler (ARBJJ) u70kgs

Dominic Dillon (Checkmat) v Ben Robson (CF24) u73kgs

Lloyd Cooper (Goole BJJ) v Chris Paines (Fighting Fit) u85kgs

Harry McKnight (Next Gen) v Danny Tyler (Alliance) u80kgs

Christian Knight (Stealth) v Gareth Davies (ARBJJ) u80kgs

Josh Cherrington (Bedlam) v Jack Tyley (10thP) u80kgs

Danny Hughes (GF Team) v Nicholas Fielding (IMBJJ) u70kgs

Sam Laird (Sukata) v Shane Price u90kgs

Brian Fitzgibbon (Sukata) v Kaiyan McKnight (Next Gen) u35kgs

Maia Holmes (5 Rings) v Marina Mav (Carlson Gracie) u65kgs

Shane Curtis (Notts MMA) v Kieran Kiffin (MMA Academy) u80kgs

 Ollie Bates (Goole BJJ) v Chris Nicol (ACC) u70kgs

Shea Williams (Next Gen) v Brad McDonagh (Sukata) u30kgs

Ben Hills (Next Gen) v Andrew Hardwick (Sukata/ASW) u90kgs

Jack Rimmer (Next Gen) v Maison Farrington (New Wave) u34kgs