Metamoris onwards

[Kurzy]

I saw this thread on Sherdog.
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f12...i-had-2434937/

I was contacted by Sage Gracie who does PR for Metamoris asking if I had any questions. I'm going to use the answers in an upcoming article on the Jiu Jitsu Lab, but I thought some of you might be interested in the full interview:

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Jiu Jitsu Lab: Metamoris 1 saw 20 minute matches that would go to a draw without a submission. Are there any plans to alter this format for the second installment?

Sage Gracie: Yes, Metamoris II will have 3 judges to make a decision if needed. But still no points and with the 20 min. time limit and most likely a cash bonus for submission.


Without getting into the specifics of athlete compensation, is it possible for an event like Metamoris to be profitable in the long term?

Absolutely, the intrest is only growing and the online streaming will be in 3 languages this time. Japanese, English, and Portuguese or Spanish.


Will there be future Metamoris events? What factors are taken into account for such a decision?

Yes. This is only the begining. Metamoris 3 is already in planning stages. We factor in locations with a large BJJ following/practitioners, places spectators want to visit, arenas suitable for our type of event, and places with BJJ history.


The rules of Metamoris were relaxed somewhat compared to IBJJF tournaments (e.g., knee-reaping in the gi, heel-hooks for the no-gi match). What was the athlete’s response to these rules? Any rule tweaks we should know about?

The athletes loved it!! The only new rule is the 3 judges in case of decision, which we feel will only add positive pressure and excitement.


If there was a theme to the first event, it might be Gracies vs. the world. Is there a similar trend for the second event? Are there any hints you can give about the athletes we might expect to see?

There are a lot of Gracies in the world!! Not so much the theme this time...You can expect to see the best, and a larger Japanese audience!

Following the first Metamoris event, recorded matches and highlights were online almost immediately. Most of these were not taken down, and your organization even posted full HD video of the matches on your youtube channel. Do you see the proliferation of online piracy as damaging to your brand, or are these videos generating more interest for you in the long term?

We know there are people out there who can not or do not wish to spend $20 on the purchase of the live stream, in which case those people will watch the pirated version before we choose to release it. That's somewhat unfortunate but not extremely detrimental. Because there are the other people, who know we are doing something big and in the most professional way we can (which cost money). They respect these athletes and the art of BJJ and know that by supporting us with their hard earn money through the appropriate platform, they are making future events possible.

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What do you guys think?

I loved the first one. I think it would be more exciting if Metamoris were to adapt Master Eddies rules. Didn't they run the last east coast training camp under those rules?

[derrick ikwueme]

i don't like the three judges decision if it's a draw, that's just like the points game where a match can be left to a judges decision witch is usually biased. they should stick to the draw eliminates both format, keep it cut throat so dudes don't plan on just winning a three judge decision. they should keep it gangster like it is now Helio Gracie style. & on a side note people need to stop being so selfish and cheap, if you can afford 100- 120 a month or even 200 on bjj classes you can pay 5-20 on a bjj stream. otherwise non of thease events will survive. up to 20,000 in prize money is a lot of doe not to mention organizing expenses.

[Kurzy]

Agreed, Derrick.

[David Rosado]

[Eddie Bravo]

I don't like judges either, it's just like points except the judges keep the tally in their head. Not into it.

[David Rosado]

I don't like judges either, it's just like points except the judges keep the tally in their head. Not into it.

Sadly, the point players (gi heads) make up the majority of the BJJ community. They pay the bills. All the draws were a shock to their system. They couldn't handle it. Hahaha. So, you know, they gotta appease the fans. I'm just happy that they're gonna keep putting these together.

[john botello]

The first one was awesome. The rules were fine, and I also agree that with judges there may be some bias in some cases. That is all dependant on who they get of course

[Josh Bodmon]

I respectfully disagree with those of you who feel the judges will not be helpful. I actually like Master Eddie's concept that if you don't win, you're both dq-ed and look forward to seeing it implemented in his tournament, but in this case where there is no tournament format, instead of having a tonne of draws I like the idea of judges to pick who wins. I'm interested to know what criteria they will use to judge. I only say this because these guys are the highest level black belts and so even with pressure, it will be tough to finish. There were some great finishes in the first event but half the fights were draws, primarily because one guy would be incredibly relaxed, doing little or nothing, with his opponent pushing the pace. Some can consider that the 'wear him out strategy' and that may be true, but if you are going to have a time limit and don't want to have dqs or draws, this can force for more action overall throughout the entire match. With the judges it will be incredibly subjective, but I think it will help promote the efforts to constantly push to finish. As we saw in the last event many of the guys pushing to finish either subbed their opponents (Im thinking of Kron and Lovato Jr) or clearly dominated (I'm thinking of Buchecha and Ribero). Ironically if you watched Roger vs Buchecha, and scored it with the IBJJF point system, Roger won...but it was pretty clear to practically everyone watching that Buchecha absolutely dominated that fight. I think it would be nice to reward fighters like Buchecha for going 100% after it in these single matchups. In a tournament, by all means, the idea that you're dq-ed if you dont sub is great, but we have to remember that these are the best black belts in the world who have succeeded at high levels, many under various rules sets (ie. IBJJF, GQ, ADCC, Rickson Challenge, and more), and to avoid people simply spending 20 mins trying to be a mouse in bjj cat and mouse playing to just hang on (pretty much seemed like Ryron's strategy for the most part), this idea could work to push action and force constant pressure or at least more pressure. Its different and new, why not see how it plays out

[Justin W.]

so if someone passes the guard in a close match, I'm guessing that person wins? you obviously can't give it to the person that just defended. it's points and that defeats the whole purpose of the event. the point of jiu jitsu to submit, so if no one gets submitted, it's a draw.

[Kurzy]

I respectfully disagree with those of you who feel the judges will not be helpful. I actually like Master Eddie's concept that if you don't win, you're both dq-ed and look forward to seeing it implemented in his tournament, but in this case where there is no tournament format, instead of having a tonne of draws I like the idea of judges to pick who wins. I'm interested to know what criteria they will use to judge. I only say this because these guys are the highest level black belts and so even with pressure, it will be tough to finish. There were some great finishes in the first event but half the fights were draws, primarily because one guy would be incredibly relaxed, doing little or nothing, with his opponent pushing the pace. Some can consider that the 'wear him out strategy' and that may be true, but if you are going to have a time limit and don't want to have dqs or draws, this can force for more action overall throughout the entire match. With the judges it will be incredibly subjective, but I think it will help promote the efforts to constantly push to finish. As we saw in the last event many of the guys pushing to finish either subbed their opponents (Im thinking of Kron and Lovato Jr) or clearly dominated (I'm thinking of Buchecha and Ribero). Ironically if you watched Roger vs Buchecha, and scored it with the IBJJF point system, Roger won...but it was pretty clear to practically everyone watching that Buchecha absolutely dominated that fight. I think it would be nice to reward fighters like Buchecha for going 100% after it in these single matchups. In a tournament, by all means, the idea that you're dq-ed if you dont sub is great, but we have to remember that these are the best black belts in the world who have succeeded at high levels, many under various rules sets (ie. IBJJF, GQ, ADCC, Rickson Challenge, and more), and to avoid people simply spending 20 mins trying to be a mouse in bjj cat and mouse playing to just hang on (pretty much seemed like Ryron's strategy for the most part), this idea could work to push action and force constant pressure or at least more pressure. Its different and new, why not see how it plays out

I hear what you're saying. Each match is a stand-alone match. It's not as if the winner is going to advance to another round: They will either win, lose or draw.

I personally would like to see incentives offered to sweeten the submission pot though. An extra 10 grand if submitted in the first 5 minutes, an extra 5 grand if submitted from the 5 to 15 minute mark, etc. You know, 'cuz money grows on trees.

But something to push the players into an aggressive submission-seeking game would be awesome. I also want to see a Glover/Terra rematch, and want Glover to win. Not that I don't like Ciao, because I do, but I like Glover more. lol.