Metamoris 4

Yesterday there was a big Jiu-Jitsu competition called Metamoris 4. It is the brainchild of Ralek Gracie, and is an attempt to purge sport competition of its point-related inconsistencies.

In point tournaments, whoever gets an early lead tends to do nothing more than to prevent their opponent from scoring. To do so, they refuse to take any risks. Nobody scores again, and nothing interesting happens. This happens again in the next match, and the next, and the next. It all becomes a game of snatch the early lead and then sit on it.

At Metamoris, there are no points. You can only win by submitting your opponent. He can only win by doing it to you. Anything else is a draw. Fights like this can take time, so a very generous 20 minute time limit is in effect. The rest of the rules are the same general type as normal tournaments. No hitting, for example.

This time there were six, invitational matches in the event.

In the first, out came two highly-successful Jiu-Jitsu competitors. This match was no-gi, which meant that they were wearing shorts and rashguards instead of the traditional gi. It was a very entertaining and fast moving bout, ending with a submission about 4 or 5 minutes in.

Entertaining, but not real-world at all. It was all technique that would only ever work in a grappling contest.

In the second match, the two guys wore gis. It nicely illustrated why so many hate competing in the traditional uniform. One guy spent all his time using his opponent's own gi against him. He would wrap up the other guy's wrists with his own jacket.

As long-time points fighters, they just didn't seem to be unable to shake off their old habits. Neither was willing to ever let the other guy have the dominant positions. When Jiu-Jitsu people roll without points they willingly do so, as there are just as many submissions possible from underneath as from above. This one went to the time limit and ended in a draw. Most of the 20 minutes were dull, with moments of excitement. They never got anywhere near a submission.

Match three had the contestants again in shorts and rashguard shirts. These guys also fought in a very sport-only style. Within seconds, one guy just sat down. As the other guy started to work his way into a dominant position, the sitter started rolling around upside down. Try that against in a real fight. It ended in another draw.

Fight four was the “secret” match. The participants were unknown to the audience until they were announced, and also unknown to each other. One guy wore regular no-gi gear, while the other wore what looked like black pantyhose, and no shirt at all. Ewww.

The first guy fought in a recognizable manner, but Mr. Shirtless fought like a boneless grappling savant. A lot of weirdness was going on. A draw.

Fight five was really big guys. One was wearing even less than Mr. Shirtless from the last bout. He had on a speedo of sorts, which caused all sorts of muffin tops. These guys were equally good, but speedo was a lot larger. He won with about 10 seconds left in the match.

The last match was the most intriguing. One guy is arguably the very best Jiu-Jitsu competitor in the world. His opponent was a serious amateur wrestler, who has had considerable success in the UFC. He isn't a really Jiu-Jitsu guy, but he is a top level grappler. He's spent all of his prep time working with top-notch Jiu-Jitsu coaches. Like some of the earlier athletes who fought earlier, he was strutting about topless. It seems to be a trend.

The topless UFC guy, Chael Sonnen, was quickly on top, inside his opponent's guard. He seemed totally content to stay there. While looking offensive, his game was totally defence. I can't see any attack that would logically follow this situation. He wasn't trying to reach a better position, or to attack from where he was. I guess he just wanted to make it through the twenty minutes.

His opponent, Andre Galvao, kept trying to come up with something, but Sonnen's defence was pretty solid. About halfway through the time, Andre managed to get a bit out from underneath, and kept inching around. About four minutes later he was on Sonnen's back, working to sink in a choke. This took several more minutes, but he eventually got it in, and got his submission win.

Recapping the entire event; there were six matches with 12 athletes. Two wore uniforms, 7 dressed no-gi, and 3 went topless. Nobody was topless in any of the other three Metamoris events. I hope this isn't a trend. Three matches ended early with submission wins, and three ended in draws.

Jolly fun.