2015 was perhaps the greatest year in the history of grappling. For the first time ever, submission grappling finally transcended its niche community and caught the attention of combat fans worldwide. The explosion of grappling came rather unexpectedly, but the factors behind it were clear, Ralek Gracie and Metamoris put the sport on the map. But, while Metamoris led to greater popularity for grappling, they haven’t been the ones to maintain it.
The rise of Metamoris began in 2012 with a show featuring some of the most important names in grappling, including Andre Galvao, Roger Gracie, and Kron Gracie. While Metamoris’ inaugural show immediately captivated diehard fans of BJJ and no-gi grappling, it went under the radar of casual MMA fans, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the promoters.
During the summer of 2013, Metamoris came back with a bang, instead of just a card featuring the elite of the grappling world, Metamoris 2 mixed in some big names from the world of MMA. Brendan Schaub faced Cyborg Abreu and Japanese superstar, Shinya Aoki, bravely stepped onto the mats against the ever-vicious Kron Gracie. This show was well received by the MMA community and acted as impetus for what was to come next.
Ralek Gracie and co. began to invest substantial amounts of money to bring in names that would attract casual fans, their next show was headlined by Eddie Bravo, was a widespread success, but not profitable. After paying their largest purses to date, Metamoris barely broke even. This was the beginning of a downward slope for the promotion.
Metamoris 4,5 and 6 were all successes in terms of fan interest and quality match-ups, Renzo Gracie, Chael Sonnen, Rory MacDonald and Josh Barnett all graced the mats and put on great shows, but behind the scenes things began to take a turn for the worse, whispers of late payments became to emanate from the inner circles of the grappling elite. Shady contract offers marginalized athletes and there was a general sense of unrest surrounding Metamoris.
Burgeoning stars began to complain of non-payments and the grappling community grew unhappy with Metamoris’ subscription service. Things began to worsen when stars like Joe Lauzon and more began to voice their displeasure over late payments. Metamoris’ trouble came to a head this week, when AJ Agazarm posted on the Metamoris instagram to complain about the fact that Metamoris had yet to pay him his money.
With all these problems coming to a head, it is really easy for fans and fighters to pile on Metamoris and Ralek Gracie right now. I personally have been out of my mind with rage at Metamoris in the past, specifically when they offered Garry Tonon a ridiculous exclusive contract, which meant he could no longer compete at the Eddie Bravo invitational or regional events. But, after reflecting on all that has happened with Metamoris over the last few months, I have come to the opinion that Metamoris are the necessary evil that grappling needed.
First, on a fundamental level Ralek Gracie is not a bad guy. He has likely lost a lot of money on Metamoris shows and while this is no excuse for the promotion’s actions, I do not believe that Ralek is purposefully out there trying to screw athletes out of a few thousand dollars. The way that Ralek has managed Metamoris has been flawed, he is not a businessman, but he is also not a bad person.
Even in its flawed absurdity, Metamoris has done a great service to athletes. Its shows have brought in a lot of interest in grappling, making shows like Polaris and the Eddie Bravo Invitational viable business ventures that make real money. Through Metamoris’ promotion, Garry Tonon, AJ Agazarm and Keenan Cornelius have became stars. MMA fans know these names and that is in no small part to Metamoris’ shows.
I think that even though Metamoris has stiffed Agazarm, they will probably (eventually) give him his money. But, it needs to be remembered that Metamoris has done young grapplers an invaluable service by giving them a marquee stage to compete on. This whole debacle reminds me of the olden days of MMA, where non-payment was a regularity. Cage Contender, a promotion that Conor McGregor once fought for, were notorious for late payments and non-payments, but they offered athletes great exposure which the likes of McGregor and Norman Parke used to springboard themselves to success.
We are in the dark ages of professional jiu-jitsu. Let’s be under no illusions here, it is only in recent years that athletes like Agazarm, Tonon, and Cornelius have been able to make money. And while Metamoris failed them on a monumental level they also provided them with the springboard to send them on their way to greater things. Metamoris has paved the way for the far superior EBI and Polaris.
Metamoris should act as a cautionary tale to promoters and athletes alike, but their value to the evolution of professional jiu-jitsu can’t be understated.