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How To Evaluate Metamoris II

metamoris art II
By: Tyler Bishop
Metamoris has completed it’s second foray into premium jiu jitsu cards. There were some slight changes to the rules and procedures this time. Unfortunately, many of the results fell short of expectations.
On a positive note, the hype and fanfare prior to this event seemed significantly more intense than from the first installment of Metamoris. This is great news for jiu jitsu. Metamoris is great idea. It is a premium event that allows access to spectators all over the world, pays it’s competitors, and provides a first class experience for both.
On a negative note, there are always birthing pains with new and innovative ideas. While the idea of submission-only isn’t new – in fact it is an old idea – the implementation of a  Metamoris-style event is quite new. The drawbacks so far have been creating a tournament environment that is truly the most competitive, effective, and exciting format to watch. This seems to be the initial mission. To create a tournament that provides the best competitors with the optimum environment to showcase there talents and abilities. So far, the event is missing the mark – as many matches become as stalemated – and with no points to influence urgency the matches have tendency to become somewhat passive at times. I believe the judges were added this time to do just that; however, this seemed to have little effect on the competitors and actually seemed to just disenfranchise the audience a little bit.
Don’t kid yourself, the rules, setup, or coordination of an tournament will never be able to manufacture an exciting event. In an op-ed we wrote last year we discussed why the competitor is the sole one responsible for excitement. However, there is little debate here that things could improve to create a more optimal environment. So how should we evaluate this event looking back, and what should our expectations be for the future?

Here are three popular opinions we have seen since the the completion of the event…

  1. This style of event is the best, and it is only missing further incentives for the fighters to become more exciting.
    I have seen this opinion written a lot. It obviously is a very popular way to look at the event – knowing what we do now, and what we would like to see in the future. It makes sense too. As discussed above, the broadcast, professionalism, and organization is top-notch – and one can only assume it will get better. The only thing missing is a more exciting array of matches, right? I’m not so sure.
    Incenting fighters to perform one way or another seems like it could be the right way to go – and who knows maybe it is – but you have to consider what that actually does to the competition. At what point do you create an environment in which the competitive spirit has left? Paying fighters or penalizing them for being effective (whether on offense or defense) has a direct result on the fighters performance. You could essentially be incenting a fighter to not fight there best. That goes against the spirit of competition. Let me give you an example in a different context. If you were deer hunting and sat alone in the woods for days with no deer walking past you, at what point would you say that buying deer to stock in the woods is fair game? I would argue that it is never sporting to do this. You have manufactured a kill. While you can take the meat home to the dinner table, you can’t necessarily feel great about the process by which you have acquired said meat.So while I do appreciate this sentiment, and would realize the need for it’s institution, I would strongly hope we could explore all other avenues before jumping into this boat. If for no other reason to simply keep the event pure and sporting. One of the best things about the event is the lack of a true mediator in the process. By instituting penalties and rewards we insert an arbitrator that I’m not sure does the sport justice.
  2. Institute the Rickson Budo Challenge Rules.

    Now we are talking! I will conceal any bias that long time readers know I have towards this particular format. I have long-time been a fan of this scoring format, and am somewhat baffled as to why after a brief acceptance years ago this style of tournament disappeared. Much like Rickson himself, this style of tournament produced some fantastic fights and matches that will be remembered forever, and then simply left us wanting more.
    This type of tournament does have it’s downfall though. The point-based rewards for submission attempts over positions is wildly objective, and doesn’t always reward the most effective grapplers. It has a tendency to reward those who are most aggressive over those who are most technical. The affinity for this even likely comes from the old Rickson Budo Challenge events in which many of the matches produced a fever-pitch of excitement even when there was no submission. Adding rounds to the tournament format certainly could help break up the action, and allow fighters to re-evaluate their gameplans though. There is a lot to be considered here; however the amount of objectively in the scoring likely leaves this approach on the outside looking in.
    While the merits of this style of format are far and long-reaching it is likely not a great fit for the current promoters and their ideals. It would be a dramatic 180 from their current format, and would provide a level of objectivity that many audiences might not appreciate. Furthermore, it is possible that this style of tournament even flies in the face of what the promotors are attempting to produce (it’s hard to say). Ultimately, there are elements of this style of tournament that deserve some serious consideration, but it’s unlikely that we see this exact format at Metamoris anytime soon.
  3. The event is perfect…. more Schaub, MORE SCHAUB……MORE SCHAAAUUUBB!!!!!!!
    All jokes aside, is there a little birdy in the back of your mind that wonders if the boring defensive struggles of Ryron vs. Galvao, and  Cyborg vs. Schaub are secretly what the young Gracie brothers may have wanted from the Metmoris events? Almost in a rare tribute to Andy Kaufman, perhaps they are the only ones in on the joke.I know, it seems crazy right. Who wants to create a boring event that frustrates it’s audience? In all likelihood this sentiment is simply unfounded. However, the Gracie academy does espouse many of these defensive techniques, and spends a strong amount of time emphasizing defense over offense. It does seem possible that an agenda inside of these events is to showcase a personal point they wish to make as to the true merits of real jiu jitsu competition.Perhaps much of this is just as much about anti-competitive jiu jitsu as it is the ultimate showcase for jiu jitsu competition. It’s hard to say really, and you would have to have a strong affinity for conspiracy theories to believe it whole-heatedly. However, I can say one thing for sure. Whoever draws a grappler from the Gracie academy in the next event better be prepared for some serious defense, and a possible non-fight. This is two events in a row in which the most disenchanting match included a Gracie Academy fighter.

All in all, Metamoris is a revelation that needs to quickly continue to evolve. The addition of Royler Gracie vs Eddie Bravo to the next event will ensure record sales and attendance. It is up to the event to deliver what the fans want to see.
Osss

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10 Things Learned At The 2013 Jiu Jitsu World Championship

By: Tyler Bishop
The 2013 Jiu Jitsu World Championship is in the books. History was made once again, and we want to congratulate everyone who stood atop the podium at the event. For everyone that competed and suffered defeat, keep your head up and keep striving towards your goals. The competition is fierce, and the stakes are high. The World Championship is the most prestigious event in jiu jtsu history, and will likely maintain that title for a long while – due to the incredibly high level of competitors that attend the event.
Just like every year, there is a lot that we can learn from this event. The BishopBjj.com team was in attendance every day of the event, and we did not miss a beat. We wanted to share with you a few of the important pieces of material that we learned at the championship, and hopefully you can share with us some of the things you may have learned watching at home.

  1. Buchecha is the new king, and it is now unquestionable. Prior to this event, there was little doubt that Marcus Almaeda was the champ, but now he is “the man”. After last years epic battle and a close match earlier this year, the Buchecha/Rodolfo rivalry still seemed close. We watched the absolute final match intensely. We wanted to see if today would be the day that Rodolfo took back the crown. Unfortunately for Rodolfo, June 2nd served as the exact date that Buchecha became the far-and-away better competitor. Buchecha simply dominated the match from start to finish. I  honestly wonder what Rodolfo was thinking. I can’t imagine anyone has done the things Buchecha  did to him in a very long time. It’s always a little off-putting when you recieve an unexpected beating in BJJ. I’m sure that goes double for Rodolfo. Welcome to the Buchecha dynasty.
  2. Blue belts take it seriously! The level of competition at the blue belt level this year was the best I have ever seen it. I remember being a blue belt 6 years ago, and the competition was not at this same level. Many of the competitors are training with the same enthusiasm and commitment that the brown and black belt competitors are. In fact, the other blue belts all know who the other top guys are… at blue belt. What does this hold for the sport in the future, and how should the average jiu jitsu competitor feel about this? It is the World Championships after all, and everyone has to start somewhere.
  3. You don’t win until you win. We saw it twice in the finals this year. You can’t win the match until your hand is raised. Ary Farias cost himself a World Championship by carelessly walking off the mats. I feel for the guy ( I really do), but when the stakes are that high – and your match was as close as that one was – wait to get your hand raised before you celebrate. The rules are the rules, and you simply cannot pick and choose objectively when they will be followed (they are hard enough to enforce as is). Another example of this was Augusto Taquinho’s tenacity in finishing his match with Rafa Mendes. It looked from my perspective like Rafa was looking to coast out at the end. Augusto simply had more fight him at the end, and with seconds left he stole the match. The meal goes to the dog who is hungriest.
  4. Acai is delicious but should not be eaten in a cage. I love acai, and ate exactly two bowls at the Worlds. I enjoyed neither of them. When you force me to stand in a cage to eat it you might as well punch me in the groin while you’re at it. This is CSULB’s thing, not the IBJJF’s, but regardless it is a travesty. #freetheacai
  5. Points are hard to get. I’ll never forget a conversation I overheard at the 2011 World Championship, it went something like this…
    – Competitor (to referee): Why did you not give me points for passing the guard?
    – Referee: **Dead lifeless stare**
    – Competitor: I passed the guard and it should have been 3 points, I should have won the match!
    – Referee: No, you lose…. it fair
    – Competitor: (intensely)… But I should have won! Those points would have put me in the lead!
    – Referee: (long pause… smiling now) Points are hard to get …. (pats the kid on the shoulder and walks away)
    It had to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. The competitor was losing his mind, and the referee was on a totally different page. The point of the story is this – points are indeed hard to get. You have to earn them, and sometimes they are easier to get than others. Sometimes you might feel screwed, other times you might get lucky. When you are a top competitor you find a way to rise above it all. That’s why you consistently see the top names in every division.
  6. Gabi is busy getting stronger. Gabi Garcia wore a shirt on day 1 that read “I’m Busy Getting Stronger”. Meanwhile, all of the women in the black belt absolute grew even more fearful of what that might mean. How could she be any stronger! In all seriousness, Gabi simply is too much for any other woman currently competing in BJJ. She plows through her division just as easily as she does the absolute. She will be the champ of the absolute so long as she signs up. Fair, unfair, or any where in between, it’s the fact of the situation. She is a woman without any true competition.
  7. Atos has a bad day. The team that was stocking up on top talent, and seemed poised to showcase themselves this year fell flat. Galvao, the Mendes Bros., Calassans, and Keenan all fell short this past weekend. It could just been a fluke, but it seemed almost too much of a coincidence that the team performed to far below expectations. Again, it’s the World Championships, and everyone is good, but it was surprising to say the least that a team with so much fanfare underachieved to this degree. Maybe it really was as simple as a bad day.
  8. Braulio Estima is a bad man. Estima showed up on the competitor roster at the last minute on a whim, and dominated the competition – closing out the bracket with teammate Romulo Barral. He is truly a character as well. As Galvao attempted a footlock at the end of their match, Estima certainly hammed it up for the enjoyment of the crowd. Hopefully we will see more of him in the gi in the future.
  9. The gi-checkers took the day off. Remember how just about 50% of the gi’s were illegal at the 2013 Pan? For some reason the IBJJF did a 180 on this procedure. I witnessed very very few competitors being turned away for gi disqualifications. I even witnessed several gii’s in action at all levels that were noticeably outside of normal perimeters. I’m not sure if the IBJJF specifically lightened up or if it was simply some new employees, but this change was noticeable. I even thought about wearing a bath robe to test this policy, but alas I had no bath robe to wear.
  10. (Personal Note) It was an incredibly special day for me and my family. My wife, Jena Bishop, and close friend, Nick “Moose” Schrock, both added “world champion” to their resume. Jena took 1st in her brown belt division and 3rd in the absolute, while Nick took first at purple belt medium-heavy. It is an incredibly emotional experience to witness first hand all of the blood, sweat, and tears pay off. It’s easy to see why jiu jitsu is such a passionate experience for so many. This past weekend was one of my most memorable and enjoyable of my entire life. Part of jiu jitsu is living through the sacrifices and training with your teammates, and when they experience success you share in their victory.

That’s what I learned at the 2013 World Championship.
God bless.
 

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2013 World Jiu Jitsu Championship Preview

world jiu jitsu preview image

By: Tyler Bishop

Every year towards the end of May and beginning of June, the greatest grapplers on planet earth gather in Long Beach, California. This west coast city has become the home of the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) World Championship. The IBJJF World Championship is the most prestigious Jiu Jitsu tournament in the world, and features thousands of adult competitors from around the globe.

The event features blue through black belt adult-only divisions – with a special novice tournament for white belts the day before – and attracts some of the most well-known grapplers in the world as competitors and as spectators. Every year attendance and enrollment in the tournament increases, and so does the level of talent in every division. So who will be a black belt world champion this year, and what competitors should you keep your eye on?

First, if you haven’t looked at the competitor list yet check out the current list here (www.ibjjf.og). One of the great features of the IBJJF World Championship is the ability to see all competitors in each division. The brackets for each division are made available on the IBJJF website ahead of the tournament (so you will want to stay tuned to see some of the potential match-ups). This year is no exception to years past, the 2012 champions will all be in attendance to defend their crowns. So who will rise to the top?

We will start our evaluation by weight class in the men’s divisions:

ROOSTER

The rooster weight division will likely result in another classic showdown between Bruno Malfacine and Caio Terra. Malfacine is the reigning champion, but Terra recently bested him at the 2013 Pan-Am’s. Other notables in the division include Brandon Mullins, Koji Shibamoto, and perennial mainstay Felipe Costa. It’s hard to imagine anything but a Malfacine/Terra final once again.Get the cameras ready!

Prediction: Terra

LIGHT-FEATHER

The light-feather weight class has been recently dominated by one man, Guilherme Mendes. I expect that trend to continue as there appears to be no stand-out contenders that have recently threatened his crown. However, if Ary Farias was to compete against Guilherme in the finals the results could get interesting. Farias has been a strong contender the last few years, and has the athletic accumen to give Mendes trouble. They are both from team Atos, so they would have to choose to fight in the finals. Recently the team has stated they will fight for championships, so hold on to your hats. Laercio Fernandes has been in the mix, but has never looked like he was able to take the match away from someone. There is at least a formula fora possible upset here, but it seems like a bit of a stretch at this point.

Prediction: Guilherme Mendes

FEATHER

The feather weight division is one of the most talented in recent history – which makes the reigning 3x champion all the more impressive. Rafael Mendes has remained unbeaten for over 2 years in an extremely difficult division. And while “Cobrinha” Charles and Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes always seem to push Mendes to the limit, the current champion always finds a way to reign supreme. But don’t sleep on Tanquinho his stock has been rising quickly since the beginning of the year – with a recent win over Cobrinha at the 2013 World Pro. Mario Reis is always a longshot as well. I would not do my family justice without mentioning that my instructor JW Wright will be competing in this division as well, and certainly possess the knowledge and skillset to do some serious damage. It seems incredibly likely that the final four will be Mario Reis, Cobrinha, Rafa, and Tanquinho.

Prediction: Rafael Mendes

LIGHT

The light weight division is always filled with talent. Some of the best in the world find their way into this division each year. Lucas Lepri and Leandro Lo could likely battle for supremacy once again this year; however, a contender such as JT Torres, Micheal Langhi, Zach Maxwell, or Roberto Satoshi could certainly find a way to upset one of these two at any point. In fact, this may be one of the most wide-open divisions in the entire tournament. This seems like the kind of year that we could be surprised by the lightweight champion. How much longer can the Lepri and Lo hold off these young bucks?

Prediction: Leandro Lo

MIDDLE

The middleweight division is filled with powerful athletes. Some of the quickest and most athletic men from around the world find themselves in the 181.5lb division. The lineup includes notable competitors such as Claudio Calassans, DJ Jackson, Clark Gracie, Marcelo Mafra, Otavio Sousa, Victor Estima, and Tanner Rice – to name a few. Will the Gracie name reign supreme, or will one of the others finally claim his thrown? Fresh of a great performance at the Pan, one would think Gracie stands a strong chance, but Calassans has been dominant in the division over the last few years. The only exception was the upset by Otavio Sousa last year, who will likely return as the divisional favorite this year. This is another division that could hold a few surprises due to such a heavy talent pool. I could see a final four of any combination of the above names, but I would put my money on Calassans, Gracie, Sousa, and Estima as a likely final four (brackets pending).

Prediction: Otavio Sousa

MIDDLE-HEAVY

Prepare for war! The light-heavy weight class features several of the most dominant competitors in recent history. With notable competitors such Andre Galvao, Romulo Barral, Braulio Estima, and Gustavo Campos all signed up in this division, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will take home the medal this year. Barral is back from a  knee injury suffered just months earlier at the World Pro. The big question will be if he is in fact 100%. If so, he has all the ability to become champion of the division. However, if he is at any less than full steam he will have to watch out for the Atos team members, Campos and Galvao – who closed the division out at the Pans earlier this year. Braulio Estima is a last second edition, and must be considered an elite threat to take the division. Hold on to your hats, this could be getting good!

Prediction: Andre Galvao

HEAVY

One man reigns supreme in the heavy weight division, Rodolfo Vieira. Viera will once again face stuff competition with the likes of Rafael Lovato Jr., Xande Riberio, Yuri Simoes, and Lucas Leite inside the division. The pressure against these game opponents will be great, and with the aura of his dominance fading with recent loses to Buchecha one can only imagine that this is the prime time for an upset. Is it possible that the 23 year old king could be uncrowned this year? Lovato Jr. and Xande Ribeiro will certainly make it a tough test for the upcoming GF team fighter this year.

Prediction: Rafael Lovato Jr.

SUPER-HEAVY

The super-heavy weight class is usually dominated by teammates from Alliance, Bernardo Faria, Antonio Carlos, and Leo Nogueira. However, someone like Leo Leite or Joao Gabriel Rocha could provide an interesting upset. Gabriel built a name for himself at brown belt as an absolute monster. Will he be able to translate that to the black belt level, on the worlds biggest stage in such short time?

Prediction: Leo Nogueira

ULTRA-HEAVY

The ultra-heavy weight division is much like the heavy weight division. One man has recently stood miles above the rest. Marcus “Buchecha” Almaeda is in a  division filled with challenges from the likes of Orlando Sanchez, Alexander Trans, and Cyborg Abreu. Yet, I am more confident predicting this division than I am any other. That just shows how good Buchecha is right now.

Prediction: Marcus “Buchecha” Almaeda

ABSOLUTE

The absolute division is an inevitable clash. The world will again see the epic match between Marcus Almaeda and Rodolfo Vieira. It has been hailed in the past as the greatest match in history (although this is a little overdone). Expect the bracket-makers to line them up on opposite sides of the bracket as they tear through the competition to reach each other in the finals.

Prediction: Marcus “Buchecha” Almaeda

Stay tuned, we will be providing our women’s preview in the coming days