On Saturday, Metamoris brought some of the very best grapplers and put them under one roof. Chael Sonnen vs Andre Galvao was the main event while Dean Lister vs Josh Barnett for the Metamoris Heavyweight title served as the co-main event. The night ended woth three submissions and three draws. Gary Tonon came storming out of the gate, he slapped on a Guillotine choke to end Kit Dale’s night just a little over three minutes into the match.
From there the pace slowed a bit. The next match was Riberio vs Comprido, two decorated jiu jitsu veterans, in the only gi match of the night. This match was a far cry from the first match. Both Riberio and Comprido spent the better part of this match on the feet. They desperately fought for holds on collars and lapels. The match certainly had its moments of excitement, but it was probably the hardest match for the casual viewer to understand.
Now we got to my favorite match of the night. Vinny Magalhaes vs Keenan Cornelius was just an excellent match. Both of them were constantly hunting for submissions. Magalhaes come very close to tapping Cornelius with a heel hook early on but Cornelius escaped. Towards the end of the match Cornelius attempted a mounted triangle which Magalhaes slipped out of. This match ultimately ended in a draw, but what a draw it was!
Now for the secret match! Many names had been thrown around, including Eddie Bravo and Royce Gracie, but no one could have guessed who it was. A few people guessed that Baret Yoshida was one of the opponents, but no one could have guessed that Jeff Glover was the other opponent! My favorite moment was when Glover stood up from the commentating both and walked onto the canvas! The match itself was very fast paced and very exciting. Glover routinely gave his back up in what he calls “Donkey Guard” to keep the action moving. The only negative I have about this match was the lack of submission attempts. There was a lot of slick transitions but not much in the way of submissions. This is why the match ended in a draw.
Co-main event time! Dean Lister vs Josh Barnett for the first ever Metamoris Heavyweight title. Barnett took control of Lister and never let up. He used his weight, wrestling, and top game to completely smother Lister. The real shocker was when Barnett was able to submit Lister via Arm Triangle/Neck Crank with only a few seconds left! Barnett was able to get Lister to tap for the first time in 16 years!
The main event was definitely put together to appeal to the casual fans. Do I love Chael Sonnen? Yes. Is he a great wrestler? Yes. Did he belong in there with Galvao? Absolutely not! I thought Chael did rather well considering his circumstance. He played in Galvao’s guard and used his considerable weight advantage to try and grind him out. Galvao eventually took Chael’s back and slapped on a rear naked choke. Most people expected it to go this way, it just took a bit longer than I thought.
So what do you think about Metamoris after its fourth event? This card was built to appeal to MMA fans. Just look at some of the names on there and you can tell. Do you enjoy Metamoris? Feel free to comment below!
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