Looking back at the very first UFC, one guy made his family’s martial art stand out and created a sport that would soon evolve into what we know as Mixed Martial Arts or MMA. The martial art was Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the fighter was Royce Gracie. Now, Rory MacDonald a top welterweight in the UFC is stepping out of his comfort zone on November 22nd to face a world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner in Jonathan ”JT” Torres at the submission only Metamoris 5.
MacDonald, who has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu himself is no stranger to the pressure of a good grappling match. It should also be noted that he has yet to be submitted in his career as his only two losses are from strikes and a decision loss. I think it’s good to see a fighter at his level step out of his comfort zone and test himself in an event such as Metamoris. He would not be the first since the last Metamoris main event had Chael Sonnen test himself against Andre Galvao, another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and black belt. He lost via rear naked choke from Galvao but he still lasted a good thirteen minutes before the master grappler took his back. When watching these events, a lot of people complain and find the ground parts of the fights boring. If you’re lucky enough to go to a live event you will hear the guy that does not know the intricacies of the art yell something like “punch him in the groin!”. Events like Metamoris is a good showcase for fans to learn about one of the many pieces that make MMA what it is today and can serve as an educational tool for casual fans. MacDonald is not only active on the UFC’s roster of world class fighters but he is one of the top welterweights in his class and is probably due for another shot at the title. To step up and face a guy like Torres in a sport where Torres is dominant is a true testament to how hungry he is to compete and win at the top levels of martial arts.
If that match up does not interest you, old fans of the now defunct Pride Fighting Championships will like the main event. Kazushi Sakuraba and Renzo Gracie are facing off again as both have not fought in MMA for a number of years and their last match-up did not end in favor of the Gracie family. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community is a tight niche community but this particular event should appeal to casual fans of MMA as well. It’s a good place to merge fans together. Keep in mind the event is a live stream pay-per-view and taking place on the west coast so you will have to sign up and make an account with Metamoris if you want to catch it live.
Full event info and official card are at the Metamoris 5 event info site.
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