Ryron Gracie vs. André Galvão at Metamoris 1

Metamoris fans were caught by surprise this afternoon when the event’s Instagram feed announced that Roberto Cyborg is out of this weekend’s card main event.

Cyborg has a rib injury, as he also revealed on Instagram: “Unfortunately due to a rib injury, I won’t be able to fight this weekend at Metamoris. It has been a tough decision to make. I was fully committed to my training and very motivated with the chance of defending the flag of BJJ and taking the title from Josh Barnett, but my trainers and doctors advise me not to fight since I wouldn’t be able to perform, risking my health and jeopardizing my career.”

The event was quick to replace him.

Ryron Gracie stepped up to face Josh Barnett in what Metamoris is calling an “open weight super-match”.

Ryron competed at Metamoris 1, in 2012, when he tied a submission only match against André Galvão.

Metamoris 6 goes down this Saturday, May 9, in the Los Angeles area.

The card also include a match in the gi between Xande Ribeiro and Keenan Cornelius, among other attractions.

Metamoris has announced the fight card for its sixth installment.

The event is scheduled May 9 and is already sold out according to the event’s website.

2013 ADCC open class champion Roberto Cyborg will be challenging Pride and UFC veteran Josh Barnett for the Metamoris heavyweight title in the main event.

The co-main event will also feature two UFC veterans, Chael Sonnen vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

The card completes with: Dillon Danis vs. Joe Lauzon, Xande Ribeiro vs. Keenan Cornelius, Clark Gracie vs. Roberto Satoshi (Gi) and Jeff Monson vs. the winner of the Road to Metamoris champion reality show.

In another feature, the Road to Metamoris reality show will gather 16 heavyweights that will compete for a spot on Metamoris 6.

For more info, go to metamoris.com

Yuri Simões was the protagonist of the most thrilling match of last Saturday’s Metamoris 5.

The gi battle between him and Keenan Cornelius made the crowd roar with submission attempts from side to side.

In this exclusive interview for GRACIEMAG.com, Simões talks about the experience and what lessons he took from the 20 minutes against Keenan.

GRACIEMAG.com: How was the experience of a 20-minute-submission-only match?

Yuri Simões: It was different, I had never fought under this kind of rules. I train with no time limit often, but had never competed in this setting before. I gave the best of me to win and it was a great experience regardless of the outcome.

Your opponent was going to be Rafael Lovato Jr and it changed to Keenan Cornelius one week before the match. How did that change your training program and mindset for the event? 

In terms of preparation, the intensity and hours of training continued the same. But the strategy totally changed because Keenan is a completely different fighter to Lovato. Rafael’s game is more predictable, but he is stronger and more experienced. Keenan is more flexible, versatile and unpredictable overall. Nevertheless, I was prepared to play forward and be effective against both.

Your best moment in the match was a leg lock that made everyone think Keenan would tap, but he didn’t. What was missing there for the submission to happen?  

I needed to believe more in that leg lock. Because he is very flexible, I didn’t believe I would get the tap there. I only realized that it was tight when I heard his knee pop twice. He was really tough for not tapping there. Other than that, at the very end of the match I had a heel hook in place and the rule said that the fight would continue if a submission was in place. The referee came talk to me afterwards and said he was sorry he stopped the match.

A little over a month before Metamoris, you fought and beat Keenan in the Worlds No-Gi open class final. Did that match helped you in any way? 

Every fight is a different fight. I know he is one of the best at the time  and that I needed to train as hard as I could to beat him again. It was a tie, but I’m glad my Jiu-Jitsu was not only offensive, but that I also managed to escape from some dangerous situations.

In one of those moments, Simões caught Kennan in what seemed to be a very tight kneebar.

As the crowd waited to see what happened, Keenan had a very strange defense technique.

In the video below, he explains why it worked so well.

Keenan Cornelius in the 2014 Worlds

Keenan Cornelius didn’t avoid the issue and addressed the announcement by Copa Podio to penalyze the use of the lapel guard in its upcoming middleweight GP.

Read here the news and the statement by Copa Podio’s President, Jefferson Mayca.

Cornelius, who competed in the Copa Podio in 2013, wrote about the event’s decision on his Instagram account: “The entertainment of Jiu-Jitsu does not lay in the spectacle of the fights themselves. As most of these are slow moving and boring anyways. But it lies in the appreciation of the intricate techniques and innovations of the sport. When the closed guard was first used in martial arts no one could deal with the position. No one could escape and it revolutionized the martial arts. Where would Jiu-Jitsu be if someone had declared closed guard as illegal on the sport. The same can be said about any innovation. To be afraid of change is what really hinders the sport. Progress is impossible without change, and those who can’t change their minds can’t change anything.”

The post, shared also on Keenan’s Facebook page , generated great debate in the comments area.

Who do you agree with, Keenan or the Copa Podio?

Keenan Cornelius pôs o valente finalista João Miyao para dormir. Foto: Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.com

Lisboa, a capital de Portugal, recebeu a décima edição do charmoso Campeonato Europeu de Jiu-Jitsu, da IBJJF, que levantou os fãs de quinta a domingo. Ontem, no último e eletrizante dia de evento, saíram os campeões da marrom e preta.

Entre os vencedores, feras como Bernardo Faria, Claudio Calasans, Rominho Barral, Rubens Cobrinha, Alexander Trans, Luanna Alzuguir e Keenan Cornelius, na marrom. Além deles, um medalhista de prata teve motivos para celebrar: Fernando Tererê lutou bem e volta para o Rio com o brilho de felicidade estampado em seus olhos. Existe vitória maior?

Tererê ainda ajudou sua equipe, a Alliance, a vencer a disputa por academias no adulto, com 105 pontos. O time de Lloyd Irvin ficou em segundo, com 71 pontos. A Gracie Barra ficou em terceiro lugar, com 64 pontos.

Confira tudo isso e muito mais nas fotos de Ivan Trindade, a seguir.

Para reler nossa cobertura, clique aqui.

Para conferir os campeões, visite o site da IBJJF, aqui.

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