This coming weekend grappling promotion Metamoris will host its sixth show, but this one will have a twist to it. The event will be closed off to both the public and the media. The only way fans will be able to watch the fights are online via a PPV stream.
While Metamoris has always been an intimate event with only 700 tickets available, generating a gate of roughly $100k, it seems a total step backwards in promoting the grappling aspect of mixed martial arts.
Founder Ralek Gracie had the following to say on the upcoming show;
“We are experimenting with a more intimate setting for our athletes in their participation and focusing our resources on the pay-per-view experience for fans worldwide.”
Gracie has done a very good job so far in signing a number of high profile MMA fighters to the promotion which just makes this decision even more bizarre for me. I just cant understand why a promotion would not want fans and media at their shows and I think that this may be a decision they review after the event. I would not be surprised if we were to see them return to their previous format at the next event.
Metamoris are also not allowing any fighter videos on the night which upset competitor Joe Lauzon who is known for producing video blogs for his fans. Again another strange rule for them to implement and it just seems that they are pushing more and more people away from their product after spending so much time and effort in building this unique brand.
The official card for Metamoris 6 is;
Josh Barnett Vs Roberto Abreu
Chael Sonnen Vs Renato Sobral
Joe Lauzon Vs Dillon Danis
Alexandre Ribeiro Vs Keenan Cornelius
Roberto Satoshi Vs Clark Gracie
Jeff Monson Vs RTM Winner