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Monday, May 11, 2015

If you missed Metamoris last weekend, here's why you should watch Toro Cup 2 instead!

I've always liked Metamoris. I was looking forward to watching it on Saturday. But after reading Ralek Gracie's condescending remarks toward female jiu jitsu practitioners, I no longer wanted to give him my money or my time. So this time I didn't watch.

If, like me, you sorely missed your BJJ tube time last weekend, might I suggest an alternative - watch Toro Cup 2 this weekend instead! (*Disclaimer: I am competing in Toro Cup 2, so I may have a biased perspective on why it will be awesome).

Sure, Toro Cup is on a smaller and less elite scale than Metamoris. But I am going to offer you my humble opinion on why you should watch it instead.

1. It raises money for a good cause.

Ralek Gracie has faced a lot of slack for not offering women's matches on his cards. His response? "We're not a charity right now." Well, guess what?  ALL Toro Cup matches, male and female, really ARE for charity. This time, the proceeds are going to the Animal Protection Society of Durham. Some awesome pets come from that shelter, including my very own Daisy! 2. Live stream for Toro Cup is free! Watching Metamoris costs $30, which goes into Ralek's slimy, little pocket. But you can watch the Toro Cup for free at ToroBJJ.com!

3. The rules for Toro Cup are similar to those of Metamoris but are modified to eliminate the possibility of draws.

James Hogaboom, one of the Toro Cup organizers, explains the rule set. "Metamoris, better known as Meta-SNORE-is, consistently has more than 50% of their matches end in a draw.....BORING!"

Conversely, the Toro Cup rules are modified to eliminate this possibility:
If after 15 minutes there is not a submission, the match goes to an immediate 5 minute points match.
If after 5 minutes the match is tied, the match goes to an immediate “sudden death” match – first point scored wins.

Case in point: Toro Cup 1 featured 11 matches and all 11 matches had a winner!

4. The organizers of the Toro Cup support women's jiu jitsu.

Out of the 6 past Metamoris events, only 1 featured a women's match. Sure, it turned out to be one of the best matches on the card, but instead of giving the athletes the respect they deserve, Ralek said this: "We had that one match and it was cool, but that was more of, 'That's cool and that was interesting and I want to see that again if the girls are cute'." And he has not featured a female match since.

On the other hand, when I asked James Hogaboom about Toro Cup's first female match, he said the following: "Arguably the most exciting match of Toro Cup 1 was between Ashley McClelland and Christy Cherrey - two purple belt ladies. This match had the entire audience on their feet cheering." And he said nothing about either woman being cute.

Toro Cup organizer Jeff Shaw explains why he wants to see women's matches at both the elite and regional levels. "We need great cards with great matches, and some of the best matches I've seen in my life are women's matches. To build the next generation, it's important that today's blue and purple belts get to watch and learn from people like Leticia Ribeiro, Michelle Nicolini, Bea Mesquita and so many more. It's really important to me that regional events like Toro Cup pick up that torch as well. Women athletes put on great matches, and the more great matches we have, the better."

5. The organizers of the Toro Cup are better rappers than Ralek

Ralek Gracie produced the musical abomination "G in a Gi." At this point, maybe it's time to cut him some slack. It's clear from this video that he doesn't have friends, or they would never have let him make this song public.

The organizers of the Toro Cup are better rappers than Ralek. Watch here as Jeff Shaw raps the part of "nerdy white zombie with glasses."

In summary: There are many reasons to watch Toro Cup 2 instead of Metamoris. Live stream is free, admission raises money to help animals, the rules are more exciting, the organizers are not sexist douche bags AND they can rap!!
Posted by future black belt at 2:45 PM Labels: metamoris, ralek gracie, toro cup


