After the events of Metamoris 3, there was controversy galore. But what does this controversy mean for us? For our sport?
Eddie Bravo put on an amazing show at Metamoris, showing just how effective our system is at the highest level. Not only that, but he displayed his skill and just how good he is against an amazing competitor in Royler Gracie. After the original 2003 ADCC match, many Jiu Jitsu practitioners wrote Eddie’s success off as a fluke and even 11 years later gave him little to no chance against Royler. Eddie was able to silence the masses with his performance on March 28th, but at what cost? There was an uproar in the Jiu Jitsu community over the match and a rivalry unlike any we’ve seen in our sport was rekindled. 10th Planet has been viewed by many as a black sheep of the Jiu Jitsu community, but is that necessarily a bad thing?
Competition makes us better competitors, but in some cases, competition happens outside of the sanctioned rules of a tournament or super fight. In 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship was born and an undersized Brazilian cut a swathe through the ranks of Karate experts, boxers, and Martial Artists of all sorts. This caused a rift in the fight community. What had the sport evolved to? Even though this new style of fighting may have seemed cowardice to some, or ridiculous to others, it didn’t take long for the fight world to know that they must adapt or die. Are we not experiencing the same thing as a result of Metamoris 3?
We saw Eddie Bravo come into the fight with a vast knowledge of anything that Royler could throw at him, however, Royler was certainly not prepared for the evolution that Eddie has brought to the game. This evolution is viewed by many as a “gimmick” or “novelty”, but Eddie proved for 20 minutes straight that it is a new branch of the original tree planted by the Gracie family. Utilizing a system based off of tight clinches, over and underhooks, and a half guard expertise, Eddie was able to consistently set up sweeps and submission attempts from a position that many in the Jiu Jitsu community consider a losing position. Eddie was able to use his nontraditional Lockdown style to not only keep Royler from passing his guard, but to set up the same sweep three different times.
It’s important to note that to execute the same technique on a multiple time World Champion like Royler is certainly no easy task. This further validates the effectiveness of this unorthodox style of Jiu Jitsu. It appeared that Royler was not able to move unless Eddie wanted him to move. We even saw at different points in the match Royler throw his hands in the air, in what appeared to be frustration. Once Eddie swept and came on top, he was able to further execute his game plan, utilizing his 10th Planet System by applying a devastating leg lock called “the Vaporizer”. Eddie moved into this position and although Royler was a tough opponent and was able to last until the end of the match without tapping, he was never able to fully escape the submission to safety, and the effectiveness of the technique in which Eddie applied could not be questioned.
There is nothing wrong with rivalry or a competitive nature between schools or arts. But does it have to be carried out with such venom in the action of the parties involved? Does rivalry mean hatred? We at 10th Planet Santa Fe would challenge you to let your actions speak for yourself, not your words.