You gotta hand it to the folks over at Metamoris; in two short years, Ralek Gracie & Co. have managed to book some of the most intriguing Jiu-Jitsu matches outside of an ADCC tournament. Bringing guys like Chael Sonnen, Josh Barnett, and Eddie Bravo into the fold has helped the oft overlooked sport a wider audience than it has ever received, and it looks like Metamoris will continue that trend with their fifth event, which features quite possibly their best main event matchup so far.
Yesterday afternoon, the submission-only grappling promotion announced the lineup for Metamoris 5, which goes down on November 22nd, and it looks a little something like this:
Renzo Gracie vs Kazushi Sakuraba
Rory MacDonald vs J.T. Torres
Yuri Simoes vs Rafael Lovato Jr
Vinny Magalhaes vs Kevin Casey
Garry Tonon vs Zak Maxwell
Secret Match
Yes, you read that correctly: Renzo Gracie. Kazushi “The Gracie Hunter” Sakuraba. Rory MacDonald. Vinny Magalhay-eyes. Tell them what we think of this lineup, Philip J. Fry.
As any MMA fan with even an ounce of dignity knows, the main event will serve as a rematch of sorts to Sakuraba and Gracie’s Pride 10 match, which saw Sakuraba break Gracie’s arm like a goddamn chicken wing with 17 seconds left in the second round. While both men’s MMA careers have taken something of a downswing in the time since, the heat behind this matchup should be at a fever pitch. Should Sakuraba emerge victorious, expect to see Royce Gracie get all up in his grill backstage like the true professional he is.
After the jump: Sakuraba vs. Gracie at Pride 10. UH-DOI!
To purchase Metamoris 5 on internet stream pay-per-view, go here.