‘Babalu’ Sobral still waiting to get paid by Metamoris

Metamoris has put on more than 40 grappling matches in three and a half years of existence, but some competitors are still waiting to get paid.

Rising black belt A.J. Agazarm openly criticized the promotion in the past for not getting paid for a match with UFC veteran Karo Parisyan last August, and MMA Fighting has learned that Renato Sobral, who grappled against Chael Sonnen at Metamoris 6, in May of 2015, also haven’t received his money yet.

“I think (Metamoris founder Ralek Gracie) started great, helping jiu-jitsu and grappling grow with awesome matches, creating a great platform for athletes, but he wasn’t correct by not paying even with contracts signed,” Sobral told MMA Fighting. “He could have done the same event even without paying anyone, just don’t promise anything. People pay to compete in (jiu-jitsu) tournaments, but when you promise something and don’t do it, you’re acting like a swindler, don’t you agree?

“I think he has good intentions, but my grandmother always said that hell is full of good intentions. He rose, and he drowned. With all due respect to him and his family, he made a huge mistake. I don’t recommend anyone to fight there if you want money. Fight without expecting getting paid, like in any other tournament. I wish him luck, and I hope someday he gets to clean his reputation in the jiu-jitsu world because it’s not looking good.”

MMA Fighting reached out to Ralek Gracie for comments, and he promised to pay the fighters.

“The Metamoris mission has always been to elevate the sport of grappling in both production value and pro-grappler compensation,” Gracie said. “This very concept has set us apart in the industry as well as represented our biggest challenge. It has been a difficult trail to blaze since the inception of …

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