Metamoris, what the heck.
I was pretty disappointed by a lot of things this time around, but most especially by the introduction of the judges and then completely ignoring what they were for: to avoid draws. Why on earth would you have three judges if you are just going to come to the same conclusion you would without judges. Especially when you have three of them: the odd number implies one of them would act as a tie-breaker.
Second, the commentary. In regards to Ed O’Neill: he’s a nice guy, but definitely not the right choice for this sort of event. You need someone to content against your main commentator, Rener, and instruct him not making sweeping generalizations about jiu jitsu which leaves no room for an opposing opinion in the first place, and you need someone that understands how to tactfully offer a different point of view, and carry on. Next time if would also probably be better to have a regular competitor, or someone who follows the careers of these competitors more regularly to reference other competitions, etc.
Third, I understand this is a Gracie run event, but can we stop with the family references and the awards ceremonies to family members in the middle of the event? “My uncle,” “my cousin”, “my grandfather”- yes, the Gracie family is big with a lot of big names in the jiu jitsu community, and while there may be the impression that making mention of those family ties legitimizes the person and/or the sport, it actually sort of takes away from it a bit. I know the awards ceremony is a thing, even back at the first UFC where Helio was given a sort of “lifetime achievement” award- it’s great and all that you want to honor the work and dedication of your family members, but that may be more appropriate in the press conference, or you know, sitting around for Thanksgiving dinner.
Those are my main gripes for now. I know a lot of these things will not be fixed, but I certainly hope at least the judging is tweaked for a more definitive judging in future events. We’ll see.
What did you guys think? What would you have changed in this event?
A Skirt on the Mat 