Andre Galvao Taps Out Chael Sonnen; Josh Barnett Submits Dean Lister at Metamoris 4

After a few anxious days of waiting to see if the Nevada Athletic Commission would actually step in and prevent their match from happening, elite jiu-jitsu player Andre Galvao climbed onto the mat to square off against Chael Sonnen in the Metamoris 4 headliner on Saturday night at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

What transpired over the next 13-plus minutes was as good as it gets in terms of wrestler versus jiu-jitsu practitioner.

The majority of the evening’s main event saw Sonnen either in Galvao’s guard or trying to pass it. Galvao, the co-founder of the world-renowned Team Atos, tried to sucker his foe into an array of submissions, but the former two-time UFC middleweight title challenger was too savvy to fall for his tricks.

After several minutes of the give and take, Sonnen bravely tried to pass to side control while Galvao snuck in an underhook from the side. After an explosive scramble, the Brazilian-American was all over Sonnen’s back. From there it was a war of wills, but eventually Sonnen fell prey to the rear-naked choke and was forced to tap out 13:49 into the match.

In the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett was too big and powerful for the brilliant grappling prowess of Dean Lister, dominating for virtually every second of their nearly 20-minute match.

Barnett continuously gained side control and crushed his foe, a former UFC veteran himself. But after “Warmaster” missed a few kimura attempts, Barnett rolled back over to side control and latched on a textbook head-and-arm choke from the judo scarf position.

With 12 seconds left in the tussle, Lister tapped out, awarding Barnett the first-ever heavyweight title in Metamoris history.

Earlier, Hawaiian legend Baret Yoshida shocked everybody when he walked onto the mat in the “secret matchup” of the night. But what made it even more special was that his opponent was ringside color commentator Jeff Glover, who peeled off his suit and tie and climbed onto the mat to compete.

For 20 action-packed minutes, the two jiu-jitsu legends tried everything under the sun in attempts to finish the fight, but each attack was countered perfectly. The two men tore into each other, but their trademark wild style of combat made it look like two snakes were fighting each other. In the end, the two battled for the full 20 minutes, with the fight resulting in a draw.

In one of the most anticipated matches of the night, UFC veteran Vinny Magalhaes and BJJ superstar Keenan Cornelius finally were able to lock horns. The two were originally scheduled to meet at Metamoris 3, but their showdown was postponed when Magalhaes caught a nasty case of MRSA.

With the wait over, Magalhaes and Cornelius grappled each other for 20 minutes in a back-and-forth tussle. Both men attempted a myriad of submissions, but neither was able to land the finish.

Saulo Ribeiro and Rodrigo Medeiros fought to a classic stalemate in one of the most eagerly awaited rematches in BJJ history, with neither man ever in any peril of being submitted. They mostly clinched and grip fought for 20 minutes, with the match ending in the evening’s first draw.

Garry Tonon set the stage perfectly in the first televised bout of the evening, as he submitted Australian BJJ champ Kit Dale via textbook guillotine after a scramble. The two traded submission attempts early on, but Tonon was sharper, and when he latched onto Dale’s neck, he never let go and forced the tap a few minutes into the match.

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