BJJ black belt AJ Agazarm faced ex UFC fighter Karo Parisyan at Metamoris Underground last Friday. The match was extremely exciting and was a back and forth war between the two game athletes. After the 20 mins time limit, the match was declared a draw.

Agazarm faced some criticism notably on Redditt for his behavior during the match. Many deemed his behavior to be un-sportsmanlike, and some even accused him of being a jerk and dirty fighter. Agazarm came out very aggressive (which isn’t bad in a grappling) but some of his antics included a maybe unintentional eye poke, driving a single leg takedown out of bounds which meant that Parisyan actually fell head first out of the elevated mat platform (first time ever in Metamoris), various pushes and shoves, overly aggressive head slaps, and as Parisyan attempted an unsuccessful armbar, Agazarm gave him the Mutombo finger wag “not in my house”.

In the first edition of Polaris Jiu-Jitsu Invitational, Agazarm faced Oliver Geddes and was also criticized for having faked a handshake and instead taking Geddes down.

Faced with the criticism, Agazarm wrote on his Facebook page and also addressed the various issues regarding Metamoris:

I really appreciate all the positive comments regarding my match with Karo. A lot of you are calling this match the most exciting in the history of Metamoris and although I can’t say whether that is true or not, it is always something I always strive for when I step on the mat. This match happened in two days notice and I don’t say that for an applaud or a pat on the back, I say that for those of you who are reserved in your approach to competition. I believe the mat is where you learn the most about yourself, and the art. When you challenge yourself and step outside your zone of comfort, you experience things beyond fathom. Give competition a try.
Regarding the intensity during the match: you can speculate and say I was a jerk or an ass, but for me I like engagement from my opponent and sometimes that means I have to push to be pushed back. We could have easily set ourselves on cruise control and sometimes your opponents accept that, but that wouldn’t have been worth my time nor your money.
Prior to this match I was aware of the controversy regarding Metamoris and their athlete payment issues, but the money was not the driving force. I believed in the matchup between us both, the clash of styles, and what it would represent for the BJJ community. What Ralek and Metmaoris are doing for the grappling community is ground breaking and just like anything you start from the ground up it is going to have its kinks. I am just going to encourage all of you to support the organization during this growing process. These matches are some of the best the grappling world will ever see and that is due to the vision of Metamoris.
I am two weeks out from the 2015 ADCC and I can’t thank you enough for the love and support that you continue to provide, thank-you.