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Selected matches from RINGS
on WOWOW RISE 2nd Taped 4/23/99 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan (3,870) Tsuyoshi Kosaka (RINGS Japan, 25-16-1, #1) vs. Gilbert Yvel (RINGS Holland, 4-0) |
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One of the more surprising and interesting shoots I've seen. Kosaka was supposedly winning the match, after all he made Yvel go through 5 points in 2 1/2 minutes, which is pretty much unheard of in a competitive shoot match, and very rare even in a one-sided shoot since he didn't get any of the 2 point knockdown deductions. The thing is Kosaka didn't do much damage or come close to winning. Yvel may not have been in control that much, but he made the most of his time on offense, just rocking Kosaka with lethal strikes. Yvel made it really exciting with his wickedly powerful strikes. He puts so much into them that he looks unorthodox throwing them. The main reason Yvel got behind early was the ref was yellow carding him for illegal strikes. He hit Kosaka in the face after Kosaka took him down, a situation where only hits to the body are legal. He also kneed Kosaka in the face when Kosaka was on his knees. Kosaka could take Yvel down, but Yvel would just use an escape to get back up. Once they were up, Yvel would tag Kosaka a few times before getting taken down. Yvel made Kosaka fear him because, while Kosaka knew he could take Yvel down, he also knew he was going to have to absorb a lot of pain to do so. Not taking Yvel down wasn't an option for Kosaka because he can't even come close to matching Yvel in strikes. Still, at the pace things were going at, Yvel would be out of points in five minutes, so it looked good for TK. Kosaka got a really bad break at 4:30 when Yvel not only wasn't yellow carded for grabbing the top rope to avoid a take, but used the top rope and Kosaka holding his left leg for leverage so he could do the wickedest jumping knee to Kosaka's face. This opened up a big cut around Kosaka's eye. Although Kosaka kept fighting hard, this did as much damage to his confidence as it did to his face. For whatever reason, Kosaka didn't have his usual stamina. He's usually a 30 minute man, but he seemed to start tiring after 6 minutes, which lessened his effectiveness on the mat. Yvel missed a spinning savate, but went with the momentum and killed Kosaka with an open hand that really busted Kosaka's face open as well as knocking him down. Kosaka started getting sloppy because he was tired, and actually had to escape when Yvel turned his takedown into a front necklock. Kosaka has occasionally lost a point on the mat to the cream of the crop, but Yvel is maybe average on the mat. Kosaka's nose was really bleeding from the knees and palms. He was still getting takedowns, but Yvel started getting out of them and standing up because Kosaka was gassed. This uncharacteristic ineffectiveness really killed Kosaka because it meant Yvel spent much more time on his feet than expected. Kosaka really didn't even try to strike during the standup portions because fighting Yvel's fight is a losing battle for guys that can kickbox a whole lot better than Kosaka can. Yvel was kind of tired as well, but he still got some good shots like a spinning savate in. The doctor decided to stop the bout because TK's face was so messed up. I think they could have let Kosaka keep going, but Kosaka wasn't enjoying himself at this point and wasn't really opposed to the stoppage. Even though Kosaka probably would have won on points had they let the match continue for the final 10 minutes, the win probably wouldn't have been worth all the punishment he would have taken to get it. Even though the finish was disappointing, it was still one of the better striker vs. grappler shoots you'll ever see. Miko: This was a really exciting match, one of my favs. Yvel is very dynamic and hit some nice strikes from awkward angles. He looked pretty clueless about RINGS rules early on, though, which almost cost him. Kosaka really needs to develop his takedown skills more. Jerome: You can't possibly find two fighters with such opposite styles. Kosaka, the superior technician and mat wrestler, versus Yvel, the striker from hell. It was very exciting mainly for two reasons. First, it seemed like Kosaka was taking the winning route early, as he took down Yvel enough times, forcing him to go for escapes. Add the fact that Yvel received two yellow cards for illegal striking, and the Japanese grappling genius was well ahead on points after just a few minutes. But at the same time, the score didn't exactly reflect the physical reality of the fight because of the punishment Kosaka had to endure before taking the young Dutchman to the ground. Each one of his strikes; knees, feet or palms, are lightning like. Not only that, Yvel was also unpredictable, as he showed with a hellacious jumping knee, using the top ropes and Kosaka's left leg for leverage (a shot that would make even the most comatosed audience jump to their feet in disbelief). Later in the match, he tried a spinning savate before hitting a palm strike so powerful it cut Kosaka's temple in a flash. Bloodied and battered, Kosaka was still ahead on points, but his mind was defeated, and he was now a lot more cautious and hesitant. Earlier on, he was able to make Yvel go for the ropes but now, he was too tired to be efficient enough, and Yvel actually made him grab the ropes with a front necklock. Finally, the match was stopped because Kosaka's condition was too bad. Of course, one could say he would have won because he was able to take Yvel down and control him, but I'm all for protecting the fighters from themselves, and he had a sad face after all theses shots. He didn't protest, showing that Yvel had indeed won the mental battle, so the result of the match is pretty logical actually. Just an unbelievable match. Special thanks to: Jerome Denis & Miko Kubota - Michiku Pro 19:58 |
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