Thursday, July 27, 2017

Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Takuya Wada vs. Koji Iwamoto & Tadashi Matsumoto (Hard Hit, 7/16/17)

These Hard Hit shows are often more misses than hits but every so often, you get a little gem of a match. I'm not familiar with Takuya Wada or Tadashi Matsumoto but these guys were the highlights of this match. Of course, Fujiwara still showed that he's the wiliest old man around, grabbing limbs and cranking guillotines when and where he can, ultimately picking up the token submission with the haragatame. Iwamoto looked pretty good here in this setting, utilizing some neat takedowns, including his judo throw, but he was sent to the ropes a number of times. When Matsumoto and Wada were in there grappling, it was awesome. Matsumoto rolling around on the mat, trapping body parts while Wada showed his strength with some throws. Just lots of cool takedowns and reversals. Wada was able to get a leglock and then transitioned it into a swank double leglock and later in the match, Matsumoto used a monkey flip on Wada to snag an armbar. This match ain't for everyone -- there's no striking, no big moves -- but it's always a treat to see Fujiwara on the mat and the other three guys brought the energy he may lack at 68-years of age.

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