Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 11/18/93)

This is, quite possibly, the best match in RINGS 1993. Zouev has been the man throughout the last half of the year and now he's up against THE man in Volk Han. I loved the opening – you have Zouev shooting in for a takedown, Han whipping him down by the arm and trying to lock in the submission, but Zouev is able to turn Volk’s attempt into the cross armbar and sends him to the ropes. For the first time, Han is truly put to the test on the mat. They start taking each other down with submissions, throwing strikes in between. Han uses a cool hammerlocked double wristlock, and Zouev comes back with a rolling cross kneebar, making Han lunge for the ropes . At one point, Zouev has him in a scarf hold and Han tries to whip him over in an escape but Zouev keeps the hold locked in, forcing Han to go the ropes yet again.  As one might expect, the struggle was excellent as they fight over holds – tons of great takedowns and unique submissions. A couple slaps and kicks from Zouev but this was mostly submission warfare. The finish was awesome, as Han tries for something fancy and Zouev snags the Fujiwara armbar, trapping the legs to prevent Han’s escape and tapping him. Fantastic submission wrestling.

Volk Han vs. Dick Vrij (RINGS, 7/13/93)

My other favorite match of the first six months of 1993 RINGS, and hey, it's my favorite match-up of 1992 RINGS! Volk Han is much more strike-focused and aggressive in 1993 then he has been, and here, he immediately punches Vrij in the face, kicks him down, and goes after the arm, trying to pin him down with the submission attempt. Vrij is vulnerable on the mat but he doesn't struggle often and Han made him squirm. Han is willing to absorb Vrij's big kicks and knees in order to get close enough for a takedown, knowing full well that he's not going to outstrike Vrij...although he'll try with his spinning backhands. There were times in the match where Vrij looked legitimately frightened of Volk. Han also busts out a shoot Russian legsweeip into the submission, which ruled. But the dynamic between these two -- the cyborg striker vs. the cool submission specialist -- is awesome, and like their first match, it comes down to the final point after Vrij keeps knocking down Han with kicks and knees, and Han keeps sending Vrij to the ropes. In the end, Vrij unloads on him with some really nasty knees in the ropes and then delivers a combo of strikes that ends in a palm thrust for the TKO victory over Han. Terrific match!

Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 4/24/93)

One of my favorites from Fighting Network RINGS '93 because I love an underdog fired up and within the palms of the Japanese crowd, swinging for the fences with wild abandon. Mitsuya Nagai puts Volk Han on the rocks, here and there, but he definitely puts him on the rocks. Han does his thing, taking him down to the mat to stretch him in ways only Volk Han can do -- at one point, choking him with his own arm. But Nagai keeps coming at him with kicks, catching him with a shot to the face. He's also upped his submission game against Han, using a rolling leglock, a cross armbar, a kneebar...but Han will find ways to slip out and turn the hold against him. I thought the finish was awesome, with Nagai knocking him into the ropes with the big wheel kick, briefly turning him over into the single leg (the crowd losing their shit) before Han forces the submission out of him.

RINGS " Mega Battle Tournament 1992: Semi-Finals" (12/19/92)

Nobuaki Kakuta vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto

The best worked rounds match in RINGS thus far, with Yoshihisa Yamamoto showing off future Yamamoto on the mat, dominating the first three rounds by grabbing the shit out of limbs with armbars, kneebars, face...bars...locks. Kakuta can't do much to counter it either. He has zero chance on the ground so in the fourth round, he starts whipping out the hard kicks to take Yamamoto out at the knees. Into the fifth, he really starts rocking him with shots to the head while still targeting the knees. After some confusion, they give them a final round and it's mostly Yamamoto on the run from Kakuta's leg kicks.

Mitsuya Nagai vs. Sergei Sousserov

Oh boy, Sergei Sousserov could fill the void left behind by Willie Peeters in 1992. He's the Soviet version of Guile from Street Fighter. He's all about 80's jumping roundhouse kicks and suplex slams, throwing uranages and cravate suplexes and going right into the submission attempt. There's not a lot of info on Sousserov -- it seems like he was probably trained by Volk Han and his only MMA fight was against Peeters in 1997 Rings Holland. And he lost. Nagai, in true scrappy underdog fashion, comes flying in with these big wheel kicks, completely missing the mark. He mainly hangs on Sergei's leg throughout the match, taking him to the ropes a few times. Loved his shoot STF. This definitely could've been a 10 minute classic but it drags out sluggishly to 17:29. Sergei's takedowns aren't as effective and Nagai continues going after the leg before going to town with the knee strikes, kneeing Sergei in the face for the KO.

Volk Han vs. Sotir Gotchev

This was little more than a Volk Han exhibition but it was a fun one, and while Gotchev isn't near Han's level on the ground, he does throw in a few surprises here and there, including a few cool suplex slams. But he's mostly trying to avoid getting snagged. When Han takes over on the mat, he gets to show off why he’s Volk Han. He snags him with a beautiful leg-trap armbar, an inverted facelock, and then wrings the arm and blasts him with that rear facelock>elbow combo. At one point, Gotchev is able to catch him in a choke sleeper off a missed attempt but Han works his way out of the hold and transitions into like a stump puller hold. The back end of the match isn't as compelling but Han is still able to pull out the flying legscissors and his final submission was neat -- almost like a cravat with the arm trapped alongside Gotchev's head and neck.

Akira Maeda vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 10/29/92)

This match is a lesson in why you don’t piss off Volk Han. Sure, he’s mostly mild-mannered and gracious but Akira Maeda wasn’t his friend in there for this match. Han opens with the spinning backhand and you know he’s about to get to work on the mat. Maeda continues to show off his own improved mat skills. When he’s not defending against the relentless Han with his flying legscissors, he’ll get fancy with an arm drag into a head scissors or grab a single leg crab, in which the crowd collectively lose their shit. When Maeda starts in with the kicks, Han mostly weathers the storm trying to play catch…but Maeda keeps kick kick kicking at Han’s leg. All those kicks to the leg finally piss off Han, who says “cut it out” by smacking the shit out of Maeda. With Han spent and pissy, the match becomes a sluggish war of attrition but the finish was something else. Maeda shakes Volk’s hand just before he high kicks him in the head for the TKO. What a dick. Not quite at the level of their second match but a strong way to cap off their series.

RINGS "Mega Battle Special: Ishizue", (8/21/92)

Grom Zaza vs. Shtorm Koba

A swanky Grom Zaza exhibition, with plenty of headscissor usage, cool takedowns and transitions, and...well, shitty striking but that's okay, because everything else works. Koba doesn't quite have Zaza's finesse but his rawness works well against Zaza. I mean, at one point, he press slams him into the turnbuckle. The action heats up heading into the finishing stretch, with Koba using a neat armwhip takedown before Grom dumps him with a throw and cinches in a terrific full nelson hold for the submission.

Volk Han vs. Dick Leon-Vrij 

Loved this match. Such an awesome dynamic between the heavy cyborg striker in Vrij and the submission specialist in Han, with the perfect build and set-up to the finish. It plays on the strengths of both dudes, and is sort of a personal dream match of mine from when I first started watching RINGS. Han knows what Vrij’s all about and immediately tries to submit him with the kneebar and keeps dragging him back to the middle of the ring. But once he’s back on his feet, Vrij goes hard with the strikes, cracking Han with kicks to the hamstring and brutal knees whenever Han tries for the double leg takedowns. On the ground, however, Han rules and he once again utilizies his legs in unique ways to try and pry open an armbar on Vrij. Vrij can't really hang with him on the mat.. He’ll hack out one of Han’s legs with kicks but he's unable to follow up with a submission. Even when he works in a head scissors, Han is able to turn it against him and force him to the ropes. By the end of the match, they’re both exhausted, they’ve used up all their outs and it’s down to the last submission or knockdown. Vrij swings for the fences with a high kick but Han’s able to catch it, spoiling Vrij’s homerun with a calf hold to submit him. Awesome match.

Akira Maeda vs. Andrei Kopilov 

This was similar to Kopilov’s match against Han in that it was more or less a stalemate on the mat. But it was fun seeing Maeda go to the mat early on, and I thought the struggle and defense on the ground was well-executed. Where this match excels over the match with Han is Maeda's character work. He's such a good babyface-in-peril when he needs to be and I loved the drama from him as he's trying to get to the ropes when Kopilov snags him with the kimura. Kopilov’s terrific on the mat, trying to tie Maeda into knots, until eventually Maeda says “fuck the matwork” and starts picking up knockdowns with his strikes -- big open-hand slaps to the face, kicks, and knees. But Kopilov wants to finish this where it started, and after another tussle on the mat, Maeda’s able to pry open the armbar for the submission victory.

Grom Zaza vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 5/16/92)

Dream Match #1, hot from the start with Grom Zaza going nuts, the crowd losing their shit when he lifts Volk up in the fireman’s carry. For two guys not known for striking, they were quite handsy here, with quick little slaps and shit kicks in between the sweet takedowns and Han making Zaza squeal on the mat as he tries to break away. Despite Han’s fancy groundwork, which included a sweet step-over armbar, the match felt evenly matched. Han would land a spinning backhand, Grom would dump him with a couple of fireman’s carries. Then Han decimates him with the finishing a submission, which can only be described as a grounded choke STF, with Han once again utilizing his legs like a Swiss Army knife. Really good stuff.

Volk Han vs. Akira Maeda (RINGS, 4/3/92)

The best match in RINGS up this point in the promotion’s history and a big improvement upon their first match. Nobody maneuvers around the canvas like Volk Han, the way he utilizes his gangly legs to counter and maintain control over Maeda, or hooking Maeda’s arm with his free leg to prevent a rope break. He’s aware of his positioning and his opponent’s positioning at all times, and there’s very little wasted movement. I loved the explosiveness of the opening, with Han landing his spinning backhand and going into the neck crank. He seemingly knows he can’t outstrike Maeda so he tries to keep him grounded by targeting the leg and knee. To counter this, Maeda tries to be aggressive on the mat. He’s able to hit a half hatch suplex into the double wristlock attempt, and I thought the crossface chickenwing struggle was really great. In the end, though, the only way he’s going to beat Han is via strikes. He levels Han with an awesome spinning wheel kick, but Han’s quick to force Maeda back to the ropes after a rolling kneebar. In the end, they both fight over the leg submission and Han is able to secure it first, forcing Maeda to submit. 

Akira Maeda vs. Ramazi Buzariashvili (RINGS, 3/5/92)

Ramazi Buzariashvili is such a shitbag here, blowing off Maeda’s kicks, taunting him or waving at the fans like a dope. Of course, he’s not going to trade kicks with Maeda so he opts to suplex>submit him instead, delivering a cool belly-to-belly>armbar and his own version of the capture suplex>front necklock. The struggle on the mat really added to the bigger narrative, as Maeda has to contend with him on the ground because his kicks aren’t effective. He’s able to catch him in that nasty facelock he likes to utilize every now and then but Ramazki makes the ropes. In the end, all that provoking bites Ramazi in the ass…or rather, the face, as Maeda catches him with a snug kick to the chin. a few knees, and second face kick. The finish sucks though. Maeda gets him in the single leg, trips while trying to maintain control, and Ramazi still taps out.

RINGS "ASTRAL STEP: FINAL" (12/7/91)

Grom Zaza vs. Koichiro Kimura

Grom Zaza. Ghostbusters villain? A David Bowie alter-ego? Badass Georgian freestyle wrestler? Check. This was long and by the end of it, they’re both exhausted and flailing around with slaps, but there were some neat moments on the mat, as neither is particular good at striking, and Grom utilizies some cool takedowns and slams, including a cradle-style backdrop. Kimura does have some snappy kicks and palm thrusts but his mat game is his strong suit, and he’s able to send Grom to the ropes a few times by targeting the leg. Grom, on the otherhand, utilizies more innovative submissions, like his double leg half crab or his shoot STF. In the end, Grom is able to cinch in the choke to submit Kimura.

Dick Vrij vs. Willie Peeters

This was good cop/bad cop. Willie Peeters is the good cop (not really, because he’s kind of a dick himself…just not a Dick Vrij). He has this nervous energy about him when he’s trying to defend against Vrij’s strikes and he misses about 70% of everything he throws but that doesn’t stop him from trying with 100% effort. He keeps unloading on Dick with knees and his flamboyant kicks but lands few of them, and scores even fewer knockdowns. On the other side, you have bad cop Dick Vrij, who isn’t quite as dick-ish as he was in those Maeda matches, but he’s still as imposing and aggressive. One thing that I enjoy about Vrij is how responsive he is to Peeter’s offense, grabbing a foot off a kick or a hold off a takedown. At one point, he has Willie in a jujigatame and when Willie tries to shimmy out of it, Dick holds on with the reverse armbar. And, of course, he kicks really hard, lifting Willie off the mat at points. Sloppy and chaotic but F-U-N.

Akira Maeda vs. Volk Han 

You already see the greatness that is to come from Volk Han in his first (presumably) worked match. Sure, awkward moments pop up from being unsure how to hold back or dropping the illusion of defense. Conditioning, or lack thereof, also plays a big factor, which allows Maeda to take his head off with a big spinning heel kick near the end. He’s never been a big striker, although he’ll throw a couple face slaps here and there, or the occasional chest headbutt, but his meat-and-potatoes are his takedowns and submission attempts. He’ll manage a cool rolling armbar or kneebar takedown, and at one point, he seemingly DDTs Maeda. The last couple of minutes are a lot of fun, with Maeda pissing off Han and eating a uranage before snagging Han’s leg to pick up the submission win.

Akira Maeda vs. Dick Vrij (RINGS, 8/1/91)

Whereas Akira Maeda was the elder statesman of their first encounter, Dick Leon-Vrij turned on his cybernetic eye and zeroed in on Maeda with some heavy strikes, in a display of total aggression and dominance. He’s relentless with his kicks and knees, even against the ropes, almost knocking Maeda out of the ring at one point. He continues to be a shithead here with his slaps and he really pops Maeda’s legs with those kicks. I thought Maeda’s selling was pretty great as he gets cut down and limps back to his feet. He doesn’t get much off on Dick in terms of offense, aside from a half hatch suplex into an armbar. But Dick escapes and promptly destroys him to even the series.