[1993-10-23-RINGS] Andrei Kopylev vs Nikolai Zouev

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I love that these RINGS matches have overdubbed generic 80s dance pop as the entrance music. That out of the way ...

 

Either something just clicked with the RINGS style, or these matches are seriously on a different level from the other stuff from '96 and the other '93 from this set. Either way, this is another tremendous match. Kopylev's inverted figure four, whatever it is, is awesome and Zouev later catches Kopylev in the face with a kick that almost KO's him, with Kopylev kinda wobbling around for a moment afterward. Great!

[Zenjo]

Agree about the entrance themes, same with UWFI. NJ would sometimes have them as well but not all the time.

 

It was clear that these two men had been sparring with a certain Mr Han. They were tying each other up in knots most of the time. There weren't many strikes, although they caught a couple of heavy blows. Overall it was quite impressive and they were well matched opponents. However this would've been improved by a shorter duration as neither had the best stamina.

[Kevin Ridge]

I did not have the patience as I fast forwarded at one point and by end was barely paying attention. Just too long for me to watch this style of match between two guys I am not familiar with.

[PeteF3]

I think one or both of those intro tracks is a karaoke version of "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, and I'm not completely kidding.

 

Kopylev throws some absolutely sick knee strikes here. The rest was like watching Volk Han in slow motion. Really, REALLY tried to keep paying attention to this and just couldn't. It did at least go to a finish, when I was dreading a time limit draw.

[garretta]

This wasn't bad for two guys I'd never heard of. It was hard fought and closely scored, which is all I really expect out of shoot-style. The only problem was that the guy in charge of keeping the scoreboard for TV kept counting rope breaks as knockdowns, which completely confused me (and presumably the viewers watching in real time as well).

 

Most of the holds involved the ankles and legs, so it maks sense that an anklelock would get the submission for Zouev.

 

What was with all the Russian fighters in RINGS at this time? In addition to these two, I believe that Volk Han is Russian as well. From what I've seen, I'm assuming that shoot-style had quite a following in Russia. I wonder if that following has carried over to MMA in any great degree.

[soup23]

I love RINGS. Two guys whose name I can't pronounce and look like they should be working at my dad's engineering plant go in there and stretch the ever loving shit out of each other. I was afraid to walk after watching this match based on the torture on the legs that each guy put the other through. The finish was excellent as it showed someone completely compromised for the first time throughout and forced the tap out. I know this match at almost 20 minutes of straight grappling isn't for everyone but in the right setting this really connected for me. ****

[superkix]

Two Russian submission specialists = lots of struggle and defense. This was a back-and-forth game of chess on the canvas, where Kopylov would manage a rolling armbar takedown but Zouev would block the submission, and vice versa, with Zouev utilizing some cool takedowns but Kopylov playing heavy D on the mat. When Kopylov finally gets him in a double leglock, Zouev tries to struggle out and Andrei smartly hooks the leg to prevent the escape. I thought Kopylov looked more aggressive here with his strikes, landing knees and open hand slaps, but Zouev fires back, knocking Kopylov down with a big high kick. As the match progresses, they obviously get more sluggish and desperate to get something cinched in. Zoeuv finally grabs a toe hold with Kopylov trapped in a full nelson using his legs -- a very cool submission and another nice win for Zouev.