October 25, 201410 yr Author comment_5635365 It looks like the same match was put on twice in a row. Here is the Yoshida-Yagi match you want to see. Start at 56:15 in the below video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMuoQi9VU_4 This was another great match between these two. This one is particularly awesome because Yagi is hanging at Yoshida’s level on the mat. She was before too, but Yoshida took most of that match. Here they are working far more even. There is some really cool attention to detail in this one. I like how as the match goes on, each one is trying to catch the other off guard by maneuvering her into a position where her shoulders are on the mat so she can get a quick pin. Yoshida really shows her frustration with Yagi having her number on so many exchanges, and this looks like an attempt to create a rival that can really hang with her. Check out her amazing selling of that cross armbreaker (which is really cinched in) and all the drama over Yoshida’s flailing attempt to get out of the hold. There are some incredible nearfalls at the end too. Yagi goes back to the cross armbreaker and this time Yoshida is prepared for it and counters quickly with this awesome sleeper/cross arm breaker combo thing. This was fantastic - what a great series!
August 27, 201510 yr comment_5695289 Yagi went straight for the injured arm in a nice bit of continuity. Yoshida was mainly on the receiving end, though she did some damage to the leg in retaliation. This had it's moments and there was some good work in there. It lacked the sharpness and focus of the previous bout, simply due to tiredness. After enduring a huge amount of punishment Mariko finally taps and Yagi claims one of the biggest scalps of her career.
September 20, 201510 yr comment_5699435 This was another damn good match. Yoshida comes into this match with damaged arms and Yagi has only one goal. Yoshida does some really great selling and strategic adjustments when she realizes she is too damaged to do her signatures properly, so modifies a few leg submissions so she can do them without using her arms. Pretty great stuff and shows she could do more than just lock in spectacular submissions. Last two holds were really intense.
June 14, 20178 yr comment_5803708 Not sure if it's better or worse than the previous bout but it's certainly more focused, as Yagi lasers in on Yoshida's arm and Mariko has to fight just to stay alive. Really good drama down the stretch with Yagi getting a big submission win--either that or a big sudden KO blow from Yoshida seemed to be the only realistic results.
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