In memory of Alexander Buckner.
Transcript and LMA Breakdown
[Note: Read the manga images from right to left.]
Yudai is warming up with Furuya. Take is helping Meguru with his gloves.
Take asks Meguru, "Yudai's next opponent is the guy you fought in the freshman tourney, isn't he?"
"Yeah," Meguru answers. "His conditioning and pressure were incredible. He comes out swinging hooks, and even when I broke his takedowns, he'd push me around with his power. He was really tough. He ended up winning that tournament. Yudai has a really tough fight."
"How's your elbow?" Furuya asks Yudai.
"No problem," he answers.
"Match 36," the announcer calls. "Lightweight division, second round. In the red corner from Fighter's Brew: Yudai Kitamura. And in the blue corner, from Team Nelson, Akira Tachibana."
The fighters touch gloves, and the match begins. Tachibana starts out swinging hooks. Yudai blocks and stays in range, then times a right straight and drops Tachibana.
"No pain," Yudai thinks as he looks at his right elbow.
The ref starts the count, but Tachibana quickly gets up.
"It's a good thing he connected," Maria says. "That would've been bad if he whiffed it."
"I guess I didn't put enough weight into it," Yudai thinks. "Either way, I have to finish him."
Undeterred, Tachibana tries to overwhelm Yudai. Yudai lands a jab.
"I'll finish him now," he thinks.
"No, Yudai!" shouts Meguru.
Yudai misses, and his elbow hyperextends. Tachibana drops down for a tackle. Yudai sprawls, but Tachibana powers through to put him on his back.
"He did that to you, too, Meguru?" asks Take.
"Yeah. He crushed me with power and wrestling after that," Meguru answers.
Yudai swings for an armbar from guard. Tachibana escapes. Yudai jumps to his feet, but Tachibana grabs him from behind. Yudai punches him until there is an opportunity to turn around. A sharp pain shoots through Yudai's arm.
Yudai tosses Tachibana with a hip throw. Yudai thinks about going for a double wrist lock, but the pain in his elbow prevents him. Tachibana creates space to get up, but Yudai secures an arm triangle and pins him back to the mat.
The referee watches carefully but then abruptly stops the match. The audience is confused until they realize Tachibana is unconscious. Yudai wins.
Yudai shouts with joy, then makes eye contact with Takashi. If Takashi wins his next match, he'll meet Yudai in the semi-finals.
Furuya sends Yudai to the medic's table to be checked out.
The medic clears Yudai but warns him, "If it really starts to hurt, you should forfeit the next match."
As the doctor finishes with Yudai, Takashi knocks his opponent out with a left high kick. The match lasted less than a minute. Takashi countered the tackle with a kick.
Maria pulls Take aside.
"He can't throw right straights anymore," she tells him. "Plus, there's the damage he took from that kick in the first round. Tell Kenichiro-kun to advise him to forfeit the next match."
"But he'll be in the finals if he wins again," Take says. "It's not like he took any damage to the head."
"Take-chan, his next opponent is Takashi Yamabuki. That's the worst match-up for him right now. If Yudai can't bring the fight to the mat, he'll keep taking kicks to his injured elbow. I'm sure Kenichiro-kun knows this."
Furuya is walking Meguru to the mat.
"Ogasawara has fought seven times under shooto rules," he tells Meguru, "but my guess is his ego will have him sticking to grappling."
But Meguru is too worried about Yudai to pay attention.
Meguru steps onto the mat.
"Aikawa," Yudai says.
"Yea?" Momoko answers.
"After the match is over," Yudai continues, "tell Meguru not to worry about me, will you?"
Furuya tells Meguru, "Keep the fight standing this time! Don't let him take you down."
"Right!" answers Meguru.
"Meguru!" Maki shouts, "Left mid, or else!"
"She's threatening me before my match?" a frightened Meguru thinks.
"I won't lose to the same opponent twice," thinks Kiyoshi.
The match begins, and Kiyoshi immediately shoots for a takedown. Meguru sprawls. Kiyoshi drops to guard and sweeps Meguru.
[Since amateur shooto doesn't allow strikes on the ground, going to your back is not nearly as risky as in professional MMA. Grapplers who are confident off their backs are willing to transition from takedown to a sweep off their back.]
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