Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Yuko Miyato

[8.0] "A really good blend between youthful athleticism and natural skill versus strategic guile and veteran grit. Miyato is a master of his craft at this point, but Tamura's athletic ability ultimately is able to overwhelm him for the win. Very good match. ***3/4"

[8.0] "Tamura style was probably my favorite part in that match, that guy look like a shonen dude that just left a "Hajime no Ippo" anime to the real life. It wasn't even that long like almost 90% of the UWF matches aren't, but it is so great to see them grappling and changing kicks and punches with that crazy rule I will never be able to fully understand. Also, the reversals was a joy to my eyes, beautiful to see each one of them."

[8.0] "This match is another showcase for a young Tamura and how good he was becoming by 1991. Yuko Miyato is a great technician and makes for a good dance partner, even if he isn't as quick as Tamura is. His catch wrestling skills are pretty good though, and he makes Tamura work for the points he gets. Miyato also shows he can strike as well, and Tamura has to contend with some pretty hard shots to get Miyato back to the ground. While Miyato holds his own, it is evident Tamura is better in just about every facet and this eventually leads him to a victory against someone who has seniority over him. For a UWFi undercard match, this is pleasantly very good. A great preview of how shoot-style will continue to evolve going into the 1990s. A bit of an upset, but not for those who are familiar with Tamura's game. ****1/4"

[7.0] "A Tamura singles at this point feels must-see on these shows just for how fast and different he is to the rest of the roster. Especially against someone like Miyato, he jumps off the page at you in such striking ways. It's fairly straight-forward, it goes a bit longer for the sake of it and Tamura is still a relative rookie at this point. He doesn't have the finishing power as a lot of others and can get vulnerable when caught up in shots to the midsection. Luckily he can escape almost any hold but never really finish off someone as quick as you'd expect. Miyato even catches Tamura's ankle out of a rear naked choke in the same way he beat Nakano but Tamura finds a ropebreak. Miyato gets a few knockdowns but takes it to the mat where he's at a disadvantage and in a lovely moment of rage, Tamura stomps the shit out of Miyato and survives a standing strike exchange to get a rear naked, only for Miyato to grab the ankle again but Tamura brings him back up and back down into the choke for the win. Really nice callbacks to Miyato's win against Nakano and makes Tamura look beast as hell for surviving what worked before while also giving him enough weakness to not feel overpushed."

[8.0] "Starting off with some fantastic grappling, Tamura having the edge over Miyato with with amazingly quick counters. Miyato comes back with some downs and vicious kicks and builds to a great exchange for a very intense finish. Great match 8/10"

[6.0] "Super solid opening bout. It wasn't as great as Tamura's matches against Anjo or Kakihara but it was purposeful for giving Tamura a run out and a solid victory against a veteran of the style (and one of the big contributors backstage). The grappling was as solid as it was exciting. Miyato is able to control parts of the match using his instincts although Tamura is the more talented and never looks in danger of losing. ***"

[9.0] "Opening grappling is what you come to expect. Tamura is fast and constantly moving around looking for an opening. Tamura seems to really have Miyato outclassed on the mat. Miyato is much more successful standing. Tamura does an excellent job putting over Miyato? s striking eating two knockdowns which leads to Miyato having the opening to lock in a single leg crab leading to a rope break. Tamura ends the fight with a rear naked choke, coming off a failed kneebar attempt from Miyato. This was very entertaining, if a bit short, and Miyato's bread-and-butter Judo/Kickboxing style played well with Tamura's flash & fury. The announcers put this over as a big upset and in a sense, it is because Miyato is more experienced. But watching these guys matchup, Tamura is clearly the more skilled wrestler. (****1/4)"