Kiyoshi Tamura's grappling ability

[Tad Williams]

How do you rate it? I never thought he was up to much but after watching a lot of his earlier fights he's tooling Renzo Gracie and Frank Shamrock on the ground and was surviving against Nogueria.

I can't believe people call this guy a can, he was one of the best around during his time.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

Tamura was always seriously underrated as a fighter.

 

[Kforcer]

Nobody who knows anything about him calls him a can. Have you seen his fight against Sakuraba...? Although it was "cool" to speak pretentiously about how hard the fight was to watch the fact is that both guys exhibited excellent grappling; the way Tamura reversed Saku when Saku had is back into side-control, for example, was excellent, rarely seen stuff.

Watch his fight against Minowa or his pro-wrestling bouts with Saku and Volk Han for more awesome grappling.

I wouldn't say anyone was tooled in Renzo-Tamura though; that was an all-time war.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

I wouldn't say anyone was tooled in Renzo-Tamura though; that was an all-time war.

Agree on that, I wouldn't say Tamura out-grappled Renzo, aside from maintaining top position, where he was able to land strikes, and thus win. But it's not like Renzo was able to really get anything going from bottom. Although I've heard some allegations about that fight, I can't substantiate them.

 

[Kforcer]

Agree on that, I wouldn't say Tamura out-grappled Renzo, aside from maintaining top position, where he was able to land strikes, and thus win. But it's not like Renzo was able to really get anything going from bottom. Although I've heard some allegations about that fight, I can't substantiate them.

Renzo had some great submission attempts in that bout; he had the guillotine he nearly finished Tamura with, he had the knee-bar attempt...Tamura had Renzo at the end with the Fujiwara armbar/ Nagata lock position, but yeah, Renzo definitely gave a good account.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

Renzo had some great submission attempts in that bout; he had the guillotine he nearly finished Tamura with, he had the knee-bar attempt...Tamura had Renzo at the end with the Fujiwara armbar/ Nagata lock position, but yeah, Renzo definitely gave a good account.

I think I need to re-watch the fight, it's been a few years. My memory is mostly Renzo missing shots, pulling guard, and defending Tamura, while Tamura alternately messes with passing, or strikes from top. I also remember at one point Renzo does a hand-spring to his feet. But I can't remember any submission attempts.

 

[Kforcer]

I think I need to re-watch the fight, it's been a few years. My memory is mostly Renzo missing shots, pulling guard, and defending Tamura, while Tamura alternately messes with passing, or strikes from top. I also remember at one point Renzo does a hand-spring to his feet. But I can't remember any submission attempts.

Oh, Renzo nearly subs Tamura at the start of the fight. I mean, Tamura had to really tough his way out of a guillotine. Tamura has Renzo at the end of the fight in a nasty Fujiwara armbar/Crippler crossface though. Renzo also goes for a rolling knee-bar.

 

[Tad Williams]

Nobody who knows anything about him calls him a can. Have you seen his fight against Sakuraba...? Although it was "cool" to speak pretentiously about how hard the fight was to watch the fact is that both guys exhibited excellent grappling; the way Tamura reversed Saku when Saku had is back into side-control, for example, was excellent, rarely seen stuff.

Watch his fight against Minowa or his pro-wrestling bouts with Saku and Volk Han for more awesome grappling.

I wouldn't say anyone was tooled in Renzo-Tamura though; that was an all-time war.

The people I've seen call him a can are usually rubes from the heavies who dismiss him as another Japanese guy on Silva's highlight reel.

I saw his fight against Sakuraba. His wrestling ability is very impressive, does he have an amateur background?

I've only seen his brutal KO of Minowa, I'll have to track down his other fight.

What was his fight with Miletich like?