For the first time in BattlArts’ infancy, Yuki Ishikawa finds himself in trouble. Ikeda posed a challenge but Ishikawa weathered the storm to eventually come out on top as he did at the BattlArts debut show. But here, against Carl Greco, he seems to genuinely struggle. Ishikawa struggles to find any purchase and his calm approach to matches sort of fails him here. He keeps waiting for a mistake to exploit or an opening to get into the fight but Greco can match him on the mat in a way that Ikeda can’t, and he also has a youthful vigor to him that sees him attacking with near endless energy. Even when Ishikawa tries to take the fight to their feet, Greco’s got an answer for him and it’s fascinating to see Ishikawa just fully worn down into a submission defeat by the end. The first real dent in Ishikawa’s armor in BattlArts reveals itself, and I look forward to seeing how he overcomes the setback.
Rating: ***3/4
