00:27Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
00:30...moveing his rankings and breaking through those glass ceilings that you get in the sumo world.
00:37That's exactly what Taichi has done. He can't make the final.
00:41But he managed to polish off some impressive competition.
00:45He managed to defeat Minoru Suzuki, which could be a hell of a power play in the future.
00:52And he could wrap it all up tonight by spoiling Koduribushi.
01:12...moveing board with the
11:12What we've seen over the last year or so?
11:14Yes, yes.
11:15I would definitely say I have gained more respect.
11:18And I've faced Taichi numerous times when he was a junior heavyweight, you know,
11:24for the junior heavyweight tag team titles numerous times.
11:28This is a completely different Taichi.
11:29This is a Taichi that you can respect and he can go.
11:36The guy can go.
11:36He's a talented wrestler.
11:38He didn't need to depend on certain things that he would do and certain tactics necessarily.
11:44He's always been that guy and he never really saw his full potential.
11:49And I think now we're finally starting to see that.
11:54So far, this battle has been a game of can you top this?
11:58With Taichi and Ibushi both offering themselves to the other to say,
12:03go ahead and throw your best shot.
12:05whether it was leg kicks or these mid kicks here.
12:13And Rocky, when you get hit with a kick like that in the chest,
12:17what is affected by it?
12:19We see the concussion with the effect of it.
12:21But what does it really do to you?
12:24Those mid kicks?
12:25Yeah.
12:26When you get hit.
12:27Oh, let me tell you something.
12:28Those things hurt.
12:29A, they hurt.
12:30Start knotting up your shoulder, your chest area.
12:34And if it hits you right in the sternum, it can really, really affect your breathing.
12:42It takes everything out of you.
12:49Oh, let me try to shut the other down.
12:57And Taichi collapsing.
13:00Dropped him with that one.
13:06Taichi for so long in his career, the proponent, the very embodiment of work smart, not hard.
13:12And Taichi is working harder than perhaps he has ever worked in his career.
13:17Chris, I wanted to get your thoughts really quickly.
13:20There was a moment in time over the summer where Taichi and Zach were trying to lure Ibushi to join
13:25them,
13:25to turn away from Tanahashi.
13:27Ibushi would eventually rebuff that and stand strong.
13:29How much do you think that bothered Taichi?
13:33I think he, perhaps he never really anticipated that Ibushi would go over to his side.
13:38It was the start of this political machinations, I think, for Taichi.
13:42Perhaps thinking, well, hey, how much stroke do I really have with the other boys?
13:46Perhaps that's it.
13:47If I earn some respect here, maybe this will pay off for me down the line when it comes to
13:52Ibushi.
13:55Wow.
13:56Ooh.
13:58Oh, my God.
14:01Those kicks are solid.
14:09And they have been kicking each other throughout this entire bout.
14:14Not just receiving kicks, throwing kicks.
14:17That's exhausting in its own.
14:19But think about the cumulative total of kicks they've received.
14:25And it's no wonder.
14:26I mean, sometimes we've seen chop battles like with Ryu Lee and Hiromu.
14:30But this is an entirely different story.
14:33Albeit with...
14:35Oh, wait a second now.
14:36Dangerous.
14:38And Ibushi rolled through and landed on his feet.
14:41I don't think his head ever touched the mat.
14:43No, no, I think he landed on his knees and he was able to avoid that.
14:50Come out.
14:52He's saying, don't get up, but come out.
14:55Get that fighting fight if you're out.
14:57And let's do it 101.
14:59It's the Taichi.
15:03It's the same thing that people have been telling Taichi for years.
15:17These guys are going to have problems walking by these.
15:21Oh, my God.
15:23Oh, my God.
15:24Oh, my God.
15:26Oh, my God.
15:27Oh, my God.
15:28Oh, my God.
15:29Oh, my God.
15:30Oh, trading soul butts.
15:35Ibushi, every time, has an answer.
15:38Taichi stops him, retreats to the neutral corner.
15:41Taichi charges in, gets caught again.
15:45Taichi retreats, and Ibushi comes forward.
15:48Oh, high kick, though.
15:53Oh.
15:56Oh.
15:58Oh.
16:00Oh, open down.
16:03Can't trade too many of those.
16:06Have we seen anything that isn't a kick in this match?
16:11I don't think we have.
16:12One attempt at that dangerous suplex, and other than that, nope.
16:16They've kicked each other into oblivion.
16:31And a double down would not help Kota Ibushi.
16:34That would end, I believe, in a no-contest, which would be zero points for each side.
16:38That would put Ibushi out.
16:44And, Chris, I mean, would you agree that Ibushi maybe is not playing this exactly the way maybe he should
16:51be right now?
16:52I think you're absolutely right.
16:54Ibushi obviously is only focused on Taichi, but he has to think potentially, hey, if I win here, and Ishi
17:00beats Jay White, I've got a spot in the finals.
17:03He might have to wrestle again and wrestle just as tough a match, if not tougher.
17:08And I'll take the other side of that.
17:10I think Ibushi has done a great job in this tournament of solely focusing on the opponent in front of
17:17him.
17:17I wonder if he's given a thought to what lies ahead.
17:22Completely, 100%, laser-focused on Taichi.
17:25The challenge, the kicks, wanting to draw Taichi out to beat the best Taichi.
17:30It's not enough for Ibushi to win, but he wants to beat his opponent at their best.
17:36I know, but how much do you give up in that tournament?
17:40Look, look out, he's barely able to stand right now.
17:44I agree with you.
17:47The challenge, the most electrified yet.
17:58Oh, finally slowing.
18:04Oh, those low kicks.
18:06Those hamstrings.
18:09Those quads are going to be so knotted up after this.
18:18To Chris's point earlier, when Enoki used those low kicks against Muhammad Ali,
18:23I mean, Ali was in the hospital for days.
18:33Again, continuing on.
18:39We talked about the stubbornness of a Minoru Suzuki.
18:43And we're seeing that same level of stubborn from both Taichi and Ibushi.
18:49Hellbent and determined on winning with kicks, breaking their opponent down.
18:56And now for the first time, it looks like Ibushi might change and might do something different.
19:03And this might be all he needs.
19:05A Kamigoye.
19:10Oh, sweeping low kick from Taichi.
19:17During this tournament, Kota Ibushi battled Jeff Cobb.
19:20And Cobb was throwing boost around and will.
19:25An incredible F5000.
19:27Everybody thought Cobb was going to win.
19:28And all Ibushi did, really, in that match, was hit Kamigoye and get the win.
19:34But now a situation where he...
19:36That's a great point.
19:38That's a fantastic point, Kevin.
19:42Just barely getting up before Red Shoes counts nine.
19:46Eiji daring Ibushi to stand up even as he's struggling to his feet.
19:51They haven't used the ropes to support themselves.
19:53They're still going to play.
19:5615 minutes of kicks in this match.
20:05Still challenging him to keep kicking.
20:17Both guys are holding themselves up.
20:20They're holding each other up.
20:22Yep.
20:23Holding each other up so they can kick each other.
20:36Never seen anything like this.
20:38I believe, you know, I mean, my mind goes back, in a sense, to that classic with Sasaki.
20:48And, uh, Kamigoye all the way back in the Tokido and all those chops.
20:52But it's almost like that.
20:54But on another level, we've had nothing but kicks.
20:56And we're closing it on 20 minutes.
21:00Oh, that one caught him.
21:03And as the kicks get lower, because, again, they can't raise their legs this high,
21:08you've got to worry about the knee, the knee capsule.
21:10But that one catching Ibushi firmly in the hamstring.
21:18You've got to be careful.
21:20You do some significant damage, permanent damage in these kind of situations.
21:38A guttural spree from Kota Ibushi.
21:49Oh, my God.
21:51Oh, my God.
21:52Oh, my God.
21:53Oh, my God.
21:55Oh, my God.
21:56And now, the Kamigoye.
22:00Oh, my God.
22:02Kamigoye.
22:05Kamigoye.
22:05Kamigoye.
22:05Oh, my God.
22:06And cover two in a match that only kicks were thrown until the final knee.
22:16The Kamigoye, Kota Ibushi has beaten Taichi.
22:22I have never seen anything like that in the over 30 years I have been calling wrestling matches.
22:31That was unreal.
22:33Just unbelievable.
22:34We'll be talking about that for years and years to come.
22:38And you have to take your hat off for Taichi.
22:41An unbelievable effort for Kota Ibushi and the announcement now that Ibushi moves the 14th points, the first person to
22:50do so.
22:52And therefore, Kota Ibushi has done all he could.
22:54He's still alive.
22:55And it all goes down to this main event.
22:57If Jay White wins, then Jay White is through.
23:01If Jay White loses or draws, then Kota Ibushi is through.
23:05It's just that simple.
23:10Man, but Ibushi's not going to be able to walk for the next week.
23:15Exactly right.
23:16I mean, you would have to say.
23:18And, well, I mean, you remember last year, Rock, and the knowing look to the eyes and a little bit
23:24of respect and a lot of respect.
23:28Remember last year, Kota Ibushi could barely walk into the final with that ankle injury, which was attacked by Switchblade
23:35Jay White the night before.
23:37Oh, yeah, that's true.
23:40That's true.
23:41He dealt with it the whole tournament.
23:44Finally, as it started to get a little better, he suffered that attack from Jay White.
23:51But was still able to find a way to win.
23:53But, I mean, this is bad.
23:57This is really, really bad.
24:00You're not only talking about, you know, an ankle.
24:03You're talking about multiple muscles in that leg, the knee.
24:09Who knows if there's ligament damage.
24:14Maybe two minutes, 12 seconds.
24:16The one advantage that Ibushi might have, and I don't even know if an extra day's rest will help, is
24:24that the A block goes first, then a day off, then the final on Sunday.
24:30If this was a situation where Ibushi had to turn around in less than 24 hours, I would say, my
24:37God, there can be no way.
24:40But with Rocky, how he can barely put any weight on that leg.
24:44Look at him.
24:44Yeah.
24:45That's bad.
24:47That's bad.
24:50Now he realizes.
24:51Now he saw that sinking in his face of, oh, no.
24:57Trust me, Chris, when that adrenaline all runs out later tonight, and he's laying in bed, he's going to be
25:05feeling everything.
25:06And tomorrow morning when he wakes up, that leg is going to be trashed.
25:18And I have a feeling that if we ask Ibushi down the road, he would probably say something to the
25:25effect of, Chris, I have no regrets about what I did.
25:28It's just his mindset.
25:38Every step measured.
25:44And what about Tai Chi?
25:46What an effort for Tai Chi.
25:47What an effort.
25:48What a few times for Tai Chi.
25:49We're just seeing.
25:50The whole tournament.
25:51From a lot of people tonight.
25:52Good night.
