The Columbo match of Daniel Makabe’s career – as we take a look at a not-so-secret match with Nicole Matthews.
This secret outing’s coming from the Lion’s Gate Dojo in Surrey, B.C….
Nicole Matthews vs. Daniel Makabe
This is the fourth meeting between these two, with each one coming in successive years, all in British Columbia – 2021 (for NEW in Richmond), 2022 (for 365 in Victoria) and 2023 for Dusk Pro in Vancouver. Matthews won the last two, so this one’s to tie the series, so to speak.
A tentative start sees Matthews take things to the mat, working a spinning toe hold that morphed into a deathlock, only for Makabe to break free as things remained at close quarters. Matthews’ attempt to block a Cobra twist is undone, as was some brief offence as Makabe found his way back with a grounded Octopus.
Staying on the deck, Makabe grinds an elbow into the back, but an attempt at the Makabe Lock’s thwarted as Matthews rolled through… only to get caught into a seated position as Makabe perhaps had an eye on the π variant. Getting back in control, Matthews’ overhead wristlock morphs into an attempted crossface, but Matthews’ insistence on going for the face created an opening for Makabe instead.
Duelling leglocks give way to the pair trying for cross armbreakers before they rolled free. On the restart, Matthews goes for a cross armbreaker, but Makabe breaks free and goes for one of his own, with Matthews’ roll-up breaking the hold as she again took the upper hand, going for an inverted cravat on the mat.
Back to their feet, and we begin with forearms and palm strikes as Makabe looked to get aggressive, ducking a discus elbow from Matthews before tripping her up into a modified Figure Four. The ropes force a break, but Makabe stays on the leg with kicks until a brainbuster almost nicked the win in hammer elbows from Matthews help her get back in with a Lebell lock, but Makabe headbutts the quad to force a break.
From there, it’s back to the mat as hammer elbows keep Matthews seated ahead of the Makabe Lock π to force the submission.
Result: Daniel Makabe submitted Nicole Matthews in 14:32
This is very much going to be a Marmite match – not least for the setting. A single, mobile camera view of a ground-based match will turn some people off, but for those who click through will be treated to a pretty solid grappling exhibition. Now, I wonder if Dan shared his DVDVR username at the end…
And that’s it for Daniel Makabe’s career. Of course, the match against Kevin Ku was the swansong, and barring a phone call from Bryan Danielson, that’s it. In the meantime, I’ll be holding out hope for PCW to find the footage of the Rust Taylor match from just before the pandemic – in what’s become the British scene’s equivalent of that Tom Magee match!