Review: Dario Espinoza vs. Dave Markus (Movimus)

Duke Russo is still my Movimus guy, but Dario Espinosa definitely made a big impression on me in his match against Ray Mousi (reviewed here). It was the kind of experience where I just had to see more. His only other match was his first one - this one against Dave Markus. It made my choice easy and fortunately, Dario delivers for me again.

It's Dario's debut vs. Dave Markus

The guys go hard on the mat

Dario is a stunning brute of a man. The beefy muscleman oozes raw masculinity with every move. His presence is much bigger than his 5'8" listed height would indicate. I love the way he sweats, strains and moves. And here, he shows a cool confidence that makes me like him for more than his looks.

Dario is a gorgeous beast

The thickly-muscled man impresses in his debut

Dave is a consistent presence at Movimus. With his ripped body in tiny orange posers, he looks lean, tight and hard. While Dario looks bigger than his stats, it's the opposite with Markus. However, the guy is a good wrestler and proves it again in this battle with the beefy rookie hunk.

Markus looks smaller, but it's actually pretty close

When you bend like Markus, it's tough to submit you

Dario Espinosa vs. Dave Markus has great action and chemistry between two gorgeous contrasting musclemen. In addition to their physical contrast, I really enjoyed the unspoken storyline in this video. It's an intense battle of wills with Dario representing primal power and Markus showcasing his resilience and skill.

The rugged rookie takes a minute to get into the groove, but it gets competitive fast. These guys show a lot of skill and intuitive "mat sense". Their stamina and focus are impressive as the move around the mat, fighting for those elusive taps.

It's intense, but wrestling is fun, too

Dario tries to escape Markus' facelock

Who's going to come out on top?

This is an even match in terms of submissions, with a 2-2 tie broken in the final seconds. However, watching this, it never felt that even to me. Dario's raw power gives him an air of superiority and dominance that the score doesn't reflect. In spite of this advantage, the he-man fails to put young Markus away when he has the chance.

Meanwhile, the smaller stud strikes suddenly, turning things around and getting immediate taps when he goes for it. This dynamic made it difficult to pull visuals that didn't make it look like Dario squashes Markus, but let me assure you that's not the case.

Dario nearly causes a wardrobe malfunction
while fighting for a submission

Markus' submissions come out of nowhere

With a 3-2 finale, the guys fought hard,
leaving it all on the mat

In the end, this is an excellent battle between power and resilience. Dario's an incredible physical presence, but Markus is an expert and it shows. It feels like a classic battle.

What are other bloggers saying?

RINGSIDE: MARKUS VS. ESPINOSA

So that's my take. What's yours?

Alex