Three women’s bouts were featured at today’s shootboxing event in Tokyo, Japan, and all three went the distance. 2009 Girls S-Cup Champion RENA picked up another impressive victory as she dispatched of ☆MIKA☆ via dominant three-round Unanimous Decision.

In other action, former DEEP Women’s Lightweight MMA Champion Hisae Watanabe picked up her second win over Sumie Yamada with a competitive decision victory, while current Valkyrie Featherweight MMA Champion Mei “V Hajime” Yamaguchi defeated Ikue Tanimura.

RENA controlled the first round of her bout with ☆MIKA☆ with effective strikes to the body and quick combinations. She landed punches and kicks to the face, but ☆MIKA☆ kept her at bay with kicks in return. RENA landed kicks in the second round and threw ☆MIKA☆ to the mat. She later countered a knee with another throw and the two traded punches in the third round. ☆MIKA☆ landed glancing strikes and RENA replied with a nice combination and a throw. The fighters exchanged late in the round, with RENA maintaining an edge.

Result: RENA defeats ☆MIKA☆ by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-28, 30-28) after three 2:00 rounds.

Yamaguchi had little trouble in dispatching of Tanimura in their bout, as she overwhelmed the J-Girls representative early on with counter kicks and a pair of throws. Tanimura landed kicks and punches early in the second round, but Yamaguchi looked to answer with a throw. A Yellow Card followed, but it had little impact as Yamaguchi defended kicks in the final round and answered with a big knee to the body. She landed kicks and threw Tanimura to the mat late in the round.

Result: Mei Yamaguchi defeats Ikue Tanimura by Unanimous Decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-28) after three 2:00 rounds.

Watanabe looked to counter with kicks early in her fight with Yamada and did so effectively, but Yamada landed a right hand to the body and a looping hook. Watanabe put together combinations and landed the superior strikes as the round progressed and continued to dominate in round two. She threw Yamada to the mat and evaded a right hook late in the round. The fighters exchanged strikes in the final stanza and Yamada connected with a hard right hook, but Watanabe was unfazed and landed crisp punches in return. Yamada swung wildly late in the fight, but could not connect.

Result: Hisae Watanabe defeats Sumie Yamada by Unanimous Decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-29) after three 2:00 rounds.

The favourites reigned supreme in each of the three women’s bouts on the card, but fans were treated to action-packed performances from all six fighters. The event will serve as a lead-in to the Women’s S-Cup Tournament later this year.

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(Photo Credit: SportsNavi Japan)