Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase Rin Nakai earned one of her biggest wins to date tonight in the co-main event of Pancrase 247 in Tokyo, Japan. Nakai overcame a slow start and submitted previously unbeaten King of the Cage champion Brenda “Boom Boom” Gonzales late in the opening round.

In a second female fight on the card, veteran Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino rebounded from a close decision loss in December by defeating Gonzales’s Fit NHB teammate, Amber “The Bully” Brown. Fujino overwhelmed her foe on the ground and submitted Brown with a second-round neck crank.

Nakai (14-0-1) was extremely tentative during the first three minutes of tonight’s bout. She cautiously circled on the outside while mounting almost no offence. Gonzales (4-1-0) stood in the centre of the ring and jabbed, but Nakai stayed out of range. Time was soon called and the referee warned both fighters for inactivity. Action resumed and Gonzales missed with a spinning backfist attempt.

From the clinch, Nakai took Gonzales’s back and tried to slam her to the mat. Gonzales defended well, but Nakai was able to suplex her to the ground. Gonzales landed awkwardly and appeared to break or dislocate her left elbow. Nakai secured a rear-naked choke on a kneeling Gonzales and fell backwards with the choke applied. Gonzales had nowhere to go and tapped out at the 4:47 mark of round one.

Nakai has won four straight fights since a controversial Split Draw against Danielle West in September 2011. She previously earned an equally contentious decision win over West in the pair’s December rematch to become the first Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase.

Fujino (12-6-0) and Brown (2-1-0) exchanged quick punches and knees in the early goings and clinched against the ropes. Fujino eventually scored a takedown and worked for an armbar after a scramble on the ground. Brown escaped and stood up. The fighters traded knees to the body and Fujino took Brown back down. She landed some solid punches from the top in the final minute.

It was Brown who got the early takedown in round two, but Fujino countered with a guillotine choke. Brown stayed calm and moved to mount. She pulled her head free and rained down punches until Fujino swept into top position. Fujino struck from Brown’s guard and Brown postured for an armbar. Fujino escaped to back control and worked for a rear-naked choke. Brown defended, but Fujino switched to a neck crank and the American fighter was forced to submit at the 4:18 mark of round two.

Tonight’s win got Fujino back on track following her razor-thin loss to Jewels champ Ayaka Hamasaki in their December title bout. She has won three of her past four fights. Despite the loss, Brown put on a game performance in defeat. The 24-year-old entered the fight on short notice when her teammate, Monica Lovato, was sidelined due to injuries sustained in a car accident.

(Photo Credit: GBRing.com)