The 2016 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup took place tonight at Toyosu PIT in Tokyo, Japan. The card was headlined by a Shoot Boxing Women’s Flyweight Championship bout between defending champion Rena Kubota and Polish challenger Klaudia Pawicka, who made her promotional debut.

In tonight’s 48kg Girls S-Cup tournament semi-finals, Mio Tsumura took on Yurika Jimbo, and Akari “Union” Nakamura battled Yuri. The winners then met in the tournament final to determine the 2016 Girls S-Cup Champion. In MMA action, standout wrestler Kanako Murata faced Ilona Wijmans.

 

51kg Shoot Boxing Women’s Flyweight Championship – 5×3

Rena Kubota vs Klaudia Pawicka

Round 1:
Kubota blocks Pawicka’s early jabs and counters with leg kicks. She halts Pawicka’s offence with front kicks, but Pawicka clinches and tries to take Kubota’s back. The referee calls for a break and Pawicka just misses with a punching combination before the bell.

Round 2:
Pawicka punches her way into a clinch in round two, but the referee separates the fighters after a lull in the action. Kubota lands leg and body kicks that lead to another brief clinch. She scores with a head kick and targets Pawicka’s body with punches. A left hook lands for Kubota and Pawicka touches her hand down on the mat, which is considered a knockdown. She is given a standing count shortly before the end of the round.

Round 3:
Kubota opens round three with knees in a clinch and Pawicka is visibly injured. The referee gives her a second standing count and allows the fight to continue. Kubota drops Pawicka with another knee and the referee waves off the bout after Pawicka’s corner throws in the towel.

Winner: Rena Kubota by TKO (Corner Stoppage) at 1:42 of round three. She improves her combined shoot boxing and kickboxing record to 33-5-1 and remains the Shoot Boxing Women’s Flyweight Champion.

 

48kg Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Final – 3×3

Mio Tsumura vs Akari “Union” Nakamura

Round 1:
Tsumura opens the action with right body kicks and Nakamura replies with lunging left hooks. Tsumura continues to target the body with kicks and Nakamura counters with more left hands. Tsumura clinches and attempts a harai goshi throw, but she can’t get it. Nakamura tries for one of her own and also fails. Both women land kicks to the midsection late in the round.

Round 2:
The second round begins with a clinch and both women land knees. Nakamura blocks a spinning backfist, but Tsumura backs her into a corner. The referee calls for a break, but Tsumura quickly clinches again and holds Nakamura against the ropes. The referee separates the fighters once more and both women land body kicks. The round ends with an exchange of hooks.

Round 3:
After trading punches in round three, Tsumura catches a front kick and sweeps out Nakamura’s other leg. Nakamura stands and throws left jabs that are immediately met by more body kicks from Tsumura. The pace remains high as both women land punches until time expires.

Judge Motegi scores the fight 29-28 for Tsumura. Judges Tsuyama and Okabayashi both have it even at 29-29, and we have a Majority Draw.

Round 4 (Extension Round):
Early in the first extension round, Tsumura lands a jab-cross combo. Nakamura answers back with two body kicks and she sidesteps a Tsumura combination. Another body kick lands for Nakamura, which leads to an exchange of punches. Tsumura finishes the round strong with a series of stiff jabs.

Judge Motegi scores the extension round even at 10-10. Judges Tsuyama and Okabayashi both have it 10-9 for the winner by Majority Decision, Tsumura.

Winner: Mio Tsumura by Majority Decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-10) after one 3:00 extension round and four rounds overall. She improves her shoot boxing record to 23-2-0 and becomes the 2016 48kg Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Champion.

 

57kg MMA Bout – 3×5

Kanako Murata vs Ilona Wijmans

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Masato Fukuda. Murata secures an early body-lock takedown into side control and lands hammerfists. She transitions to a top-side crucifix and isolates both of Wijmans’s arms. Murata lands numerous punches and hammerfists to the face of Wijmans, who cannot move or defend herself, and the fight is stopped.

Winner: Kanako Murata by TKO (Punches) at 1:17 of round one. She improves her MMA record to 3-0-0.

 

48kg Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Semi-Final #1 – 3×3

Akari “Union” Nakamura vs Yuri

Round 1:
Nakamura opens the fight with leg kicks, which she uses to keep Yuri at a distance. Yuri is unable to land any of her punches and Nakamura scores with a left head kick. She moves into a clinch and lands a big knee that floors Yuri. The fight is waved off.

Winner: Akari Nakamura by KO (Knee) at 1:02 of round one. She improves her combined shoot boxing and kickboxing record to 16-10-1 and advances to the 48kg Girls S-Cup final.

 

48kg Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Semi-Final #2 – 3×3

Mio Tsumura vs Yurika Jimbo

Round 1:
Both fighters throw right leg kicks and Tsumura chains together combinations of kicks and left hooks. She catches Jimbo’s kick and chops out her other leg, which causes Jimbo to fall. Jimbo stands and Tsumura throws left and right hooks, but Jimbo avoids most of the punches.

Round 2:
The second round begins with an exchange of front kicks. Tsumura once again trips Jimbo after catching a kick. The fight resumes on the feet and Tsumura presses forward. Jimbo initiates a clinch and the referee calls for a break. Tsumura scores with a nice left-right combo.

Round 3:
Tsumura remains the aggressor in the final round and she lands hooks. Jimbo clinches, but little transpires and the fighters are separated. Tsumura lands a body kick and Jimbo returns to the clinch. She is unable to mount much offence in close and both women land knees before the bell.

Judges Tsuyama and Taira both score the fight 30-29, while judge Okabayashi has it 30-28. All three see it for the winner by Unanimous Decision, Tsumura.

Winner: Mio Tsumura by Unanimous Decision (30-28, 30-29, 30-29) after three 3:00 rounds. She improves her shoot boxing record to 22-2-0 and advances to the 48kg Girls S-Cup final.

 

48kg Non-Tournament Bout – 3×2

Misaki Morita vs Maki Goto

Round 1:
Morita closes the distance and throws left-right combos. Goto uses front kicks and left jabs to try to halt Morita’s offence, but Morita won’t be stopped. She lands some nice body kicks and chases Goto down.

Round 2:
Morita continues to chase Goto in the second round. While backing up, Goto loses her balance and falls. She gets back to her feet and lands a left jab and a right straight. Morita throws hooks to the head and body, and Goto continues to score with jabs and right hands.

Round 3:
The final round begins with Morita landing hooks. Goto tries again to slow down Morita’s offence and can’t. She sticks out her jab and does her best to keep Morita at bay.

Judge Wakabayashi scores the fight 30-28 for Morita. Judge Tsuyama has it even at 29-29. Judge Taira scores it 29-28 for Goto, and we have a Split Draw.

Round 4 (Extension Round):
Morita walks her opponent down and lands hooks that are countered by Goto’s left jabs. Goto is landing far more punches with her jab-cross combos and is outpacing Morita in offence. The fighters continue to trade punches until the final bell and Goto appears to have taken the round.

Judges Wakabayashi, Taira and Tsuyama all score the extension round 10-9 for the winner by Unanimous Decision, Morita. The decision is not a popular one.

Winner: Misaki Morita by Unanimous Decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) after one 2:00 extension round and four rounds overall.

 

49kg Non-Tournament Bout – 3×2

Hinata Terayama vs Mei Umeo

Round 1:
Terayama throws left and right body kicks, then targets Umeo’s legs. She adds in front kicks and uses them to co-ordinate her distance well. Umeo throws leg kicks in return, but Terayama outstrikes her by a significant margin as time winds down.

Round 2:
The second round begins with a clinch and both fighters land knees. Terayama attempts a throw but fails. Umeo lands knees in the clinch and holds an edge in the striking battles before the bell.

Round 3:
The fighters exchange front kicks in round three and Terayama lands a right cross. Umeo tries to brawl, but Terayama avoids her strikes and initiates a clinch. She grabs Umeo’s neck and works for a high-arc throw, but can’t get it. The fight ends with Terayama landing knees in another clinch.

Judges Taira, Tsuyama and Okabayashi all score the fight 30-28 for the winner by Unanimous Decision, Terayama.

Winner: Hinata Terayama by Unanimous Decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-28) after three 2:00 rounds.