SmackGIRL Postpones ReMix Final
by Robert Sargent
Amidst rumours of financial troubles due to the loss of a prominent sponsor, Japan's premier female mixed martial arts promotion, SmackGIRL, has postponed the finals of its 2008 World ReMix Tournament until later this fall.
The event is set to feature the 115-pound final between phenom Megumi "Mega Megu" Fujii and Ana Michelle Tavares and the open-weight final between Hitomi Akano and Ginele Marquez.
Tentatively, the Remix Finals have been postponed from July 24th until September 21st, according to SmackGIRL Public Relations Officer Masao Katsui, who refused to comment on rumours that the promotion is suffering from significant financial troubles.
ReMix, the predecessor to SmackGIRL, put on its first all-female tournament in 2000, before adopting the SmackGIRL moniker a year later. The tournament returned in 2004, to great success, and this year's edition has featured many exciting fights.
In its history to date, SmackGIRL has produced more than 50 mixed martial arts events, easily establishing itself as the top female mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
According to sources, the financial troubles have come after a prominent sponsor, rumoured to be an Australian-Japanese IT company, withdrew its support after the promotion's event in February of this year. This resulted in SmackGIRL taking on a rumoured $100,000 in expenses for the show to be televised.
Katsui and SmackGIRL President Motoki Shino stated simply that circumstances were unfortunately beyond their control, and they hoped that the event finals would go ahead in September.
SmackGIRL has featured nearly all of the top female fighters in the world, including Amanda Buckner, Roxanne Modafferi, Marloes Coenen and the two best females in the sport today, Megumi Fujii and Tara LaRosa.
While the rumoured demise of SmackGIRL is troubling for fans of women's MMA, there is a silver lining to the story, as Shigeru Saeki, head of the DEEP promotion in Japan, stated that he intends to continue to build upon DEEP's already impressive women's division.
DEEP's top two female stars, 99-pound champion Satoko Shinashi and 106-pound submission ace Miku Matsumoto, will continue to be featured prominently within the company, as new fighters emerge. Former DEEP champion and devastating knockout artist Hisae Watanabe, who retired from competition earlier this year, is slated to serve as an event producer for the promotion.
The potential loss of the premier female MMA promotion in the world would be a significant blow to women's MMA, but the rise of DEEP in Japan and EliteXC in North America will hopefully be able to take over. If all goes as planned for SmackGIRL, the ReMix tournament will conclude in September and more events will follow next year.
