Two additional matchups have been announced for the upcoming Jewels: “Twelfth Ring” card on March 11th in Tokyo, Japan. Club Barbarian prospect Sakura Nomura will look to rebound from the first defeat of her career when she welcomes Korean boxer Ji Yun Kim to Jewels in Kim’s MMA debut.
Also confirmed for the card was a kickboxing match between Miku Hayashi and Suzuna Nakamura. The bout will be contested at 115 pounds and is the lone kickboxing contest currently scheduled for the card. Additional updates for “Twelfth Ring” are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Nomura (3-1-0) made her professional debut last March and scored a submission victory over Yoko Kagoshima late in the second round of their Jewels bout. She followed up with a decision win against AACC’s Rina Tomita before entering the inaugural Jewels Lightweight Queen Tournament at Jewels: “Ninth Ring” in July. There, Nomura scored her biggest win to date when she controlled promotional postergirl Saori “Shooting Star Ishioka en route to a one-sided decision. In the December tournament semi-finals, Nomura suffered her first loss when she was defeated by reigning Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki.
Kim (6-2-0 [3 KOs] Boxing; 0-0-0 MMA) will not have an easy task in her mixed martial arts debut, as she faces one of Jewels’s top prospects, Nomura. The 21-year-old Kim is a technically sound striker and also possesses solid power in her punches. While this will be her first bout with ground fighting, Kim should hold a decided edge over Nomura in the striking department. As this bout will be held under standard Jewels rules, strikes to the head on the ground will not be permitted.
Nomura will move up from her previous fighting weight of 52kg (114.4 pounds) to face Kim in a matchup to be contested at 58kg (127.6 pounds).
Jewels: “Twelfth Ring” takes place on March 11th at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan.
Jewels: “Twelfth Ring” Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Ayaka Hamasaki vs Lisa Ward [52kg Non-Title Bout; Special Rules]
– Mika “Future Princess” Nagano vs Emi Murata [54kg Bout]
– Shizuka Sugiyama vs Mayumi “Super Benkei” Aoki [62kg Bout]
– Sakura Nomura vs Ji Yun Kim [58kg Bout]
– Bolormaa “Esui” Erdenebileg vs Danielle “The Curse” West [65kg Bout]
– Rina Tomita vs Sadae “Manhoef” Suzumura [52kg Bout]
– Miyoko Kusaka vs Yuka Okumura [50kg Bout]
– Miku Hayashi vs Suzuna Nakamura [52.16kg Kickboxing Match]