A bout between Jewels postergirl Mika “Future Princess” Nagano and Emi Murata has been rescheduled for Jewels: “14th Ring” on May 14th in Tokyo, Japan. The fight was first set to take place at “12th Ring” on March 11th, but the event was cancelled after a massive earthquake off of Japan’s coast.

Both Nagano and Murata last competed at Jewels: “11th Ring” in December. Nagano was upset by Korean kickboxer Seo Hee Ham in the semi-finals of the Jewels Lightweight Queen tournament, while Murata picked up a quick triangle armbar submission victory over Anna Saito earlier in the night.

Nagano (7-4-0) had looked to follow up on her 2009 Rough Stone Grand Prix win by becoming the first Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion last year, but her title hopes were dashed in December when she came up just short against Ham. Now looking to win her way back to a title shot, the submission ace will battle a rising prospect from the Abe Ani Combat Club, Murata (2-1-0), who possesses a formidable submission game in her own right. Nagano and Murata were originally set to square off on the ill-fated “12th Ring” card last month, but their focus shifted away from competition after a massive earthquake and tsunami sent the country into turmoil.

For Nagano, dedicating herself to full-time training became a priority last year after she was shockingly upset by Celine Haga in May. She avenged the loss to Haga two months later and, although she was narrowly edged out by Ham in December, put on a very game performance in defeat. Murata stands between Nagano and title contention, and Nagano will not have an easy fight against the AACC rep. Murata’s lone defeat to date came to eventual 56kg Rough Stone Grand Prix Champion Mizuki Inoue and both of her wins have come by submission. A ground battle between the two would seem highly likely, as Nagano matches her experience against Murata’s developing skills.

Jewels: 13th Ring and 14th Ring will both take place on May 14th at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo. The events will together be part of an all-day festival to raise money for relief and reconstruction in Japan after the country was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Jewels: 13th Ring Fight Card (to date; subject to change):

– Bolormaa “Esui” Erdenebileg vs Chisa Yonezawa [61kg Jewels Special Rules MMA Bout]
– Asami Higa vs Megumi Morioka [50kg Jewels Official Rules MMA Bout]
– Kozue “Azuma” Nagashima vs Yukimi Kamikaze [57.15kg Kickboxing Bout]
– Miku Hayashi vs Rio Kamikaze [53.52kg Kickboxing Bout]
– Madoka Okada vs Momoka [47kg Kickboxing Bout]

Jewels: 14th Ring Fight Card (to date; subject to change):

– Misaki Takimoto vs Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama [48kg Jewels Special Rules MMA Bout]
– Mika “Future Princess” Nagano vs Emi Murata [54kg Jewels Official Rules MMA Bout]
– Miyoko Kusaka vs Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto [48kg Jewels Official Rules MMA Bout]

(Photo Credit: Jewels)