Three more bouts have been announced for the Jewels: “16th Ring” card on September 11th in Tokyo, Japan. Teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue, who turned 17 on Friday, will take a huge step up in competition when she faces Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki in a non-title matchup.

Also announced for the event was the return to MMA of grappling ace Emi Tomimatsu, who faces Norway’s Celine Haga. Tomimatsu has not competed in MMA since early 2008. In other action, Yuko “Amiba” Oya looks to bounce back from her first loss in two years when she faces Akiko “Betiko” Naito.

Inoue (2-0-0) made her Jewels debut last October and submitted Emi Murata with an armbar in the opening round of the 2010 Jewels 56kg Rough Stone Grand Prix. She went on to win the tournament two months later with an impressive stoppage of Asako Saioka, once again by armbar, at Jewels: “11th Ring.” Inoue has remained active in kickboxing, where she has also had considerable success, but she suffered her first pro defeat in a J-Girls number one contender’s bout in July. Now setting her sights on Jewels title gold, Inoue may earn herself a title shot if she is able to defeat Hamasaki next month.

Hamasaki (4-0-0), one of the top female fighters in the Abe Ani Combat Club, earned a submission win in her October 2009 MMA debut and made her first appearance for Jewels last July. By submitting Han Sol Lee, Hamasaki advanced on to the second round of the Jewels Lightweight Queen tournament to crown the promotion’s first champion at 52 kilograms. On December 17th at Jewels: “11th Ring,” she earned decision victories over the previously unbeaten Sakura Nomura and South Korean kickboxing standout Seo Hee Ham to become the first Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion.

The bout between Inoue and Hamasaki, which pits two of Japan’s top female prospects against one another, will be contested at 54kg and will not be for Hamasaki’s title. However, should Inoue upset Hamasaki, a rematch for Hamasaki’s belt is very likely.

Tomimatsu (2-4-0), despite her mediocre record in MMA, is a skilled grappler with underrated striking ability. She has competed solely in grappling competitions since a January 2008 loss in MMA to “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba, but will now make her return against Haga (1-8-0), who was forced out of a planned bout in England earlier this month due to injury. Haga has managed just one win in her mixed martial arts career thus far and will likely be at a disadvantage on the ground against Tomimatsu, but she will look to spoil her opponent’s return to the sport after a long hiatus.

Oya (5-2-0) has recently developed into a dark horse in the Jewels 52kg division. She scored a pair of submission victories last year, but had a three-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of top Jewels competitor Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka in December and has not competed since. Naito (6-11-0), a former Valkyrie fighter, has encountered tough times in recent fights and has posted just one win in her last six bouts. She is coming off of a loss to final Valkyrie Featherweight Champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi in May and will make her Jewels debut against Oya as a significant underdog.

Jewels: “16th Ring” takes place on September 11th at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan.

Jewels: “16th Ring” Fight Card (to date; subject to change):

– Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama vs Ayumi “Edge” Saito [Jewels Featherweight Queen Quarterfinal – 2×5]
– Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada vs Kikuyo Ishikawa [Jewels Featherweight Queen Quarterfinal – 2×5]
– Misaki Takimoto vs Miyoko Kusaka [Jewels Featherweight Queen Quarterfinal – 2×5]
– Yukiko Seki vs Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto [Jewels Featherweight Queen Quarterfinal – 2×5]
– Ayaka Hamasaki vs Mizuki Inoue [54kg Jewels Official Rules – 2×5]
– Yuko “Amiba” Oya vs Akiko “Betiko” Naito [52kg Jewels Official Rules – 2×5]
– Emi Tomimatsu vs Celine Haga [52kg Jewels Official Rules – 2×5]
– Rina Tomita vs Anna Saito [54kg Jewels Official Rules – 2×5]
– Chikako WSR vs Satoko Ozawa [58kg Kickboxing Rules – 3×2]

(Photo Credit: Jewels blog)