Mixed martial arts veteran Lisa Ellis has stepped in on just two days’ notice to compete in tomorrow’s Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup tournament in Tokyo, Japan. Ellis replaces Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova, who was removed from the card this week due to problems between SB and Ovchynnikova’s team.

Ellis will weigh in for her quarterfinal bout with South Korean standout Seo Hee Ham in the hours prior to the event. The remaining seven competitors weighed in today, with only Ham and Dutch Muay Thai champ Lorena “Lady Pitbull” Klijn coming in heavy on their first attempts to make the 50kg limit.

Ellis (15-8-0 MMA; 0-0-0 SB) accepted the offer to compete in the tournament on Wednesday and departed for Tokyo yesterday. The eight-year MMA veteran is no stranger to competing in Japan. She made four appearances for the former Smackgirl promotion and challenged DEEP Women’s Lightweight Champion Miku “Supernova” Matsumoto in a rematch at DEEP: “Toyama Impact” in June 2009. An injury forced her out of a planned bout at Jewels: “12th Ring” in March 2011, but she now makes her return to Japan for her first fight as a shoot boxer.

This year’s Girls S-Cup tournament was initially set to be contested at 51 kilograms (112.2 pounds), but the weight limit was later lowered to 50 kilograms (110.0 pounds). Five fighters made weight on their first attempts, while Ham (50.65kg) and Klijn (50.45kg) required a second try.

Weigh-in results for the remaining competitors were as follows: Rena Kubota (50.0kg), Erika Kamimura (49.2kg), Mei Yamaguchi (50.0kg), Namtarn Por Munagpetch (49.95kg) and Kim Townsend (49.85kg).

Shoot Boxing Japan Women’s Flyweight Champion Ai Takahashi, who faces teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue in the finals of the 53.5kg Girls S-Cup tournament, vacated her title today due to her recent move up in weight. Takahashi cited her desire to capture a new championship as a key factor in her decision to vacate the belt. Both Takahashi and Inoue weighed in at 53.5kg on the dot for their bout tomorrow.

The 2012 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup takes place tomorrow, August 25th, at Yamano Hall in the Yoyogi district of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

2012 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Final:

– Winner of Semi-Final #1 vs Winner of Semi-Final #2

2012 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Semi-Finals:

– Winner of Kamimura-Klijn vs Winner of Yamaguchi-Por Munagpetch
– Winner of Kubota-Townsend vs Winner of Ham-Ellis

2012 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Quarterfinals:

– “The Strongest Female High School Student” Erika Kamimura vs Lorena “Lady Pitbull” Klijn
– Seo Hee Ham vs Lisa Ellis
– Rena Kubota vs Kim Townsend
– “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi vs Namtarn “Supernova Girl” Por Munagpetch

2012 Shoot Boxing JKS48 High School Girls’ Tournament Final:

– Winner of Tsumura-Tachi vs Winner of Otsuka-Nakamura

2012 Shoot Boxing JKS48 High School Girls’ Tournament Semi-Finals:

– Mio Tsumura vs Yusa Tachi
– Nako Otsuka vs Akari “Eneos” Nakamura

2012 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup 53.5 Final:

– Mizuki Inoue vs Ai Takahashi

Non-Tournament Bout (53.5kg):

– Seira Aragaki vs Rio Kamikaze

(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com)