Seventeen-year-old prospect Shino VanHoose returns to the Pancrase ring on November 10th at Pancrase Progress Tour 12 in Tokyo, Japan. The grappling specialist is set to face Sadae “Manhoef” Suzumura in a featured atomweight matchup that was officially announced this past weekend.

VanHoose looks to rebound from her first pro loss in May at the hands of top-ranked atomweight Kikuyo Ishikawa. She had won all three of her fights prior to the setback. Suzumura most recently earned her biggest win to date when she defeated Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto at Jewels: “19th Ring.”

VanHoose (3-1-0) burst on to the scene with a 51-second technical submission victory in her Pancrase debut this past October. She maintained an active fighting schedule and posted her second win of the year with a Unanimous Decision victory over Asami Higa in a hotly-contested bout at Jewels: “17th Ring” in December. VanHoose returned to Pancrase in March and made short work of Kimie “Sakura” Okada in a bout that ended when VanHoose trapped Okada in an armbar midway through round one. She then took a huge step up in competition to challenge Ishikawa in May, but Ishikawa’s experience and skills were too much for VanHoose, who dropped a Unanimous Decision to the Jewels star.

Suzumura (3-1-1) is also no stranger to facing tough opposition early in her career. After a Draw and a submission win in her first two fights, Suzumura faced veteran striker “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba in July 2011 and was soundly outstruck en route to a Unanimous Decision loss. She bounced back with a first-round TKO triumph six weeks later, but it was Suzumura’s most recent fight that established her as a potential contender at 105 pounds. In May, she faced the much more experienced Yamamoto and controlled the fight on the feet and on the ground to take a well-earned Unanimous Decision win. The victory propelled Suzumura into the tail end of the top ten in the atomweight division.

Despite her young age and relative inexperience, VanHoose could move a big step closer to a top-ten spot herself if she is able to defeat Suzumura. In addition to her background in catch wrestling and jiu-jitsu, VanHoose has been training her striking alongside multi-time kickboxing champion Saya Ito at Shobukai and is developing into a well-rounded mixed martial artist. She looks for her third win under the Pancrase banner when she battles Suzumura next month.

Pancrase Progress Tour 12 takes place on November 10th at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan.

Go Yamamoto contributed to this report.

(Photo Credit: Jewels blog)