Shizuka Sugiyama Without Opponent, Off Deep Jewels 5 CardJapanese star Shizuka Sugiyama’s 125-pound debut will have to wait. The popular karateka was scheduled to face South Korean kickboxer Hyo Kyung Song on next Saturday’s Deep Jewels 5 card in Tokyo, but Song has been forced out due to an injury and Sugiyama has been removed from the card.

Deep Jewels officials announced the change today. Sugiyama had been set to drop down to the newly-formed Deep Jewels welterweight division after an unsuccessful 135-pound title bid in May. Song earned her first pro MMA win this past weekend, but suffered an undisclosed injury in the process.

Sugiyama (11-4-1) had a six-fight unbeaten streak snapped at Deep Jewels 4 when she was stopped by veteran contender Takayo Hashi in the inaugural Deep Jewels Middleweight Championship bout. The loss prompted Sugiyama to consider her future in a new division and Deep Jewels promptly announced plans for the striker to make her 125-pound debut next weekend. However, with Song (1-4-0) injured and off of the card, promotional officials opted against bringing in a late replacement opponent for Sugiyama and the planned bout has been scrapped entirely.

With the loss of Sugiyama-Song, Deep Jewels 5 proceeds with eight fights including three MMA bouts. The event takes place next Saturday, August 9th, at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan, and is headlined by a Deep Jewels Lightweight Championship rematch between Emi Tomimatsu and Mizuki Inoue.

 

Deep Jewels 5 Fight Card (subject to change):

– Emi Tomimatsu vs Mizuki Inoue [52kg Deep Jewels Lightweight Championship – 3×5]
– Ayaka Hamasaki vs Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama [48kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Yuko “Amiba” Oya vs Sachiko Fujimori [52kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Masako Yoshida vs Mina Kurobe [48kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Miyoko Kusaka vs Tamaki Usui [48kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka vs Yukiko Seki [48kg Deep Jewels Grappling Rules – 2×4]
– Satomi “Sarami” Takano vs Ayaka Miura [52kg Deep Jewels Grappling Rules – 2×4]
– Yoshiko Kimata vs Sayuri Yamaguchi [48kg Deep Jewels Grappling Rules – 2×4]

 

 

(Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)