Former Shoot Boxing Japan Women’s Flyweight Champion Ai Takahashi faces a tough challenge when she steps back into the ring on April 18th at Shoot Boxing 2015: Act.2 in Tokyo, Japan. Takahashi meets long-time kickboxing contender Kanako Taniyama in a featured matchup on the card.

Shoot Boxing officials announced the bout this week. Takahashi has won four straight fights and she is coming off of an impressive second-round knockout victory in August. Taniyama picked up a three-round decision win earlier this month and makes her shoot boxing debut in next month’s fight.

Takahashi (21-5-0 SB/KB) has posted victories in 14 of her past 17 shoot boxing and kickboxing bouts, with the lone defeats during that time all coming at the hands of Deep Jewels and two-time Shoot Boxing 53.5kg Girls S-Cup champion Mizuki Inoue. Since falling to Inoue in the finals of the 2013 Girls S-Cup, Takahashi has bounced back with four straight wins. In June, she narrowly edged out J-Girls Bantamweight Champion Madoka Jinnai in a non-title kickboxing match. She then stopped Nong Em Tor. Vitaya early in round two at the 2014 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup.

Taniyama (11-2-0) concluded her amateur kickboxing career with a big victory over the aforementioned Mizuki Inoue in August 2010 and she went on to win each of her first six professional bouts. Along the way, the talented striker earned a pair of key victories over Madoka Jinnai. Her first defeat came in a six-round J-Girls bantamweight title bout against Yukino Oishi in September 2012, but Taniyama has since won five of her past six fights. She became Legend Queen bantamweight champion in late 2013 and most recently scored a dominant decision win on March 1st.

Shoot Boxing 2015: Act.2 takes place on April 18th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

(Photo Credit: Shoot Boxing)