Misaki Takimoto vs Tushara Veerella Completes Deep Jewels 8 CardA fracture in training has forced Yuko “Amiba” Oya out of her featured strawweight bout on Sunday night at Deep Jewels 8 in Tokyo, Japan. Oya’s scheduled opponent, 13-year veteran Misaki Takimoto, now squares off against Canada’s Tushara “Tee Vee” Veerella on the abbreviated card.

Injuries and illnesses have resulted in a number of late changes to the Deep Jewels 8 card, and a planned atomweight bout between Emi Tomimatsu and Ayaka Miura was scrapped this past week when Miura was diagnosed with Ménière’s Disease. Sunday’s card is now complete with six total bouts.

Takimoto (15-13-4) returns to MMA competition on Sunday night for the first time since December 2011 when she was submitted by Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama in the finals of the Jewels Featherweight Queen Grand Prix. Prior to the loss, she had won six of her past eight fights against some of the top talent on the Jewels roster. She holds a massive experience edge over late-replacement foe Veerella (0-2-0 amateur), who has had numerous planned fights fall through in her brief career. She turns pro after suffering a pair of amateur defeats in 2014.

Deep Jewels 8 takes place this Sunday, May 31st, at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. The event features the semi-finals and final in the inaugural Deep Jewels Featherweight Grand Prix, which will crown a new 48kg (105.6-pound) champion.

 

Deep Jewels 8 Fight Card (subject to change):

– Winner of Semi-Final A vs Winner of Semi-Final B [Deep Jewels Featherweight GP Final – 2×5]
– Misaki Takimoto vs Tushara “Tee Vee” Veerella [52kg Deep Jewels Official Rules – 2×5]
– Ayaka Hamasaki vs Mizuki Inoue [52kg Deep Jewels Grappling Rules – 2×4]
– “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi vs Mina Kurobe [Deep Jewels Featherweight GP Semi-Final B – 2×5]
– Satomi “Sarami” Takano vs Tomo Maesawa [Deep Jewels Featherweight GP Semi-Final A – 2×5]
– Kurumi Ishizuka vs Yukari Nabe [Deep Jewels Grappling Rules – 2×4]

 

 

(Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)