WPMF Women’s Pinweight Champion Saya Ito makes the next defence of her title on March 21st at Suk Weerasakreck 12 in Tokyo, Japan. Ito is set to compete in a rematch against Ayaka “Little Tiger” Miyauchi, whom she defeated for the prestigious championship in late September.

Ito, who turned 17 earlier this month, announced the championship fight today. The 13-year veteran has won ten straight fights and most recently knocked out Thai champion Rojana in December. Miyauchi suffered a shocking decision loss to Kai-Ting “Kill Bee” Zhuang this past weekend.

Ito (78-12-3 amateur, 11-2-1 pro) has rapidly developed into one of Japan’s top female combat sports stars in the wake of her victory over Miyauchi in September. Her lengthy career was recently documented in a televised feature in Japan, which dramatically increased her fan base. Ito stepped back into the ring this past month and earned a dominant fifth-round knockout victory at Martial Arts Tournament 1 in Tokyo. The win capped off a remarkable run for Ito in 2015, and she looks to pick up where she left off by defeating Miyauchi for a second time in March.

Miyauchi (27-14-5), in spite of her recent struggles, remains one of the most well-known and respected female fighters in Asia. The talented striker has held titles in multiple weight classes for both the WPMF and WMC during her storied career. In September, she dropped a five-round decision to Ito at Suk Weerasakreck 10 and relinquished her WPMF Women’s Pinweight Championship in the process. This past Sunday, Miyauchi was shockingly upset by Zhuang at Krush 62. However, her WPMF title rematch against Ito was already guaranteed and the bout is now official.

Suk Weerasakreck 12 takes place on March 21st at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan.

Hirofumi Sugi contributed to this report.

(Photo Credit: Hirofumi Sugi)