Tomo Maesawa vs Hikaru Aono Title Bout Headlines Deep Jewels 30Deep Jewels Atomweight Champion Tomo Maesawa will make the final defence of her title on October 31st at Deep Jewels 30 in Tokyo, Japan. Maesawa, competing in her retirement bout, will face off against challenger Hikaru Aono in one of eight matchups announced for the card today.

In addition to the championship headliner, Deep Jewels 30 will also feature a flyweight bout between veteran grappler Yuko “Amiba” Oya and prospect Aoi Kuriyama. Elsewhere on the card, Deep Jewels mainstay Pan “Kai” Hui squares off against Sakura Mori in a 49kg super atomweight matchup.

Maesawa (13-11-0) has struggled to maintain momentum since capturing her title from Mina Kurobe at Deep Jewels 22 in late 2018, as she suffered defeats in non-title fights against Kanna Asakura and Seo Hee Ham following her championship victory. This past October, Maesawa made a successful defence of her Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship in a competitive rematch against Emi Tomimatsu. She most recently issued a challenge to face Ayaka Hamasaki at Rizin FF 22 in August, but succumbed to a second-round kimura and stated after the loss that she would need to re-evaluate her career. Next month’s title defence will be Maesawa’s last, as she plans to retire following the fight.

Aono (6-3-0) rebounded from a loss in her pro MMA debut with three straight victories including notable wins over rising star Mizuki Furuse and Mika Arai. That propelled Aono to a title contender’s bout with Tomimatsu at Deep Jewels 23, but the veteran Tomimatsu prevailed via rear-naked choke submission very late in the second round. Aono returned to her winning ways with a pair of submission finishes in subsequent Deep Jewels bouts before she was stopped by South Korean striker Si Woo Park at Deep: 93rd Impact in December. Aono is coming off of a first-round TKO triumph over teen prospect Rion Noda at Deep Jewels 29 in July and now looks to make the most of her championship opportunity.

Deep Jewels 30 takes place on October 31st at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

 

Deep Jewels 30 Fight Card (subject to change):

– Tomo Maesawa vs Hikaru Aono [Deep Jewels Atomweight Title – 3×5]
– Yuko “Amiba” Oya vs Aoi Kuriyama [Deep Jewels Flyweight Bout – 2×5]
– Pan “Kai” Hui vs Sakura Mori [49kg Deep Jewels Super Atomweight Bout – 2×5]
– Momoko Yamazaki vs Sae Kokuho [44.5kg Deep Jewels Microweight Bout – 2×5]
– Mika “Arami” Arai vs Seika Izawa [54.5kg Deep Jewels MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Rion Noda vs Moeri Suda [49kg Deep Jewels Super Atomweight Bout – 2×5]
– Mikiko “Mikko Nirvana” Shimizu vs Yurina Horiguchi [58kg Deep Jewels MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Shoko Fujita vs Kate “Lotus” Oyama [Deep Jewels Amateur MMA Bout – 2×3]

 

 

(Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)