As one of the postergirls of the Jewels promotion, Mika “Future Princess” Nagano is known equally for her looks and for her in-ring skill. However, a loss earlier this year ignited a new passion for training that Nagano hopes will propel her to her first major MMA title at Jewels: “Eleventh Ring.”
Now possessing a drive and focus that she once lacked, Nagano has set a lofty goal to become the best female fighter in the world. She will face South Korea’s Seo Hee Ham in a Jewels Lightweight Queen semi-final bout on Friday and speaks with MMARising.com in this pre-fight interview.
At age five, Shizuka Sugiyama moved from her home in New York City to a new world in Japan. At 18, she earned a black belt in karate in just three months. Now 23, she is one of the best-known fighters in Jewels and faces Mongolia’s Esui in a featured bout at Jewels: “Eleventh Ring” on Friday.
As one of the top stars in Jewels, Hiroko Yamanaka planned to welcome Olympic medallist Randi Miller to Jewels on Friday by handing her the first defeat of her MMA career. However, after a last-minute opponent change, Yamanaka was unsure whether she would be able to compete at all.
Weigh-ins were held today at the Official DEEP Gym in Tokyo, Japan for Friday’s Jewels: “Eleventh Ring” event and all fighters successfully made weight. The first Jewels Lightweight (115-Pound) Queen Champion will be crowned on the card when Seo Hee Ham, Mika Nagano, Sakura Nomura and Ayaka Hamasaki all compete for the title.
The second annual Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Awards are currently being constructed for the 2010 calendar year and will recognise many outstanding accomplishments by female fighters in the sport. This year’s awards will feature over a dozen categories including one that is open to the public.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the Bell Centre in Montreal, Québec, Canada tonight for UFC 124: “St. Pierre vs Koscheck 2.” The main event featured a five-round rematch for the UFC Welterweight Championship between champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck.
Despite a last-minute opponent change, Jewels star Hiroko Yamanaka will still compete on the upcoming Jewels: “Eleventh Ring” card on December 17th. Yamanaka will face tough veteran Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel, who will move up in weight to face the much larger Yamanaka at 143 pounds.
UFC heavyweight Chris Tuchscherer presented another solid night of action tonight at Crowbar MMA: “Winter Brawl” in Grand Forks, North Dakota. TUF alum Dane “Red Horse” Sayers dominated Wayne “Butch” Hajicek in the main event, stopping the veteran with punches in the second round.