Top Jewels contenders Mika “Future Princess” Nagano and Emi Tomimatsu are set to face off at Jewels: “23rd Ring” on March 30th in Tokyo, Japan. The 52-kilogram matchup was announced today and the winner may move on to challenge Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki.

Both women have won three of their past four fights. Nagano bounced back from a loss to Alex Chambers in Australia when she submitted Rina Tomita in a December trilogy bout. Tomimatsu’s three-fight winning streak came to an end at the hands of “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi at Jewels: “20th Ring” in July.

Nagano (11-8-0) has been on the cusp of a Jewels title fight for close to two years, but untimely losses have delayed her bid for the promotion’s 114-pound championship. Nine of Nagano’s wins have come via armbar submission, including all three of her wins in 2012. She fought outside of her home country for the first time in October when she travelled to Australia to face Chambers, but suffered a quick TKO defeat. Returning home, Nagano handily dispatched of Tomita in Tomita’s December retirement bout.

Tomimatsu (5-5-0) sports a modest record, but she is one of the more talented grapplers on the Jewels roster. Tomimatsu returned to MMA in September 2011 following a lengthy injury hiatus and won each of her next three fights. At Jewels: “18th Ring” in March, Tomimatsu scored her biggest win to date when she picked up a Unanimous Decision victory over fellow grappler Yuko “Amiba” Oya. In July, Tomimatsu faced Yamaguchi in a rematch from 2007, but came up short on the scorecards. She most recently won her shoot boxing debut by defeating Nako Otsuka at Jewels: “22nd Ring.”

The bout between Nagano and Tomimatsu will be contested under Jewels Special Rules, which permit strikes to the face on the ground. The winner may be named the number one contender to Hamasaki’s title and could move on to challenge for the belt later this year.

Jewels: “23rd Ring” takes place on March 30th at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan.

(Photo Credit: Jewels blog)