All six fighters made weight for a trio of women’s matchups that headline tomorrow’s Pancrase 366 event in Tokyo, Japan. Strawweight Queen of Pancrase Champion Miki Motono puts her belt on the line against reigning atomweight titleholder Satomi “Sarami” Takano in the official main event.

The co-feature, which was initially planned to be an exhibition match, pits retiring flyweight champ Shizuka Sugiyama against Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino, who will be competing in her 50th pro fight. At strawweight, former champ Karen takes on Italian rising star Chiara “Beasty Barbie” Penco.

The champion versus champion bout between Motono (10-5-0) and Takano (20-14-0) will provide Takano with an opportunity to become a two-division Pancrase champion if she is victorious, but she has not fought in two years and will face a very tough test tomorrow. Motono has won back-to-back Pancrase bouts since her stint on Road To UFC Season 3, and she captured the Strawweight Queen of Pancrase title in December.

Motono stated today that she is excited to compete in her first Pancrase main event, and she made it clear that she plans to finish Takano in the early rounds. Takano, on the other hand, has her sights set squarely on becoming a Pancrase double-champ.

Miki Motono (left) and Satomi Takano (right) at today’s weigh-ins.

Sugiyama (24-8-1) initially announced her retirement earlier this year after regaining the Flyweight Queen of Pancrase Championship in March. Her bout with Fujino (31-16-1, 1 NC) tomorrow was slated to be an exhibition match, which is a common practice for retiring fighters in Japan. However, as the match would serve as Fujino’s 50th pro fight if it was held under standard rules, the long-time friends agreed to face off for real so that both could commemorate the occasion. The bout will be contested at a catchweight of 54kg, or 119 pounds.

Sugiyama thanked her many fans for their support and also expressed her appreciation to Fujino for taking the fight. She promised to treat it just as importantly as any other bout in her career. Fujino stated that she is grateful to be able to compete in a fight that she will love against an opponent whom she loves and admires.

Shizuka Sugiyama (left) and Emi Fujino (right) at today’s weigh-ins.

Competing for the first time this year, Karen (10-3-0) seeks to rebound from her vacant title loss to Motono in December when she takes on Italy’s Penco (11-5-0), who is currently on a three-fight winning streak that includes two first-round submissions. Karen had put together a strong four-fight winning streak herself before her unsuccessful bid to become a two-time Pancrase champion. Chiara makes her promotional debut after scoring a quick victory this past month.

Karen referenced her nine-month layoff, as well as the fact that she is taking on a strong opponent in her return bout, but promised to walk away victorious. Penco kept her comments brief and to the point, and simply said that she would put on an exciting performance tomorrow.

Karen (left) and Chiara Penco (right) at today’s weigh-ins.