Four-time Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Champion Rena Kubota made a big statement in her triumphant return to kickboxing competition on Wednesday night at “No Kick, No Life 2015” in Tokyo, Japan. Kubota handily dispatched of Swedish Muay Thai champion Elli Maria Ekström in a one-sided fight.
Kubota, who was competing under kickboxing rules for the first time since 2011, dominated her experienced opponent with brutal combinations to the head and body. After two standing eight counts, the referee intervened to rescue Ekström from any further damage late in the lopsided second round.
Kubota (30-5-1 KB/SB) gained confidence early on after landing a series of chopping leg kicks and she continued her assault on Ekström (30-3-1 KB) with a barrage of punches. Kubota put together more combinations of right hands to the face and left hooks to the liver that backed Ekström into a corner. She was overwhelmed by Kubota’s quick offence and the referee stepped in for a standing eight count. Ekström fought on, but Kubota finished the round strong with another solid combination.
In the second round, Kubota kept the pressure on with more right-left combos that snapped Ekström’s head back. She pinned Ekström in a corner and unloaded with punches to the head and body until the referee was forced to give Ekström her second standing eight count. Ekström opted to continue, but Kubota immediately trapped her in the corner again and landed punch after punch until the fight was finally stopped at the 2:31 mark of round two.
Kubota’s dominant performance on Wednesday night was one of her most impressive showings to date and proved that she can still compete and excel against high-level opponents in straight kickboxing matches that do not permit throws and standing submissions as shoot boxing matches do. Kubota has now won 14 fights in a row and she remains one of the most popular female fighters in Japan.
Winner: Rena Kubota by TKO (Punches) at 2:31 of round two. She improves her combined kickboxing and shoot boxing record to 30-5-1.
(Photo Credit: Shoot Boxing)