Moeri Suda, Namiko Kawabata Earn Impressive Wins At Deep Jewels 38Teen standout Moeri Suda gained a measure of revenge in her main event victory today at Deep Jewels 38 in Tokyo, Japan. Suda avenged the first loss of her pro career by defeating the previously unbeaten Aya Murakami to potentially set up another shot at the Deep Jewels atomweight title.

Suda was not the only fighter who scored a big win on the Deep Jewels 38 card. In the 49kg co-main event, Namiko “Hime” Kawabata tallied her fourth win under the Deep Jewels banner by destroying veteran Yuko Kiryu in just 37 seconds. The quick defeat snapped Kiryu’s five-fight winning streak.

 

Suda (7-3-0), who had dropped a two-round decision to Murakami (4-1-0) in the pair’s first fight at Deep Jewels 30 in October 2020, left no doubt as to who was the superior fighter in today’s rematch.

Suda scored a takedown early in the first round, but Murakami eagerly hunted for a heel hook from her back and that prompted Suda to stand up. When she did, Murakami followed and she proceeded to take Suda down. That did not benefit Murakami, however, as Suda chained together triangle choke and armbar attempts from her back after first landing a series of elbows. She attempted a second triangle and armbar, then punched Murakami in the face until the bell.

In the second round, Suda reversed a takedown and wound up in Murakami’s guard, but she was not as effective with her strikes from the top. Suda eventually stood up and Murakami was brought to her feet as well. A clinch ensued and Murakami used a harai goshi throw to get Suda down. Suda continuously punched from the bottom, then switched to an armbar and finally a leglock shortly before time expired.

Murakami was aggressive on the feet in the final round. She landed a right hook charged at Suda with more punches, but Suda was able to evade them. After a clinch against the cage, Suda took Murakami down with a kosoto gari throw and then worked from the top in side control. She landed elbows to Murakami’s face until Murakami bridged out and got to her feet. Murakami landed a right hook late in the fight, which ended in another clinch.

The judges returned scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Suda, who took a well-deserved Unanimous Decision victory. The 18-year-old rising star has won seven of her past eight fights, with the only defeat coming against Deep Jewels Atomweight Champion Saori Oshima in their May title fight.

“I’m glad that I could get revenge,” Suda stated backstage after her win. “Aya aimed for a heel hook, but my father advised me well. He trained me for this fight.” As Suda was overcome by emotion from her victory, her father spoke up and noted the importance of this win because of the difficulty in planning out Suda’s next step in her career if she had lost.

“I will train with my father again,” Suda continued after a moment. “I want to avenge my loss to Saori [Oshima]. I could not submit her last time because her joints are loose, but I enjoy the pressure of being put in the main event.”

Moeri Suda Backstage At Deep Jewels 38
A victorious Moeri Suda backstage following her win at Deep Jewels 38.

 

In the 49kg super atomweight co-feature, Kawabata (4-1-0) completely steamrolled the much more experienced Kiryu (12-9-0) in a matter of seconds, then campaigned for a spot on a Rizin FF card.

Kawabata hurt Kiryu seconds into the fight with a straight right hand and she immediately swarmed on her with more punches. A three-punch flurry backed Kiryu up, and a left-right combo sent her crashing to the mat. Referee Akira Shibata stepped in to wave off the fight just 37 seconds into the first round.

“Simply, I am glad,” Kawabata said backstage after her quick and emphatic victory. “Finally, I got a knockout and I could do what I’ve been training. I want to pursue a fight with Rizin, and surely they will pick me up. I don’t have an opponent in mind, but I want to showcase my striking. Generally, women tend to be grapplers, but don’t you think trading strikes is more fun? Today’s fight was exciting!”

Namiko Kawabata Backstage At Deep Jewels 38
Namiko Kawabata backstage after 37-second TKO win at Deep Jewels 38.

 

In a 44.5kg microweight bout, Mizuki Furuse (9-9-0) earned her second straight victory this year by outpointing Momoko Yamazaki (3-3-0), whose two-fight winning streak came to an end.

Furuse stunned Yamazaki with an early flurry of punches, which prompted Yamazaki to shoot in for a takedown. Furuse sprawled and pushed Yamazaki down to the mat. She worked from the top in Yamazaki’s guard, but Yamazaki tied her up from the bottom and eventually worked back to her feet. Furuse held her in a late-round clinch against the cage.

The second round opened with Furuse landing a head kick and she backpedalled to avoid lunging punches from a charging Yamazaki. In a clinch against the cage, Furuse landed knees to Yamazaki’s body until the fighters were separated. After another clinch, Furuse took Yamazaki down with a kosoto gari throw and mounted her. Yamazaki gave up her back and Furuse tried to set up an armbar before the end of the fight.

Scores were 20-17 and 20-18 twice for Furuse, who took the Unanimous Decision win. The highly-experienced 21-year-old has gotten herself back on track after a disappointing return to action in 2021.

 

Following struggles at higher weights, popular Deep Jewels star Kate “Lotus” Oyama (3-4-0) achieved her biggest victory to date in a 50kg matchup today against 19-year-old grappler Eru Takebayashi (2-3-0, 1 NC). Oyama credited the pivotal win to her recent training with new teammates.

Oyama opened the fight with kicks to Takebayashi’s upper body and followed up with jabs. Takebayashi responded with a right cross and three knees to the body in a clinch. Oyama used a harai goshi throw to get her down, but Takebayashi swept from the bottom and Oyama went to work with triangle choke and armbar attempts from the bottom. Takebayashi escaped and Oyama retook top position. Takebayashi trapped her in a triangle of her own and punched Oyama’s face, then switched to an armbar late in the action-packed round.

Oyama threw Takebayashi to the ground in the second round and landed hammerfists to her face from top position in Takebayashi’s half-guard. She mounted Takebayashi and then hunted for a rear-naked choke when Takebayashi turned over. Takebayashi reached back and grabbed on to Oyama’s arm, which she pulled on until Oyama fell forward. This allowed Takebayashi to take over top position, but Oyama attempted two armbars and a guillotine choke. Takebayashi escaped and the round ended with her punching from the top.

One judge scored the fight even at 19-19 and awarded his Must Decision to Takebayashi. Another also had it 19-19, with a Must Decision to Oyama. The third judge scored the fight 20-18 for Oyama, giving her a Split Decision win in what was arguably her most important fight to date.

“Finally, I won, and I am relieved,” a happy Oyama said backstage. “I thought I could win in both the striking and on the ground, but Eru is strong. I received good teaching from Seika [Izawa] and Coro [Kosuke Terashima] at K-Clann, and I am more of an all-around fighter now. I strive to be a fighter like Seika, who can flow submission attempts together.”

Kate Oyama Backstage At Deep Jewels 38
An elated Kate Oyama backstage following her win at Deep Jewels 38.

 

Earlier on the card, 15-year veteran Mika “Future Princess” Nagano (18-12-1) easily dispatched of an overmatched Tomoko Inoue (0-4-0) in strawweight action. Following an exchange of strikes, Nagano took Inoue down and she moved to North-South position. Inoue eventually got back to full guard and she held on to Nagano’s leg to prevent her from passing. Nagano freed the leg and got to North-South once more as the round entered its final minute. She latched on to Inoue’s arm and pulled it back in an armbar, forcing Inoue to submit at the 4:19 mark of round one.

In a 59kg matchup, Aoi Kuriyama (3-4-1) returned to the win column with a Unanimous Decision victory over Tae “Te-a” Murayama (2-3-0). Kuriyama kept the fight on the feet throughout most of round one and landed knees to Murayama’s body in a clinch. She scored a takedown late in the round, but Murayama was able to sweep into top position and she punched from Kuriyama’s guard until the bell. Kuriyama spent most of round two fending off takedown attempts, and she reversed one in the final minute. The fight ended with Kuriyama landing some solid ground and pound, which left a lasting impression with the judges. Scores were 20-18 across the board for Kuriyama, who took the much-needed win.

Opening up the professional portion of the card, Kyoka “Chibisai” Minagawa (1-3-0) achieved her first pro win by defeating Kimika “Jaka” Kawaguchi (0-1-0) in a 44.5kg microweight bout. Minagawa scored a takedown in round one and punched Kawaguchi’s body until Kawaguchi threw up her legs in search of a triangle choke. Kawaguchi threw hammerfists from the bottom and switched to an armbar before the bell. In round two, Minagawa took a fatigued Kawaguchi down and struck from the top with punches and hammerfists. Minagawa continued to land numerous strikes until Kawaguchi finally grabbed on to her arm to prevent her from throwing any more. Two judges scored the fight 20-18. A third had it even at 19-19 with his Must Decision to Minagawa for a Unanimous Decision win.

 

Momoka Yoshikawa overwhelmed Misaki Suda with a barrage of standing punches for a TKO victory at the 1:51 mark of round one in an amateur 51kg matchup.

Sarah Suzuki defeated her namesake Sarah by Split Decision in a back-and-forth 54kg amateur bout. Scores were 20-18 for Suzuki, 20-18 for Sarah, and 19-19 with a Must Decision to Suzuki for the win in what was almost entirely a submission battle on the ground.

Haruka “Boss” Suzuki edged out Serina Kondo in a 60kg amateur clash. Two judges scored the fight even at 19-19, with their Must Decisions for Suzuki, while a third had it 20-18 to give Suzuki a Unanimous Decision verdict thanks to her effective leg kicks throughout.

Momoko Saito made a successful Deep Jewels debut by defeating Machi Fukuda in amateur flyweight action. Scores were 20-18 Saito and 19-19 twice, with both of the latter judges awarding their Must Decisions to Saito for a Unanimous Decision win thanks to her superior striking.

Full play-by-play for the Deep Jewels 38 card can be found here.

 

 

(Top Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)