Stepping in for injured teammate Ayaka Hamasaki, former Deep Jewels champion Saori Oshima kept her perfect Rizin FF record intact with a submission win tonight at Rizin Fighting Federation: “Landmark Vol. 8” in Saga, Japan. Oshima finished Claire Lopez with a second-round armbar.
Oshima, who took the fight on just over one week’s notice, had to work hard for her victory tonight but ultimately rebounded in a big way after losing her Deep Jewels atomweight title in September. The skilled grappler politely asked for a Rizin FF women’s super atomweight title shot following her win.
Oshima (13-4-0) attempted a rolling kimura early in the fight after taking Lopez (8-6-0) down, but she lost the position and two subsequent takedowns did not lead to anything substantial. Lopez stood over Oshima and kicked at her legs until Oshima was brought back to her feet. Late in the round, Oshima got Lopez down into the scarf hold position, but Lopez swept and she finished the round on top.
In the second round, the pace slowed somewhat as Oshima appeared to be tiring. Lopez cracked her with some hard punches on the feet and stuffed a takedown before reversing another. Oshima ultimately got Lopez down and looked to be preparing to set up a scarf hold armlock when Lopez swept once again. However, this time Oshima reacted quickly and she went belly-down with an armbar from the bottom. Lopez was trapped and tapped out at the 3:18 mark of round two.
Oshima, who is still the reigning Deep Women’s Microweight Champion at 97 pounds, made her future intentions known during her post-fight speech. Now 4-0 in Rizin, Oshima requested a shot at the women’s super atomweight title that is currently held by Seika Izawa.