After competing for more than 15 years, veteran bantamweight and flyweight contender Shizuka Sugiyama at last captured her first major MMA title tonight at Pancrase 346 in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. Sugiyama choked out Honoka Shigeta in the first round to become Flyweight Queen of Pancrase.

Tonight’s championship victory is the culmination of a long MMA journey for Sugiyama, who made her debut at the inaugural Jewels event in November 2008 and later went on to challenge for Deep Jewels titles at both 125 and 135 pounds. She used a ninja choke to take Shigeta’s belt in the brief fight.

Sugiyama (23-7-1) fought off an early clinch attempt from Shigeta (4-1-0) in the opening minute of tonight’s championship bout. She landed a body kick and Shigeta missed with a head kick attempt, but she was able to take Sugiyama down into back control. Sugiyama quickly scrambled back up to her feet and Shigeta attempted a single-leg takedown. Sugiyama countered by trapping her in a tight ninja choke, which she used to force Shigeta down into a seated position. Shigeta could not move and was soon rendered unconscious from the choke, prompting referee Tomomi Takarada to wave off the fight at the 2:40 mark of round one.

Post-fight, Sugiyama referenced her long career and noted that she had finally done it. She thanked her husband, Keita Nakamura, and her son, then stated that she wants to follow the lead of fellow veteran Emi Fujino by providing a tough challenge for young, up-and-coming fighters. Sugiyama has now won seven of her past eight fights, with the lone blemish coming in a Deep Jewels flyweight title fight in May 2022. However, her defeat there sparked her move over to Pancrase and ultimately led to the success that she achieved tonight.