Much like she did eight years ago, Ye Ji Lee scored another high-profile upset victory over a top-ranked Japanese opponent tonight at Deep: “125 Impact” in Tokyo, Japan. The 25-year-old defeated Deep and Deep Jewels Microweight Champion Saori “Little Giant” Oshima in an atomweight bout.
Lee, who first rose to fame in Japan in March 2017 when she shockingly defeated former Deep and Smackgirl champion Satoko Shinashi, nullified Oshima’s submission attempts tonight and largely controlled the grappling battles en route to winning two out of three rounds on the scorecards.
Lee (6-7-0) first competed in MMA at age 16 in a losing effort against the massively favoured Shinashi before avenging that defeat two years later. She has enjoyed a career resurgence in Japan since debuting for Deep Jewels in 2023 after a four-year layoff. Her much-improved grappling and wrestling both paid dividends tonight as she was able to overpower Oshima (14-6-0) on several occasions.
Early in the fight, Lee reversed an Oshima takedown and the fighters battled for position on the mat until Oshima wound up on top. She passed to mount and attacked with a top-side guillotine choke and an armbar, but Lee escaped from both and she countered with a heel hook from the bottom. Lee swept into Oshima’s half-guard and landed elbows and punches until the end of the round.
Oshima immediately pulled guard with a tight guillotine choke in the second round, but Lee remained calm and she eventually worked her way free. On the feet, Lee landed a nice combination and Oshima pulled half-guard. Lee worked for an arm-triangle choke and then an armbar, which Oshima escaped from, and Lee trapped Oshima in rubber guard while punching her in the face.
Lee stuffed a takedown to begin the final round and Oshima briefly pulled guard. Lee stood and forced Oshima to follow, and Oshima tried unsuccessfully to pull guard again. Instead, it was Lee who slammed Oshima down to the ground. Oshima defended from the bottom and Lee scored with punches from Oshima’s half-guard until the end of the bout.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Lee, who has won two of three fights since making her return to MMA. Her lone defeat came in September against Moeri Suda, who has since gone on to soar up the rankings thanks to her own upset win against Ayaka Hamasaki.
Oshima’s Deep and Deep Jewels microweight titles were not on the line tonight, as the bout with Lee was contested up at atomweight, but Lee’s performance may be enough to earn her a future shot at the Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship that is currently held by the undefeated Seika Izawa.
(Photo Credit: Deep)