After more than 18 months away, Deep Jewels Flyweight Champion Rin Nakai made a successful return to action tonight at Deep Jewels 53 in Tokyo, Japan. Nakai posted a clear-cut Unanimous Decision victory over title challenger Yuka “Dosukoi” Okutomi in the night’s one-sided main event.
The 49kg super atomweight co-main event between Ye Ji Lee and Eru Takebayashi was much more competitive and ended with Lee edging out a razor-thin Split Decision win. At strawweight, Nonoka Sakamoto picked up her biggest victory to date by ending So Yul Kim’s eight-fight winning streak.
Action was sparse during the first round of the main event as Nakai (29-2-1) darted in and out and landed occasional right hands. Okutomi (4-2-0, 1 NC) eventually landed a hard jab that got Nakai’s attention, and Nakai scored two knockdowns with leg kicks that allowed her to follow up with punches on the ground. Nakai outstruck Okutomi again in the second round until Okutomi shot in for a takedown. That allowed Nakai to take her back and he attempted a rear-naked choke and a face crank.
The final round began with Nakai landing leg kicks. When Okutomi eventually dropped levels and tried to take Nakai down, the defending champion took her back. Nakai targeted Okutomi’s left arm with a kimura and then attacked with an armbar just before the end of the fight. All five judges scored the championship fight 30-27 in Nakai’s favour for a well-deserved, though fairly uneventful, Unanimous Decision win.
Lee (7-8-0) had all she could handle in her grappling battle against rising star Takebayashi (5-5-0, 1 NC), a protégé of Seika Izawa, who appeared to have done enough to win the close decision. Two judges disagreed, however, and Lee ultimately walked away with her hand raised.
Lee scored an early takedown after catching a kick and she postured up with punches from Takebayashi’s guard. Takebayashi responded with a triangle choke and a guillotine choke from the bottom, but Lee countered those with more punches to Takebayashi’s body and face. As time ticked down, Lee used a keylock attempt to set up a brief pass to mount, and the first round was a strong one for the South Korean.
Takebayashi had some success with knees during clinches against the cage in the second round. Lee broke free and landed a solid combination that prompted Takebayashi to shoot for a takedown. Lee shook Takebayashi off of her back and punched from the top in half-guard and side control until Takebayashi reversed into top position and finished the round with some hard punches of her own.
Takebayashi punished Lee with knees to the body in the final round and that continued until Lee was finally able to secure a much-needed takedown. Takebayashi fought her way back to full guard and then swept, which allowed her to elbow Lee in the face for the final 30 seconds. It was not quite enough, however, as only one judge scored the fight 29-28 for Takebayashi. The other two both awarded the first two rounds to Lee and saw the bout 29-28 in her favour for a Split Decision win.
The other Japan versus South Korea bout, a strawweight showdown between Sakamoto (3-0-0, 1 NC) and Kim (9-2-0), also ended in a Split Decision after three competitive rounds.
Sakamoto maintained standing back control and she tripped Kim twice in the opening round. Sakamoto landed short punches to Kim’s face and attempted a rear-naked choke and an armbar. Kim took over top position and stayed there until the end of the round, but Sakamoto was clearly ahead after five minutes. Sakamoto tripped Kim in the second round, but this time Kim returned to her feet and she connected with some decent punching combinations and knees to Sakamoto’s leg. Kim landed a strong right cross and suplexed Sakamoto, but Sakamoto answered with a kimura attempt from the bottom.
Sakamoto tried for another kimura in the final round, which Kim avoided. When Kim began to punch from Sakamoto’s guard, the Japanese fighter countered with a guillotine choke. Kim freed her neck and continued to punch until Sakamoto exploded out from the bottom. Sakamoto stayed on top and tried for a kimura from side control. One judge scored the fight 29-28 for Kim, while the remaining two both had it 29-28 in favour of Sakamoto.
Also at strawweight, veteran contender Yuko Kiryu (15-14-0) employed a smart strategy and used her superior cardio to wear down and finish Junna Tsukii (2-3-0). After trading knees early on, Kiryu shot in for a takedown. Tsukii stayed on her feet and she punished her much more experienced foe with strong punches. Kiryu survived the onslaught and Tsukii began to slow down. Kiryu took her down and passed to mount, but the bell sounded to rescue Tsukii from a belly-down armbar.
In the second stanza, Tsukii retreated and landed a left cross and a side kick as Kiryu pursued her. Kiryu got a takedown into knee-on-belly position and an exhausted Tsukii was unable to move. Kiryu blasted her with big hammerfist strikes until the fight was rightfully stopped at the 1:37 mark of the second round.
A 49kg bout between striker Saki Kitamura (5-5-0) and Abbie So (1-1-0) ended quickly when Kitamura overwhelmed her opponent with strikes. The fight opened with Kitamura throwing head kicks, which all landed to varying degrees, and two straight lefts. A liver kick caused So to double over in pain and the brief fight was stopped at the 32-second mark.
Juki Sue (6-2-0, 1 NC) rebounded from her unsuccessful Deep Jewels bantamweight title bid in February by dominating Tae “Te-a” Murayama (3-9-0) in their 65kg matchup. Sue tripped Maruyama and scored with a series of punches while pinning her against the cage. Maruyama got to her feet, but Sue used a headlock throw to get her back down. Sue held Maruyama in a scarf hold armlock and relentlessly punched her in the face until the fight was waved off at the 3:44 mark.
One of the top prospects on the Deep Jewels roster, Suzu Ooi (3-0-0), kept her unblemished pro record intact with a Unanimous Decision victory over Rena Kobayashi (5-5-0) in a 44kg microweight bout. Ooi used jabs to set up left hooks and crosses during a feeling-out first round. She connected with a nice lead right hook shortly before the bell. More jabs landed for Ooi in the second round and she bloodied Kobayashi’s nose. Ooi flurried with punches and pushed Kobayashi back with a front kick to the body. All three judges scored the fight 20-18 for the fan favourite Ooi.
Princess Saaya (3-5-0) overcame a very late opponent change and an excellent performance from Mao Watanabe (0-1-0) in order to take a Unanimous Decision win in a 53kg catchweight contest. Saaya took Watanabe down in the first round, but Watanabe countered with armbars and then trapped Saaya in a leg scissor choke and a toe hold at the same time. Saaya escaped and fended off another armbar. Watanabe threatened with a buggy choke from the bottom in the second round, but Saaya escaped and attempted an Anaconda Choke. On the feet, Saaya landed leg kicks that set up another takedown. Despite Watanabe’s strong first round, none of the three judges scored it in her favour. All three had the fight 20-18 for Saaya.
In 58kg action, Haruka “Boss” Suzuki (3-5-0) notched a much-needed win against Maho Tagawa (0-1-0). Suzuki used punches and leg kicks to set up a standing back clinch in the first round. She dragged Tagawa down twice and Tagawa responded with left hands. Suzuki backed Tagawa up with punches in the second stanza and took her down after catching a kick. Later in the round, Tagawa countered a flurry from Suzuki with a hard one-two. Suzuki tried unsuccessfully for a takedown and found herself trapped in a Brabo choke. She escaped into side control before the bell and all three judges scored the bout 20-18 in favour of Suzuki for a Unanimous Decision win.
Opening up the professional action, Sayaka “Juicy” Hishinuma (5-3-0) demolished Urara (0-1-0) in their brief and lopsided 60kg bout. Urara scored a very brief takedown after taking Hishinuma’s back, but Hishinuma rocked her with a left hook after getting back to her feet. Urara stumbled and Hishinuma continued to land punches. A final left hook sent Urara crashing face-first to the canvas and awarded Hishinuma with a knockout win in just 77 seconds.
In amateur action, prospect Marin Yamabuki (4-0-0 amateur) stayed unbeaten with a Unanimous Decision victory over Cocoro Taniyama (1-3-0 amateur) in their competitive 50kg bout. Yamabuki’s ground strikes in the first round and submission attempts in the second earned her a pair of 20-18 scorecards. A third judge had the fight even at 19-19 and awarded his Must Decision to Yamabuki.
Mina Muramatsu (2-1-0 amateur) halted the winning streak of former Rizin FF ring girl Manami “Akipi” Abe (3-4-0 amateur) via Unanimous Decision at strawweight. Muramatsu took Abe down into back control during the opening round and scored another takedown in the second stanza. She used punches to fend off an Abe heel hook attempt and all three judges scored the bout 20-18 in Muramatsu’s favour.
Also at strawweight, Rio Yamauchi (1-0-0 amateur) kicked off her Deep Jewels career with a narrow Unanimous Decision win against Anouk Rossen (2-3-0 amateur). Rossen stuffed a takedown and landed a series of knees and punches to Yamauchi’s face in the opening frame. Yamauchi got a takedown in round two and landed punches until Rossen gave up her back. Yamauchi could not secure a rear-naked choke, but her control was enough. All three judges scored the fight even at 19-19, but all awarded their Must Decisions to Yamauchi.
Tonight’s card opened with a 49kg bout that saw Australia’s Destiny Grounds (2-0-0 amateur) post a clear Unanimous Decision win against Asuka Yokoe (2-2-0 amateur). Grounds scored a takedown and punched from the top during the opening round. She connected with punches in the second round until Yokoe took her down. Grounds worked her way back up to her feet before the final bell. Scores were 20-18 thrice for Grounds, who performed well in her promotional debut.
Full play-by-play for the Deep Jewels 53 card can be found here.