Undefeated 20-year-old Noa Tokumoto put forth her best performance to date and captured her first major title tonight at “Professional Shooto 2026 Vol. 6” in Tokyo, Japan. The rising star from Okinawa defeated veteran Hikaru Aono to become the new Shooto Women’s Atomweight Champion.

In addition to Tokumoto’s title victory in the main event, the card featured semi-final bouts in the Shooto women’s strawweight tournament. Tokumoto’s teammate, Erika Gibo, quickly knocked out Momoka Hoshuyama, and Chiyo Takamoto earned a Unanimous Decision win against Atsuhi Takada.

Tokumoto (5-0-0) had to overcome a strong first round from defending champion Aono (14-9-0), who won the title in March, as Aono put her on the mat and landed punches to Tokumoto’s face and body. Tokumoto attempted an armbar and a triangle choke from the bottom, but Aono escaped both times and she continued to punch from the top. Tokumoto countered a takedown in the second round by locking on a kneebar, which caused Aono’s knee to immediately turn red, but she was unable to secure a finish. Tokumoto threw elbows from the bottom and then landed a hard right hook on the feet that bloodied Aono’s nose.

Aono continued to pursue takedowns in the third round, and she got Tokumoto down two more times but ate another hard right hook in between. On the mat, Tokumoto attacked with another armbar attempt and Aono punched her body. The all-action fourth round began with an early takedown for Aono, which Tokumoto reversed using an omoplata. She took Aono’s back and punched until Aono shook her off. Tokumoto stayed active with elbow strikes from bottom position and later postured for a triangle choke and a triangle armbar. Aono fought her way out of both and again punched Tokumoto’s body late in the round.

Early in the final round, Aono secured a pair of single-leg takedowns and she kept Tokumoto down the second time. Aono passed from half-guard to side control and Tokumoto responded with another armbar attempt. In the second half of the round, Aono scored two more takedowns and Tokumoto punched from the bottom. The back-and-forth bout went to the scorecards and one judge had it 48-47 for Aono. The remaining two both scored it 48-47 for Tokumoto, who claimed the title with a Split Decision victory.

“The belt is heavy!” Tokumoto exclaimed in the cage immediately after her win. “I was able to become an undefeated champion because of my teammates and our hard training. Thanks also to my family and [coach Ryota] Matsune. I want to fight talent from around the world, and to become better than I was today, so please support me.”

“I knew [Aono] would try to tackle me, and I couldn’t effectively handle her top game, so I’m not entirely satisfied,” Tokumoto added backstage. “I thought a five-round fight would be tough, but my training is harder. Erika [Gibo] and her daughter are my main female training partners, while the rest are men. I want to continue to build myself up bigger and fight top foreign opponents.”

New Shooto champion Noa Tokumoto (centre) and fellow winner Erika Gibo (left).

The Shooto women’s strawweight title tournament also kicked off tonight, and Gibo (3-1-1) rebounded from her first loss in January by quickly knocking out Hoshuyama (7-8-2) in the first round. Early on, Hoshuyama darted in and out with right hooks and Gibo countered with a left hand. She floored Hoshuyama with a second left hook soon after that and followed up with punches on the ground that shut Hoshuyama’s lights off and ended the fight in just 98 seconds.

In the second strawweight tournament bout, Takamoto (4-4-1) earned her third victory of the year by defeating 18-year-old Takada (1-2-1) via a lopsided decision. Takamoto controlled all three rounds from top position on the ground, with Takada’s offence largely being confined to punches late in the second round after escaping from a Takamoto armbar, and she even mounted Takada at one point in round three. Scores were 30-27 across the board for Takamoto, who will now move on to rematch Gibo. The two previously faced off at “Colors 6” in January, where Takamoto knocked Gibo out with a second-round slam.