Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase Rin Nakai battled back from adversity to score the biggest win of her career tonight at Pancrase 252 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Nakai’s strong final round was enough to propel her to a Majority Decision win over Tara LaRosa in a non-title fight on the card.

After a close and competitive first round, LaRosa rocked Nakai with a right cross early in the second stanza and she took the round on one judge’s scorecard. Nakai secured a takedown in round three and she scored with ground and pound and submission attempts en route to a huge victory.

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The semi-finals of the inaugural Deep Jewels lightweight title tournament are set for Deep Jewels 2 on November 4th in Tokyo, Japan. During a public drawing today, it was determined that Mizuki Inoue will face Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino and Mika “Future Princess” Nagano battles Emi Tomimatsu.

Both semi-final bouts are rematches from past fights. Teen sensation Inoue announced her presence in the combat sports world at age 15 in July 2010 when she upset Fujino in a kickboxing match. Nagano narrowly defeated Tomimatsu when the pair first faced off at Jewels: “23rd Ring” in March.

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Japanese star Erika Kamimura added another prestigious championship to her impressive collection on Friday night at Rise 95 in Tokyo. Kamimura defeated J-Girls champ Momi by Unanimous Decision to claim the vacant Rise Queen kickboxing title in a bloody and action-packed five-round fight.

In MMA action on Friday night at Legacy Fighting Championship 23 in San Antonio, Texas, atomweight Tessa Simpson picked up a big victory in her first fight since August 2009. Simpson handed prospect Paulina “Firefox” Granados her first career defeat via a one-sided Unanimous Decision.

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One of MMA’s most accomplished female fighters, Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii, now has an opponent for her retirement fight at Vale Tudo Japan 3rd on October 5th in Tokyo. Fujii will conclude her storied career when she takes on former Bellator rival Jessica “Jag” Aguilar in a rematch on the card.

VTJ officials announced the matchup today. Fujii, who opened her career with 22 straight victories, announced plans for her retirement in June. She most recently defeated “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi at VTJ 1st in December. Her opponent, Aguilar, has won six straight and defeated Fujii in May 2012.

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Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase Rin Nakai is set to take on her toughest opponent to date on September 29th at Pancrase 252: “20th Anniversary” in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Nakai will face former BodogFight champion Tara LaRosa in a bantamweight bout that was officially announced today.

Nakai is coming off of a first-round submission victory over King of the Cage titleholder Brenda “Boom Boom” Gonzales in May. Long-time contender LaRosa’s three-fight winning streak was snapped in her October Invicta FC debut. Officials did not specify whether Nakai’s belt would be on the line.

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Former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano has officially retired from mixed martial arts. The 39-year-old announced the news on her blog on Thursday morning. She leaves the sport following a successful career that dates back to her professional debut in late 2004.

Akano took a full year to think about her decision before ultimately opting to retire. The judoka was one of Japan’s most successful female mixed martial artists to date. Of Akano’s 18 victories, 14 came via submission, and she scored key wins over some of MMA’s top female fighters during her career.

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All quarterfinal bouts in the second annual Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup 53.5 tournament are now set for this Saturday night at the 2013 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Japan Midsummer Festival in Tokyo. In Block A, Rio Kamikaze takes on Matsukuma Kikukawa and Ai Takahashi faces Wei-Ting Chen.

2012 champ Mizuki Inoue, who won the inaugural 53.5kg Girls S-Cup one year ago, returns to defend her crown on Saturday. Inoue faces “Jet” Izumi Noguchi in one of two Block B quarterfinals. Miyo Yoshida battles the only woman to have defeated Inoue in shoot boxing, Kanako Oka, in the other.

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New Mexico’s Amber “The Bully” Brown earned a huge victory in her return to Japan tonight at Pancrase 250: “2013 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals” in Tokyo. Brown submitted top-ranked atomweight contender Kikuyo Ishikawa with an armbar late in the third round of their main card matchup.

Ishikawa once again showcased her much-improved striking and she put together some nice combinations in round one. Brown was game and she damaged Ishikawa’s eye with knees. In the final round, Brown locked on an armbar from the bottom that forced Ishikawa to submit for the first time.

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