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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WPMF Women’s Mini Flyweight Champion Erika Kamimura and reigning J-Girls Mini Flyweight Champion Momi will meet for the newly-vacant RISE Queen title at RISE 95 on September 13th in Tokyo, Japan. The champion versus champion matchup was announced by the promotion this week.

Kamimura was first set to challenge champion Rena Kubota in a rematch for the RISE title, but Kubota vacated the belt as a result of her inability to defend the championship due to other commitments. Both Kamimura and Momi are coming off of stoppage victories at an M-Fight event in June.

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Fresh off of her victory at Invicta FC 6 this past weekend, Mizuki Inoue has signed on for this year’s Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup 53.5kg tournament on August 3rd in Yoyogi, Japan. The 2012 champion joins Ai Takahashi, Rio Kamikaze and Miyo Yoshida as the fourth tournament participant.

Inoue won the inaugural 53.5kg Girls S-Cup this past August by defeating Takahashi in a six-round war for the title. She has not lost a shoot boxing match since her pro debut in May 2010. Takahashi has won three straight fights since she suffered her second loss to Inoue in last year’s final.

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Five fights have been officially announced for the inaugural Deep Jewels event on August 31st in Tokyo, Japan. The all-female Deep Jewels 1 card features a 48kg featherweight title eliminator bout between Celine Haga, a winner of four straight fights, and fellow prospect Sadae “Manhoef” Numata.

In addition to today’s fight announcements, Deep Jewels also revealed its new management team and a revised set of rules. Unlike its predecessor, Jewels, which often restricted ground strikes, the Deep Jewels faction will permit ground and pound in all fights. Elbow strikes will remain outlawed.

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Seven participants have been named for the inaugural “Deep Jewels” event, which will take place on August 31st at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. Among those competing on the all-female card is former top Jewels star Mika “Future Princess” Nagano, who has won five of her past six bouts.

The event will feature a number of fighters who have transitioned from the Jewels roster. Prospects Sadae “Manhoef” Numata and Satomi Takano will both be in action, along with veterans Masako Yoshida and Yasuko “Pink Spider” Mogi. Matchups will be officially announced in the coming weeks.

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Japanese legend Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii is set to retire from active competition following an illustrious MMA career spanning nine years. Fujii announced plans for her retirement during tonight’s Vale Tudo Japan 2nd event in Tokyo. She will compete one final time at VTJ 3rd in October.

In addition to her success inside the ring, Fujii has trained some of MMA’s top female fighters in Japan including past and present champions Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano, Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada and Ayaka Hamasaki. She inspired countless others to begin training and competing in MMA.

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