Valkyrie Emerges In Japan
by Robert Sargent
As veteran female promotion SmackGIRL remains on life support due to financial troubles, Greatest Common Multiple has announced that they will supplement their successful Cage Force promotion with an all-female division known as Valkyrie.
The announcement comes amid speculation that SmackGIRL, the world's premier female MMA organisation, will soon close its doors due to financial difficulties from its ReMix Grand Prix.
After the ReMix female promotion dissolved in 2001, the all-female juggernaut known as SmackGIRL rose from the ashes. Over the past seven years, SmackGIRL has played host to many of the world's top female fighters in each weight class, including #1- and #2-ranked female fighters Megumi Fujii and Tara LaRosa.
SmackGIRL has continued to hold World ReMix Grand Prix tournaments, including one this year. The Grand Prix was originally scheduled to conclude on July 24th, but has since been postponed twice due to financial uncertainty after a major sponsor withdrew its support.
Though Greatest Common Multiple's first venture into women's MMA in 2004, with a division known as Cross Section, was short-lived, the success of the Cage Force promotion has resulted in a renewed enthusiasm among GCM officials.
Valkyrie will debut on November 8th, in a co-promoted event with Cage Force in Tokyo. Valkyrie will begin the night with a series of female bouts, while Cage Force will round out the evening with its fast-paced men's fights.
Valkyrie's debut main event on November 8th will pit reigning SmackGIRL 115-Pound Champion, and #3-ranked female in the world, Yuka Tsuji (19-1-0) against submission star V Hajime (3-1-0).
Tsuji last competed in December of 2007, in a victory over Seo Hee Ham. She holds a submission victory over former DEEP Women's 105-Pound Champion Hisae Watanabe and avenged the only loss of her career when she knocked out Ana Michelle Tavares last September. She has other notable victories over Erica Montoya and "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba.
Hajime last competed on the same card as Tsuji, but came up short in a close decision loss to Emi Fujino. It was the first loss of Hajime's career, and she will no doubt look to make a huge impact with an upset victory over Tsuji.
Former SmackGIRL executive Takeshi Nagao and one of Japan's female pioneers in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Yasuko Mogi, will serve as event producers for the newly-formed Valkyrie promotion.
Rounds in Valkyrie will initially contest of three 3-minute rounds, with strikes to the head on the gound only permitted in veteran fights. For new fighters, strikes to the head will only be legal when both competitors are standing. As in most Japanese promotions, elbow strikes on the ground will be illegal in all divisions.
Though the potential collapse of SmackGIRL marks the second time in 18 months that a major Japanese MMA promotion has ceased operations, hope has once again risen for the future; this time with the debut of Valkyrie.
