Three additional matchups have been announced for Jewels: “13th Ring” on May 14th in Tokyo, Japan. The all-female event, which will serve as the first half of an all-day Jewels doubleheader, will feature a “Jewels vs Valkyrie” Special Rules bout between Mongolia’s Esui and Japan’s Chisa Yonezawa.
In a second “Jewels vs Valkyrie” fight on the card, Asami Higa will look for her first win when she represents Jewels against former Valkyrie prospect Megumi Morioka. Higa made her pro debut for Jewels in December, while Morioka earned a victory at Valkyrie’s final event in late November.
Esui (1-1-0) transitioned from Mongolian pro wrestling last year and made her Jewels debut after first gaining some submission grappling experience. Her training was not enough, however, as Esui was submitted by Mayumi “Super Benkei” Aoki at Jewels: “Ninth Ring” at the end of July. She returned to action against Jewels postergirl Shizuka Sugiyama in December and overwhelmed her smaller foe with punches throughout the opening round before Sugiyama’s corner threw in the towel early in round two. Esui will bring a significant size and strength advantage into her fight with Yonezawa, and the Special Rules stipulation will allow both fighters to strike to the face on the ground.
Yonezawa (1-4-0) has thus far faced top-level competition in most of her fights, but has only been able to post one victory to date. After debuting with losses to Strikeforce veterans Roxanne Modafferi and Takayo Hashi, Yonezawa suffered a third straight defeat at the hands of former Valkyrie open-weight contender Mizuho Sato. She then took a year off from fighting before picking up her lone victory to date against journeywoman Mika “Hari” Harigai in late November. Most recently, Yonezawa faced another Strikeforce veteran, Hitomi Akano, at Pancrase Impressive Tour 2 in March. She was submitted in just 40 seconds and will be forced to deal with another very tough opponent in Esui.
Higa (0-1-0) did not have an easy opponent for her pro debut, as she faced 48kg Rough Stone Grand Prix participant Miyoko Kusaka in December and was submitted with a scarf hold armlock in round two. Against Morioka (2-1-0), Higa will face an opponent who prefers to finish fights with her fists rather than by submission. All three of Morioka’s bouts to date took place in 2010 and only one went the distance. Morioka was defeated by her toughest opponent thus far, uncrowned Valkyrie flyweight ace Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama, in June, but she will enter the bout with Higa as a considerable favourite.
Also announced for the card was a kickboxing match between MMA veteran Madoka Okada and an 18-year-old teen opponent Momoka.
Jewels: 13th Ring and 14th Ring will both take place on May 14th at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo. The events will together be part of an all-day festival to raise money for relief and reconstruction in Japan after the country was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Jewels: 13th Ring Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Bolormaa “Esui” Erdenebileg vs Chisa Yonezawa [61kg Jewels Special Rules MMA Bout]
– Asami Higa vs Megumi Morioka [50kg Jewels Official Rules MMA Bout]
– Kozue “Azuma” Nagashima vs Yukimi Kamikaze [57.15kg Kickboxing Bout]
– Miku Hayashi vs Rio Kamikaze [53.52kg Kickboxing Bout]
– Madoka Okada vs Momoka [47kg Kickboxing Bout]
Jewels: 14th Ring Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Misaki Takimoto vs Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama [48kg Jewels Special Rules MMA Bout]
– Miyoko Kusaka vs Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto [48kg Jewels Official Rules MMA Bout]