Amanda “Powerhouse” Lucas will travel to Japan for her next mixed martial arts bout and she now has an opponent. The adopted daughter of Star Wars creator George Lucas faces Japanese veteran Hikaru Shinohara at DEEP: “55 Impact” on August 26th in Tokyo, Japan, in a bout announced today.
The 30-year-old Lucas has already received considerable attention from major sports media in Japan after her participation on the August card was first announced. She has not competed since late 2009, but her opponent may also experience ring rust as she returns after nearly three years away.
Lucas (1-1-0) made her professional mixed martial arts debut on May 31, 2008 in Auckland, New Zealand, but suffered a TKO loss late in the third round. She did not compete again for over 17 months before returning to action for Freestyle Cage Fighting in Oklahoma at FCF 37 on November 7, 2009. Lucas earned a Unanimous Decision victory over Christen Bedwell and will look to pick up her second career win when she makes her DEEP debut.
Shinohara (6-7-0) brings a significant edge in experience into the bout with Lucas, but her extended layoff from competition could prove costly. She has made five appearances for DEEP and sports a 3-2 record inside the promotion, with both losses coming against now-retired DEEP champion and former pound-for-pound standout Miku “Supernova” Matsumoto. All six of Shinohara’s wins have come by way of submission and she has never been knocked out.
The women’s fight joins a DEEP Lightweight Championship bout between Katsunori Kikuno and Mizuto Hirota on the card. That bout, which was first reported by Sherdog.com earlier this week, was officially announced today.
DEEP: “55 Impact” takes place on August 26th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo Credit: DEEP)