All main card fighters successfully made weight today for this weekend’s Jewels: “20th Ring” card in Tokyo, Japan. The event takes place tomorrow afternoon at Differ Ariake and will be headlined by a 52-kilogram rematch between former Smackgirl rivals “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi and Emi Tomimatsu.
Other main card bouts include a kickboxing match between NJKF Bonita Boxeo champion Kozue “Azuma” Nagashima and South Korean challenger Ji Yun Kim and a battle between top Jewels star Shizuka Sugiyama and MMA pioneer Megumi Yabushita. Weigh-in results are available below.
Yamaguchi (9-4-1) and Tomimatsu (5-4-0) tipped the scales at 51.8kg and 51.2kg, respectively, for their main event matchup tomorrow. Yamaguchi earned a razor-thin Split Decision victory over Tomimatsu in the pair’s first meeting in 2007, but Tomimatsu brings a three-fight winning streak into the rematch. The winner may challenge Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki later this year.
Nagashima (58.95kg) and Kim (59.6kg) will face off in a 60-kilogram kickboxing match in the “20th Ring” co-feature. Nagashima has won both of her fights under the Jewels banner and looks to make it three in a row tomorrow. Kim had been scheduled to compete at “12th Ring” in March 2011, but the event was scrapped due to the massive earthquake earlier in the day.
Making her first appearance for Jewels since late 2010, Sugiyama (6-3-0) had no trouble making weight for her 62-kilogram MMA bout with veteran Yabushita (19-19-0). Sugiyama came in at 60.9kg, while Yabushita was just slightly heavier at 61.0kg even. Despite moving down in weight to 46 kilograms, both Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada (12-8-3) and Naoko Omuro (13-8-4) hit their marks for their third fight. Tamada weighed in at just 45.5kg, while Omuro was 46.0kg on the dot.
Rounding out the professional main card, Seira Aragaki (52.9kg) faces off against Hyo Kyung Song (54.0kg) in a 54-kilogram shoot boxing match, and Yukiko Seki (11-21-0; 45.7kg) takes on Satomi Takano (0-0-0; 45.6kg) at 46 kilograms. The bout is Takano’s pro MMA debut.
Jewels: “20th Ring” takes place tomorrow, July 21st, at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan.
Jewels: “20th Ring” Fight Card (subject to change):
– “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi vs Emi Tomimatsu [52kg Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Kozue “Azuma” Nagashima vs Ji Yun Kim [60kg Jewels Kickboxing Rules – 3×3]
– Shizuka Sugiyama vs Megumi Yabushita [62kg Jewels Special MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada vs Naoko Omuro [46kg Jewels Special MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Seira Aragaki vs Hyo Kyung Song [54kg Shoot Boxing Rules – 3×2]
– Yukiko Seki vs Satomi Takano [46kg Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Naomi Taniyama vs Nana “Chanchin” Ichikawa [48kg Jewels Amateur MMA Rules – 1×4]
– Reina Matsuda vs Ayumi Otaki [52kg Jewels Amateur Kickboxing Tournament Bout – 2×2]
– Wano Sato vs Mari Suzuki [52kg Jewels Amateur Kickboxing Tournament Bout – 2×2]
– “Muay Thai Genius” Saya Ito vs Emi Matsushita [45kg Jewels Amateur Kickboxing Rules – 2×2]
– Miiri Sasaki vs Kayoko Yamazaki [48kg Jewels Amateur Kickboxing Rules – 2×2]
(Photo Credit: Jewels blog)