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.
Nagano (13-8-0) fought 18 times for Jewels and became one of the promotion’s most prominent fighters. The grappling specialist has submitted ten opponents to date and found herself on the cusp of Jewels title contention on multiple occasions. Nagano’s lone defeat since March 2012 came in an October bout in Australia when she was quickly stopped by Invicta FC competitor Alex “Astro Girl” Chambers. She rebounded with three wins and submitted Takumi Umehara on the final Jewels card this past month.
Numata (4-1-1) has thus far split her time equally between Deep, Jewels and Pancrase. She holds key wins over Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto and teen prospect Shino VanHoose. Takano (2-1-0) upset veteran opponents Yukiko Seki and “Happy” Fukuko Hamada in her first two pro fights for Jewels, but suffered a Unanimous Decision loss to former Valkyrie champion Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada in her most recent fight at Jewels: “22nd Ring” in December.
After a three-year hiatus from MMA competition, Yoshida (16-18-5) returned to action this past weekend and succumbed to a first-round rear-naked choke from Celine Haga at Road FC 12. Her most recent victory came against fellow Deep Jewels fighter Mogi (3-8-0) four years ago. Mogi served as a producer and matchmaker for Jewels and fought twice for the promotion after her own all-female organisation, Valkyrie, folded in late 2010.
Rounding out the card so far, AACC grappler Megumi Sugimoto (0-0-0) and Takumi Umehara (1-1-0) will both compete. Sugimoto earned a quick submission victory in a grappling match at Jewels: “23rd Ring.” On the same card, Zendokai’s Umehara scored a Unanimous Decision win over Yasuko Mogi, but she suffered a quick loss to Mika Nagano this past month.
Deep Jewels 1 takes place on August 31st at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan.