Four additional matchups have been added to the all-female Deep Jewels 6 card, which will take place on November 3rd at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. The event is set to feature a 135-pound rematch between top Deep Jewels star Shizuka Sugiyama and once-beaten prospect Yurika Nakakura.
Recent WSOF title challenger Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino returns to the Deep Jewels ring to face Ayaka Miura, who earned an impressive win in her pro debut at Deep Jewels 4. Tomo Maesawa meets Yuko “Amiba” Oya and Satomi “Sarami” Takano looks to get back on track against Mina Kurobe.
Sugiyama (11-4-1) put together an impressive run after returning to MMA in July 2012 that saw her reign unbeaten in six bouts for Jewels and Deep. The streak earned Sugiyama a shot at the inaugural Deep Jewels Middleweight Championship in May, but she was stopped by Takayo Hashi late in the third round of the 135-pound title bout. Sugiyama had then planned to make her 125-pound debut this past month, but a late injury to Hyo Kyung Song left Sugiyama without an opponent. She stays at 135 for the fight against Nakakura, whom she defeated at Jewels: “22nd Ring.”
Nakakura (3-1-0) has rebounded nicely from her second-round TKO loss to Sugiyama in her September 2012 pro MMA debut. She has racked up three straight victories including a notable win over previously unbeaten wrestling powerhouse Jade Marie Anderson at Jewels’ final event, “24th Ring,” in May 2013. Following a lengthy layoff from competition, Nakakura returned to MMA action this past month and handed Miki Miyauchi her first career defeat via first-round TKO. She now looks to avenge her lone loss by upsetting Sugiyama in the November rematch.
Fujino (13-8-0) is a modest 5-4 in her past nine fights, but all four defeats have come against top-ranked opponents. After dropping a razor-thin decision to Ayaka Hamasaki in a Jewels Lightweight Queen Championship bout in late 2012, Fujino rebounded with submission wins over Amber “The Bully” Brown and Hyo Kyung Song. She entered a four-woman Deep Jewels 114-pound title tournament in November, but suffered a decision loss to Mizuki Inoue in a rematch from a prior kickboxing bout. She was most recently defeated by WSOF Women’s Strawweight Champion Jessica “Jag” Aguilar at WSOF 10.
Miura (1-0-0) gives up a wealth of experience to Fujino in MMA competition, but the skilled grappler made an instant impact in her pro MMA debut. At Deep Jewels 4 in May, Miura choked Ella “Power” Wu unconscious with an arm-triangle choke in just 85 seconds. She returned to Deep Jewels this past month and engaged in a grappling match, but came up just short against Satomi Takano.
Maesawa (3-4-0) got off to a shaky start in her MMA career with defeats in each of her first three fights, but she turned things around with a trio of victories that included a decision win over Brittany Ann Decker at Deep Jewels 4. Maesawa was then called to face Cortney “Cast Iron” Casey at PXC 44, but the much larger Casey quickly stopped Maesawa in the first round. Oya (8-3-0), by contrast, has won three in a row for Deep Jewels. The submission specialist defeated Sachiko Fujimori at Deep Jewels 5 and she may be in line for a title shot with a victory in November.
Takano (3-4-0) was once one of Japan’s top female prospects, but she has struggled in recent fights. She took former Jewels champ Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama to a competitive Split Decision in February and most recently engaged in one of 2014’s best female fights against Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka at Deep Jewels 5, but succumbed to an armbar late in round one. Kurobe (3-0-0) submitted her first two professional opponents and she is coming off of a Unanimous Decision victory over battle-tested veteran Masako Yoshida at Deep Jewels 5.
Deep Jewels 6 takes place on November 3rd at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. The event is headlined by a Deep Jewels Featherweight Championship trilogy bout between champion Seo Hee Ham and Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka.
Deep Jewels 6 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Seo Hee Ham vs Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka [48kg Featherweight Championship – 3×5]
– Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino vs Ayaka Miura [52kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Shizuka Sugiyama vs Yurika Nakakura [61.2kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Tomo Maesawa vs Yuko “Amiba” Oya [52kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
– Satomi “Sarami” Takano vs Mina Kurobe [48kg Deep Jewels Official MMA Rules – 2×5]
(Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)