Top Deep Jewels star Shizuka Sugiyama aims to extend her winning streak to three when she faces off against a familiar foe on May 31st at Deep Jewels 8 in Tokyo, Japan. Sugiyama is set to battle undefeated Gladiator women’s champion Ji Yeon Kim in a rematch from November 2013.
The Sugiyama-Kim bout was one of three new fights officially announced for the card today. In other action at Deep Jewels 8, former interim lightweight champion Emi Tomimatsu takes on Ayaka Miura, and veteran contender Misaki Takimoto returns from a three-year hiatus to face Yuko “Amiba” Oya.
Sugiyama (13-4-1) and Kim (2-0-2) first clashed on November 24, 2013 in Kim’s pro MMA debut at Deep: “Cage Impact 2013.” Sugiyama was widely expected to win the fight in quick fashion, but she faded badly in the second round after starting strong in the two-round fight. Kim rallied by outstriking Sugiyama on the feet and the competitive bout was ruled a Majority Draw after ten minutes.
Since the pair’s first meeting, Sugiyama has won three of her past four fights. Her lone defeat came at the hands of Takayo Hashi in a May 2014 Deep Jewels title tilt. She most recently earned a first-round finish on New Year’s Eve. Kim’s second pro bout also ended in a draw when she engaged in a closely-contested fight with Hashi at Road FC: “Korea 2.” She has since won back-to-back fights in Japan and most recently became the Gladiator Women’s Bantamweight Champion by stopping Miki Miyauchi.
Tomimatsu (8-10-0) became the Deep Jewels Interim Lightweight Champion in February 2014 when her would-be title foe, Mizuki Inoue, missed weight for their fight and was subsequently disqualified. Inoue avenged her controversial loss to Tomimatsu in an August championship rematch and Tomimatsu has since gone 1-2. She most recently dropped a close Split Decision to Mina Kurobe at Deep Jewels 7. Her opponent, Miura (1-1-0), made a successful Deep Jewels debut with a quick victory this past May and now looks to rebound from a decision loss to Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino at Deep Jewels 6. The Tomimatsu-Miura bout will be contested at 48kg.
Takimoto (15-13-4) has not fought since the finals of the Jewels Featherweight Queen Grand Prix in December 2011, when she was defeated for a second time by Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama. The 13-year veteran had won five of her past six fights prior to the loss and she now moves up in weight to 52kg for her long-awaited return to the ring in May. Oya (8-4-0) is one of the most skilled grapplers on the Deep Jewels roster and she racked up wins in each of her first three fights for the promotion. Her winning streak ended in November when she was outpointed by Tomo Maesawa at Deep Jewels 6.
The Deep Jewels 8 card also features the semi-finals and championship final of the Deep Jewels Featherweight Grand Prix. In one semi-final, Satomi “Sarami” Takano (5-5-0) faces off against the aforementioned Tomo Maesawa (5-4-0). In the other, former Valkyrie champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi (13-8-1) takes on Mina Kurobe (5-0-0). The semi-final winners then square off later in the night to determine a new Deep Jewels Featherweight Champion.
Deep Jewels 8 takes place on May 31st at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan.
(Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)