Two-division Deep and Deep Jewels champ Saori Oshima will next compete on March 12, 2022 at Deep Jewels 36 in Tokyo, Japan. Oshima, who is coming off of a big victory at Rizin FF 31 in October, will face off against Namiko “Hime” Kawabata in a 49kg super atomweight matchup on the card.
Deep Jewels officials announced the fight earlier this week along with four additional bouts. In one, former Deep Jewels Strawweight Champion Miki Motono will drop down to 49kg to face Mizuki “Nisse” Oshiro. Also at 49kg, veteran contender Hikaru Aono battles 17-year-old prospect Moeri Suda.
Oshima (7-2-0), who captured the vacant Deep Women’s Microweight Championship this past year, added the Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship to her collection in June when she won two fights in one night at Deep Jewels 33. In the process, she avenged one of her two defeats when she submitted Si Woo Park in the semi-final round of the atomweight title tournament. Oshima’s performance in her most recent fight was her best to date, however, as she upset former title challenger Kanna Asakura in a closely-contested fight at Rizin FF 31 to extend her winning streak to four.
Kawabata (2-1-0) gives up an experience advantage to the Deep Jewels double-champ and looks to rebound from the first loss of her professional MMA career. Kawabata turned pro in March and upset popular prospect Kate “Lotus” Oyama at Deep Jewels 32, then scored a decision victory over Shoko Fujita three months later at Deep Jewels 33. In her most recent fight, a strawweight matchup at Deep Jewels 35 earlier this month, Kawabata was outpointed by former champion Motono. She now moves down in weight in order to compete as a super atomweight in March.
Motono (6-3-0) encountered a rocky finish to 2020 when she was defeated by Seika Izawa in a non-title bout at Deep Jewels 31, and Izawa took Motono’s strawweight title from her with a first-round armbar in the pair’s championship rematch in June. Motono would not compete again until December 11th when she handed the aforementioned Kawabata her first pro loss at Deep Jewels 35. Like Kawabata, Motono will also be seeking a fresh start as a super atomweight in 2022, as she too will move down to 49kg.
Oshiro (4-4-0) fought four times in 2021 and she finished the year strong with two key wins. After dropping a decision to Park in March, and quickly succumbing to an armbar from Hikaru Aono at Deep Jewels 33 in June, Oshiro stopped Mizuki Furuse late in the second round of their featured matchup at Deep Jewels 34. The win earned Oshiro a spot on the Rizin FF 32 card this past month, and she edged out Aira Koga for a Split Decision victory. No stranger to facing tough opposition, Oshiro will take on another skilled opponent in Motono next March.
After her title hopes were dashed in the finals of the Deep Jewels Atomweight Grand Prix in June, Aono (8-5-0) will look to put herself back in championship contention with a win over the surging Suda (4-2-0), who won all four of her fights in 2021. Aono challenged for the Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship in October 2020, and then again for the vacant belt against Oshima in June, but title gold has thus far eluded her. Suda, who began her pro career at age 16 with two decision defeats, has since racked up an impressive winning streak that includes a first-round submission victory over fellow prospect Eru Takebayashi at Deep Jewels 35 three weeks ago.
In other bouts confirmed for Deep Jewels 36, Yuko Kiryu (10-8-0) welcomes former atomweight title contender Sadae “Manhoef” Numata (5-2-1) back to Deep Jewels for the first time in more than eight years. Kiryu and Numata will face off at 49kg. Also on the card, Mizuki Furuse (7-9-0) aims to get back on the winning track when she meets Reina Kobayashi (1-1-0) in a 44.5kg microweight matchup.
Deep Jewels 36 takes place on March 12, 2022 at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The event will feature the opening round of the Deep Jewels Flyweight Grand Prix.