Rizin FF Women’s Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki puts her title on the line in one of three championship bouts on April 17th at Rizin Fighting Federation 35 in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan. Hamasaki will face Deep Jewels champ Seika Izawa in a rematch from Rizin 33 on New Year’s Eve.
Rizin FF officials announced the matchup today. Izawa shocked fans in her promotional debut by stopping Hamasaki with a barrage of ground strikes midway through the second round of their non-title bout, and she now looks to score a second win over the champion in order to capture Rizin FF gold.
Hamasaki (23-4-0) has only tasted defeat twice in 11 Rizin bouts, but her one-sided loss to Izawa on New Year’s Eve was far more definitive than the Split Decision that she dropped to long-time rival Seo Hee Ham two years prior. Following the loss to Ham, Hamasaki rebounded with four straight victories and regained her super atomweight title – which Ham vacated upon signing with ONE Championship – in the process, and she appeared to be poised to reign as champion for quite some time. The 39-year-old was simply overwhelmed by Izawa in the pair’s first fight, however, and she will need to implement a completely different strategy in order to retain her title next month.
Izawa (5-0-0) burst on to the MMA scene in late 2020 with two victories for Deep Jewels including a dominant decision win over then-strawweight champion Miki Motono in a non-title bout at Deep Jewels 31. She quickly submitted Motono in a rematch six months later to become Deep Jewels Strawweight Champion, then edged out Si Woo Park at Deep: “104 Impact” before competing for Rizin for the first time. Izawa made the most of a big opportunity against Hamasaki, hurting her with upkicks in the first round before mauling her with punches and elbows for an impressive TKO stoppage in round two.
In addition to the Hamasaki-Izawa rematch, Rizin FF 35 will feature two more championship fights. Lightweight champion Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza defends his title against the only man to have defeated him in MMA, UFC veteran Johnny “Hollywood” Case, in a rematch. Meanwhile, featherweight titleholder Juntaro “Fighting Bull” Ushiku takes on Yutaka Saito.
Rizin Fighting Federation 35 takes place on April 17th at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan. The event will serve as the second half of a weekend doubleheader. Rizin FF: “Trigger 3rd” takes place one night earlier at the same venue.
(Photo Credit: Rizin Fighting Federation)