Two-division Deep and Deep Jewels champion Saori Oshima will make her second Rizin FF appearance on July 2nd at Rizin Fighting Federation 36 in Okinawa, Japan. Oshima is set to face former Rizin title challenger Miyuu Yamamoto in one of two women’s super atomweight bouts on the card.
Oshima is coming off of a successful atomweight title defence this past month at Deep Jewels 37, while Yamamoto looks to rebound from her loss to Rena Kubota at Rizin FF 32. Also on next month’s card, Mizuki “Nisse” Oshiro takes on 17-year-old Deep Jewels title contender Moeri Suda.
Oshima (8-3-0) became an instant star for Rizin when she won her promotional debut in October at Rizin FF 31. Facing off against former two-time title challenger Kanna Asakura, Oshima dominated the opening round and overcame a rally from Asakura to take a close but deserved Split Decision victory. Oshima had her four-fight winning streak snapped in March when she dropped a Unanimous Decision to Namiko “Hime” Kawabata in a non-title 49kg bout at Deep Jewels 36, but she got back on track by finishing Suda with a kimura during their Deep Jewels 37 atomweight title fight.
Yamamoto (6-6-0) struggled early in her Rizin FF career before putting together an impressive four-fight winning streak that also included a decision win over Asakura. She later challenged for the Rizin FF Women’s Super Atomweight Championship at the end of 2020, but quickly succumbed to a leg scissor choke from then-champion Ayaka Hamasaki. In her most recent fight, against Rena Kubota at Rizin FF 32 in November, Yamamoto got off to an excellent start in the opening round. However, she ducked into a knee from Kubota in round two, which led to Kubota scoring a comeback TKO victory.
Oshiro (4-5-0) scored her biggest career victory in late 2019 when she upset former Deep champion Satoko Shinashi by first-round TKO. She has struggled with inconsistency since then, however. After dropping three straight fights, Oshiro picked up a much-needed victory over Mizuki Furuse at Deep Jewels 34, which earned her a fight at Rizin FF 32. Oshiro made the most of the opportunity and she outpointed Aira Koga in a close fight. Her most recent fight did not end so well, however, as Oshiro was stopped by former Deep Jewels strawweight champ Miki Motono at Deep Jewels 36.
Suda (5-3-0) turned pro at the young age of 16 in October 2020, dropping decisions to Aya Murakami and Moe Sasaki in her first two fights for Deep Jewels. She turned things around and put together a solid five-fight winning streak that included victories over fellow prospect Eru Takebayashi and veteran Deep Jewels title contender Hikaru Aono. That propelled Suda into an atomweight title match against Oshima on May 8th, but the champion proved to be too strong for Suda and she fell victim to a kimura within the first three minutes of the opening round.
Rizin Fighting Federation 36 takes place on July 2nd at Okinawa Arena in Okinawa, Japan.