Following a break for the summer, Deep Jewels is set to return with its next fight card on September 11th at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Deep Jewels 38 will be headlined by an atomweight contender’s rematch between unbeaten rising star Aya Murakami and recent title challenger Moeri Suda.
The bout was one of ten fights announced for the card today. Murakami and Suda first faced off at Deep Jewels 30 in October 2020, which Murakami won via Unanimous Decision. Also set for Deep Jewels 38 is a 49kg super atomweight bout between Yuko Kiryu and Namiko “Hime” Kawabata.
Murakami (4-0-0) will move up in weight for the rematch in September after recently competing in the 44.5kg Deep Jewels microweight division. She went 3-0 in 2021, posting victories over Kyoka “Chibisai” Minagawa, former Valkyrie champ Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada and Deep Jewels mainstay Mizuki Furuse. All three wins came via first-round armbar. With her opponent having recently challenged for Deep Jewels gold, Murakami now looks to secure her own title shot by defeating Suda for a second time.
Suda (6-3-0), who turns 18 next week, has quickly risen to become one of the top young prospects in Japan. The gifted grappler followed up on a perfect 4-0 campaign in 2021 by defeating Hikaru Aono at Deep Jewels 36 in March to earn a shot at the Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship. Suda’s title bid was unsuccessful, as she was defeated by a kimura from champion Saori Oshima at Deep Jewels 37, but she rebounded with a quick win over Mizuki “Nisse” Oshiro at Rizin FF 36 earlier this month.
In the super atomweight co-main event, Kiryu (12-8-0) puts her five-fight winning streak on the line against Kawabata (3-1-0), who is coming off of an upset win over Saori Oshima in a non-title fight at Deep Jewels 36. Kiryu, who is one of the most experienced fighters on the Deep Jewels roster, most recently earned a Split Decision win over fellow veteran Emi Tomimatsu under the Deep banner in late May. Kawabata rebounded from her first pro loss in December with the big win over Oshima in March.
The Deep Jewels 38 card will also feature a 44.5kg microweight bout between Mizuki Furuse (8-9-0) and Momoko Yamazaki (3-2-0). Furuse got back on the winning track in March with a first-round submission win over Reina Kobayashi at Deep Jewels 36, while Yamazaki has won back-to-back fights including a decision win over Kyoka Minagawa at Deep Jewels 37 in May.
After a move down to strawweight failed to lead to success, Kate “Lotus” Oyama (2-4-0) will cut down to 50kg in search of a much-needed win against teen prospect Eru Takebayashi (2-2-0, 1 NC). Oyama is one of the most popular fighters on the Deep Jewels roster, but she has thus far struggled to maintain consistency in her career. Takebayashi also looks to get back on track after dropping her most recent bout to future title challenger Moeri Suda in December.
At strawweight, Mika “Future Princess” Nagano (17-12-1) faces off against the still-winless Tomoko Inoue (0-3-0). Nagano, who has been competing professionally for close to 15 years, submitted Kate Oyama in her most recent bout at Deep Jewels 37. Inoue, meanwhile, dropped a Unanimous Decision to Yuko Kiryu in their Deep Jewels 35 matchup.
Rounding out the card, Aoi Kuriyama (2-4-1) faces Tae “Te-a” Murayama (2-2-0) in a 59kg bout, Kyoka “Chibisai” Minagawa (0-3-0) meets Kimika “Jaka” Kawaguchi (2-1-0 amateur) in a 44.5kg microweight bout, Sarah (2-1-0 amateur) takes on Sarah Suzuki (0-3-0 amateur) in amateur 54kg action, Momoka Yoshikawa (0-6-0 amateur) welcomes Misaki Suda (0-0-0) to Deep Jewels in an amateur 51kg matchup, and Haruka “Boss” Suzuki (1-1-0 amateur) faces Serina Kondo (0-2-0 amateur) in amateur 60kg action.
Deep Jewels 38 takes place on September 11th at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Deep Jewels 38 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Aya Murakami vs Moeri Suda [Atomweight MMA Bout – 3×5]
– Yuko Kiryu vs Namiko “Hime” Kawabata [49kg MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Mizuki Furuse vs Momoko Yamazaki [44.5kg Microweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Kate “Lotus” Oyama vs Eru Takebayashi [50kg MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Mika “Future Princess” Nagano vs Tomoko Inoue [Strawweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Aoi Kuriyama vs Tae “Te-a” Murayama [59kg MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Kyoka “Chibisai” Minagawa vs Kimika “Jaka” Kawaguchi [44.5kg Microweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Sarah vs Sarah Suzuki [Amateur 54kg MMA Bout – 2×3]
– Momoka Yoshikawa vs Misaki Suda [Amateur 51kg MMA Bout – 2×3]
– Haruka “Boss” Suzuki vs Serina Kondo [Amateur 60kg MMA Bout – 2×3]
(Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)