Deep Jewels is set to stage its next event on November 23rd at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Deep Jewels 39 features a bantamweight matchup between Yoko Higashi, who recently captured the promotion’s featherweight title, and Thailand’s Titapa “Diamond Rose The Rocket” Junsookplung.
The Higashi-Junsookplung bout was one of nine fights announced for the card earlier today. In a pivotal 49kg super atomweight clash, former Deep Jewels Strawweight Champion Miki Motono will aim for her third straight victory when she takes on recent atomweight title challenger Moeri Suda.
Higashi (7-2-0) won five of seven fights for Pancrase before making the move to Deep this past year. She earned a Unanimous Decision win over “King” Reina Miura at Deep: 101 Impact and repeated that feat by defeating Miura again in the inaugural Deep Jewels featherweight title fight at Deep Jewels 37 in May. She will hold a significant advantage on the ground against Junsookplung (0-1-0), who herself was scheduled to face Miura at Deep Jewels 26 in October 2019. Miura missed weight, and Junsookplung was instead matched up against current Deep Jewels Flyweight Champion Rin Nakai on one day’s notice. Nakai submitted the Thai striker, and Junsookplung now returns in search of her first win.
Motono (7-3-0) captured the Deep Jewels strawweight title in July 2020, but her reign on top was short-lived. She was defeated twice by Seika Izawa, with the second fight being contested for Motono’s title. She rebounded with a big win over Namiko “Hime” Kawabata in December and most recently won her super atomweight debut against Mizuki “Nisse” Oshiro at Deep Jewels 36. Suda (7-3-0) has won seven of her past eight fights, with the lone defeat coming in her Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship bout against Saori Oshima in May. The talented 18-year-old bounced back with a quick win against Oshiro at Rizin FF 36 and most recently avenged a past loss by defeating Aya Murakami at Deep Jewels 38.
Among the other bouts announced for Deep Jewels 39 is a flyweight matchup between Mikiko “Mikko Nirvana” Shimizu (3-2-0) and recent Pancrase title challenger Nori (4-5-1), who returns to Deep Jewels for the first time since 2016. Also at flyweight, Aoi Kuriyama (3-4-1) looks to continue the momentum from her Deep Jewels 38 win this past month when she takes on Shoko Fujita (2-2-0), who was stopped by Nakai late in the second round of their Deep Jewels 36 main event matchup.
In strawweight action, Mika “Future Princess” Nagano (18-12-1) faces Arisa Matsuda (1-0-0), who won her pro debut for Deep in August and now returns to Deep Jewels after posting two amateur wins in 2021. Mika “Arami” Arai (6-6-0), who tallied a notable win over Kate “Lotus” Oyama in July, takes on Machi Fukuda (3-2-0 amateur) in Fukuda’s pro debut.
Rounding out the card, Marina Kumagai (2-4-0) faces Chieko Hosoya (1-0-0) at bantamweight, Mana Akagi (2-1-0 amateur) faces fellow pro debutant Hitomi Taniyama (0-0-0) in a 54kg matchup, and Yurina Horiguchi (1-3-0) battles Sayaka “Juicy” Hishinuma (0-2-0) in bantamweight action.
Deep Jewels 39 takes place on November 23rd at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Deep Jewels 39 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Yoko Higashi vs Titapa “Diamond Rose The Rocket” Junsookplung [Bantamweight MMA Bout – 3×5]
– Miki Motono vs Moeri Suda [49kg MMA Bout – 3×5]
– Mikiko “Mikko Nirvana” Shimizu vs Nori [Flyweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Aoi Kuriyama vs Shoko Fujita [Flyweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Mika “Future Princess” Nagano vs Arisa Matsuda [Strawweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Mika “Arami” Arai vs Machi Fukuda [Strawweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Marina Kumagai vs Chieko Hosoya [Bantamweight MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Mana Akagi vs Hitomi Taniyama [54kg MMA Bout – 2×5]
– Yurina Horiguchi vs Sayaka “Juicy” Hishinuma [Bantamweight MMA Bout – 2×3]