The newly-vacant Deep Jewels Interim Strawweight Championship will be up for grabs on May 26th at Deep Jewels 45 in Tokyo, Japan. Si Woo “Korean Queen Bee” Park and Machi Fukuda will compete for the title in one of five additional matchups that were announced for the event this week.
Arisa Matsuda captured the interim championship in November with a narrow Split Decision win over Fukuda, but she has elected to vacate the title and is expected to be competing abroad during the coming months. Park won back-to-back fights for Deep and Deep Jewels this past year.
Park (11-5-0) has won six of her past seven fights dating back to her first fight against Seika Izawa in October 2021, which ended in a competitive decision loss for Park. Her lone defeat since then also came against Izawa, in an even more closely-contested bout at Rizin FF 40 at the end of 2022, which saw Izawa eke out a Split Decision victory. Park is 3-1 in Rizin, with wins over top stars Rena Kubota, Kanna Asakura and former champion Ayaka Hamasaki, and she enjoyed a successful campaign for Deep in 2023 with two wins including a first-round TKO stoppage in December.
Fukuda (4-1-0) won her first three pro bouts for Deep Jewels prior to her 20th birthday this past June. She then faced Shooto champion Ayaka Watanabe at Rizin FF: “Landmark Vol. 6” in October and earned a narrow Split Decision victory. Fukuda had hoped to capture a title in her fifth pro bout against Matsuda at Deep Jewels 43. However, despite Fukuda’s dominant final round, Matsuda’s clinch control and striking in the first two rounds was just enough to give her a razor-thin Split Decision win. Now looking to rebound from the setback, Fukuda will have a second shot at the title next month.
Also announced for the card were four additional matchups. Tae “Te-a” Murayama (3-5-0) faces Momoko Saito (0-2-0, 1 NC) in a 59kg bout. Murayama has struggled recently after opening her pro career with two straight wins. Saito would have scored a big victory this past month against the undefeated Yuka Okutomi, but Saito came in significantly overweight and the would-be flyweight bout officially ended in a No Contest as a result.
In a 44kg microweight bout, Kimika “Jaka” Kawaguchi (2-1-0) faces 15-year-old prospect Mahina China (1-0-0), who won her pro debut in impressive fashion at Deep Jewels 44. Haruka “Boss” Suzuki (1-2-0) takes on former Shooto competitor Juki Sue (1-1-0) at flyweight, and Misaki Suda (1-5-0 amateur) meets Seari Sumimura (4-1-0 amateur) in a 49kg amateur super atomweight bout.
Deep Jewels 45 takes place on May 26th at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Deep Jewels 45 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Saori Oshima vs Aya Murakami [Deep & Deep Jewels Microweight Double Title Bout – 3×5]
– Si Woo Park vs Machi Fukuda [Deep Jewels Interim Strawweight Title Bout – 3×5]
– Rin Nakai vs Namiko “Hime” Kawabata [58kg Bout – 3×5]
– Tae Murayama vs Momoko Saito [59kg Bout – 2×5]
– Kimika “Jaka” Kawaguchi vs Mahina China [44kg Microweight Bout – 2×5]
– Haruka “Boss” Suzuki vs Juki Sue [Flyweight Bout – 2×5]
– Misaki Suda vs Seari Sumimura [Amateur 49kg Bout – 2×3]
(Photo Credit: Deep Jewels)