Recent interim strawweight title challenger Machi Fukuda hopes to rebound after back-to-back razor-thin decision defeats when she next competes on September 8th at Deep Jewels 46 in Tokyo, Japan. Fukuda meets France’s Morgane “Souris” Manfredi in one of 11 bouts announced for the card.
In a 49kg super atomweight bout, Namiko “Hime” Kawabata clashes with fellow striker Saki Kitamura. Former Deep Jewels Microweight Champion Aya Murakami takes on Yuko Kiryu at atomweight, and Momoko Yamazaki battles teen prospect Mahina China in a featured microweight matchup.
Fukuda (4-2-0) racked up three straight wins for Deep Jewels after turning pro in late 2022, then won her Rizin FF debut in October by edging out Shooto champion Ayaka Watanabe in a close three-round bout. However, she suffered her first loss the following month when she was narrowly defeated by Arisa Matsuda in a Deep Jewels interim strawweight title bout. Matsuda subsequently vacated the title and Fukuda received another opportunity to claim it. Unfortunately for her, she once again lost a close Split Decision at Deep Jewels 45 in May; this time to former Rizin title challenger Si Woo Park. The talented 21-year-old now looks to get back on track and into the title hunt again.
Manfredi (4-5-0) suffered decision defeats in each of her first three pro MMA bouts before taking an extended break from the sport while competing in other disciplines. She returned to MMA in single-round bouts late in 2022, winning both by stoppage, and then made her lone appearance for ONE Championship in a losing effort against standout So Yul Kim. Since then, Manfredi has gone 2-1, with both wins and the defeat all ending via armbar. She will look for her second straight win when she makes her Deep Jewels debut against Fukuda in September.
Kawabata (4-4-0) is currently in the midst of a three-fight losing skid, which began with defeats against the aforementioned Fukuda and Si Woo Park, but she held her own in her most recent fight against flyweight champion Rin Nakai at Deep Jewels 45. Competing as a replacement fighter, and up two weight classes, Kawabata outstruck a timid Nakai during the first two rounds before Nakai ultimately finished her with a standing guillotine choke in round three. Now back in the super atomweight division, where she scored her signature win over Saori Oshima in March 2022, Kawabata is in need of a dominant win in order to reaffirm her position in the division’s rankings.
Kitamura (2-2-0) has already had an eventful career for Deep Jewels in just four fights. After debuting with a decision loss to Kate “Lotus” Oyama in May 2023, Kitamura seemed to be on the brink of a second defeat when she was nearly knocked out by Eru Takebayashi early in their Deep Jewels 42 bout. However, a single powerful counterpunch from Kitamura was enough to crack Takebayashi’s jaw, which resulted in a doctor stoppage victory. Kitamura quickly lost her next fight to former title challenger Moeri Suda, but she is now coming off of a 36-second knockout win in March that has helped to set up this striker versus striker matchup.
Murakami (7-2-0) captured the Deep Jewels Microweight Championship in September with a three-round Unanimous Decision win against Suwanan “Amp The Rocket” Boonsorn at Deep Jewels 42. The victory was Murakami’s third in a row after dropping a decision to Moeri Suda in their Deep Jewels 38 rematch. However, Murakami’s championship reign was short-lived. She lost the belt via first-round TKO to Saori Oshima in a Deep and Deep Jewels microweight title unification bout at Deep Jewels 45.
Kiryu (13-11-0) is one of the most experienced fighters on the Deep Jewels roster and she put together a solid three-fight winning streak after returning to the promotion in late 2021. She suffered setbacks against Kawabata and Suda in her next two bouts before rebounding with one of her biggest career victories against fellow veteran Hikaru Aono at Deep Jewels 42. Her most recent fight at Deep Jewels 44 ended in a defeat, however, as she was quickly stopped by Kate Oyama.
Yamazaki (4-6-0) is another fighter on the September card who is seeking redemption after struggles in recent appearances, including a devastating knockout loss to Eun Bi Cho in her most recent bout at Deep Jewels 44. Yamazaki won three of her first five fights after turning pro in June 2018 following a lengthy amateur career, but she has suffered setbacks in four of her past five bouts and will face another tough opponent at Deep Jewels 46.
China (1-0-0) kicked off her pro career at the young age of 15 in March and earned a Unanimous Decision win over Deep Jewels mainstay Kyoka “Chibisai” Minagawa in their 44kg microweight matchup. She had planned to make a quick turnaround and compete again at Deep Jewels 45 in May, but her fight was cancelled when opponent Kimika Kawaguchi was forced to withdraw. China, who turns 16 next month, aims for another key win when she faces the much more experienced Yamazaki.
Rounding out the card so far, Momoko Saito (1-2-0, 1 NC) meets Mana Akagi (3-3-0) in a 60kg contest, Eun Bi “Libby” Cho (1-5-0) takes on Misaki Suda (2-5-0 amateur) at atomweight, Akari Kamise (3-1-0, 1 NC) battles Sarah (5-2-0 amateur) in another atomweight showdown, Tae “Te-a” Murayama (3-6-0) squares off against Haruka “Boss” Suzuki (1-2-0) at bantamweight, and Sayaka “Juicy” Hishinuma (3-3-0) faces Serina Kondo (0-3-0 amateur) in a featherweight bout. On the preliminary card, Asuka Yokoe faces Hana Suyama in an amateur strawweight kickboxing bout, and Miku Yokose battles Yuna Suyama in 49kg amateur kickboxing action.
Deep Jewels 46 takes place on September 8th at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan.