After a brief but thrilling battle in 2023, super atomweights Saki Kitamura and Eru Takebayashi are set to collide for a second time on September 6th at Deep Jewels 54 in Tokyo, Japan. The Kitamura-Takebayashi rematch is expected to headline the card, which was announced this past week.
Kitamura badly broke Takebayashi’s jaw early in the pair’s first meeting, and survived an onslaught of offence from her bloodied foe, before the doctor halted the fight. In the Deep Jewels 54 co-main event, Nonoka Sakamoto looks to stay unbeaten when she faces Honoka Shigeta at 54kg.
Kitamura (5-5-0) and Takebayashi (5-5-0, 1 NC) first clashed in a preliminary bout at Deep Jewels 42 in September 2023 when Kitamura was competing for only the second time as a professional. She dropped Takebayashi multiple times early in the fight, but it was a head kick and follow-up punches that were particularly damaging and Takebayashi began to bleed from her mouth. Nonetheless, Takebayashi rallied back and nearly finished Kitamura with a barrage of punches against the cage. Kitamura held on and secured a clinch, and the fight was halted and waved off by the cageside doctor. Takebayashi had sustained a badly broken jaw, which kept her out of competition for more than two years.
Since that first fight, Kitamura has been an active mainstay on the Deep Jewels roster, where she has alternated between wins and losses and holds two first-round finishes in under 40 seconds apiece. Takebayashi at last returned to the cage in November, now under the tutelage of former Rizin FF and Deep Jewels champ Seika Izawa, and won back-to-back fights while showing off much-improved skills. She most recently dropped a contentious Split Decision to Ye Ji Lee in May.
Sakamoto (3-0-0, 1 NC) faces her toughest test to date in September when she takes on former Pancrase champion Shigeta (4-2-0), who will seek redemption after missing weight and losing her May 2025 Deep Jewels debut. Sakamoto has won all four of her pro fights, though she also missed weight in her victory over Mayumi Ono, which resulted in the bout being ruled a No Contest. She most recently outpointed So Yul Kim at Deep Jewels 53. Shigeta claimed the Flyweight Queen of Pancrase title in her fourth pro fight in 2024, but she was dethroned by Shizuka Sugiyama in her first title defence. An attempt to drop down to super atomweight did not go as planned, and Shigeta’s failed weight cut may have played a factor in her loss to Namiko “Hime” Kawabata at Deep Jewels 49.
Deep Jewels Bantamweight Champion Momoko Saito (4-2-0, 1 NC) will look to extend her winning streak to five when she clashes with Russia’s Vladlena “Cutie” Petrova (5-1-0) in a non-title matchup. Saito claimed the vacant title in February when she stopped Juki Sue in the second round at Deep Jewels 52. Three of her four wins have come via a form of knockout, including the second-round finish against Sue. Petrova makes her Deep Jewels debut after a lengthy layoff and is also a proven finisher. A victory over Saito would likely earn her an immediate rematch for the title.
Misaki “Iruka Umisaki” Suda (2-2-0) and Junna Tsukii (2-3-0) both aim to get back on the winning track when they meet in a featured super atomweight contest. Suda sustained her first defeat in November when she lost her Rizin debut to Noeru “Noel” Narita, and she was swiftly stopped by Eru Takebayashi at Deep Jewels 52. Tsukii was unable to follow up on her sensational knockout win in November, and she suffered a second-round TKO defeat against the much more experienced Yuko Kiryu at Deep Jewels 53 in May.
Speaking of Kiryu (15-14-0), she will also be in action in September, as she meets Yua Yokose (4-2-0) in strawweight action. Kiryu has faced most of the top fighters on the Deep Jewels roster, and sustained defeats along the way, but she has finished two straight opponents including the aforementioned Tsukii. Yokose is a gifted grappler with three submission wins on her record. She most recently tapped out Miki Oka with a shoulder choke on the Deep Jewels 52 card.
In a matchup between two of the best prospects on the Deep Jewels roster, Suzu Ooi (3-0-0) meets a returning Mahina China (2-0-0) in 44kg microweight action. Ooi turned pro in September and she has won three straight Deep Jewels bouts while also becoming a fan favourite. China, who made her Deep Jewels debut at age 15, won both of her fights in 2024 before injuries to opponents and herself derailed additional fight plans. The Okinawa native, who turns 18 next month, now looks to make a triumphant return by halting Ooi’s hype train.
Rounding out the professional bouts, Mika “Arami” Arai (6-9-0) competes for Deep Jewels for the first time in nearly four years when she faces Misaki Horiuchi (1-1-0) at strawweight; Sarah Ellen (2-2-0) hopes to hand highly-touted grappler Hanami Watanabe (1-0-0) her first defeat when they do battle in 49kg super atomweight action; Miku Yokose (1-2-0) aims to spoil the professional debut of Marin Yamabuki (4-0-0 amateur) in their 50kg matchup; and Karin Horii (1-4-0) faces off against former lightweight Sayaka “Juicy” Hishinuma (5-3-0), who has won four straight fights while moving down in weight and will now compete as a strawweight for the first time.
In amateur action, Manami “Akipi” Abe (3-4-0 amateur) faces a returning Seari Sumimura (4-3-0 amateur) in a 50kg bout; Asuka Yokoe (2-2-0 amateur) tangles with Cocoro Taniyama (1-3-0 amateur) in another 50kg contest; and, also at 50kg, Mion Wachi (1-2-0 amateur) meets Rio Yamauchi (1-0-0).
Deep Jewels 54 takes place on September 6th at New Pier Hall in Tokyo, Japan.