Grappling Match: Emi Fujino & Sachiko Fujimori vs. Ayaka Hamasaki & Yuko Oya 10:00. They had fun showcasing some cool positions on the ground. Fujino's strength was even more obvious in this setting where she could just outmuscle her opponent without having to worry about getting hit in the process. Hamasaki still owened Fujino on the ground though, just too fluid with too much command of the transitional game.
Tomo Maesawa vs. Yukiko Seki 2R Unanimous Dec. Maesawa did really well landing strikes from short range when they weren't clinching. Once they were clinching, Seki was able to fire back with punches to the body & the occasional uppercut. Maesawa had some crazy sequences where she was pushing forward with one punch to the face after another, but Seki simply refused to back up & tried to fire back. I'm not sure about the sanity of Seki's tactics, but her heart was off the charts, and it made for some wild, albeit mostly one-sided exchanges. Seki's persistance was just insane, and she'd eventually wear Maesawa down and either tie her up & work body hooks or take over the initiative and become the one who was pressing forward. Maesawa won because she had the reach & skills, but Seki's determination is what made it a good fight even if technically it wasn't the most sound. Good match.
Satomi Takano vs. Masako Yoshida 2R Unanimous Dec. An all around mismatch. Takano landed a big front kick at the opening bell, and it never got any better for Yoshida. Takano was too quick in standup, and had the ability to angle and bomb when she chose too, and also had the big advantage in grappling, so there was just no respite. On top of all that, Takano's conditioning was superb, and she kept the pressure on Yoshida for the duration. Pretty much the only time Yoshida even had a chance to do anything is when Takano would stand in front of her & exchange, and even then Takano would win the battles, just not nearly as decisively. Average match
Mina Kurobe vs. Emi Tomimatsu 2R Split Dec. Tomimatsu did a good job of using head faking, level changing, & pivoting to set up her strikes. You felt this was totally Tomimatsu's fight to win. She had the more skill & experience, was clearly the more evolved fighter, but Kurobe simply outworked her in the 2nd. In the 1st, Tomimatsu was the aggressor & the one dictating position, but in the 2nd, Kurobe just wanted it more & Tomimatsu didn't make enough adjustments to allow her skill to overcome Kurobe's desire. This was pretty much a draw. I think Tomimatsu had the edge overall, but Kurobe was coming on & getting stronger down the stretch & that's what the judges look for in Japan. Above average match.
Mei Yamaguchi vs. Miyoko Kusaka 0:44 R1. Yamaguchi landed one of the most brutal knees to the liver I've ever seen. Kusaka went down so fast you thought she got shot, and was completely shut down apart from yelping in pain. Just vicious!
12/17/11
Emi Fujino vs. Celine Haga 2R Unanimous Dec. Fujino has a powerful right hand, but can also close the distance quickly & overpower with her wrestling. Fujino has a lot of strength & spring in her legs that makes her tough to deal with because she can explode both as a striker & as a wrestler. She defended several solid takedown attempts from Haga, but Haga finally got her down late in the 2nd after being battered in standup. Though it was too little too late, you have to admire Haga's heart & determination, as although she was dominated all fight, she didn't give up & at least finished on top. Average match.
Emi Tomimatsu vs. Rina Tomita 2R Split Dec. A close, fairly uneventful fight. Tomita had the height and reach advantage, but Tomimatsu was able to turn that into a disadvantage, sucking her into the wrestling game which she used her lower center of gravity & shoulder position to get the takedowns. Neither did any particular damage, but Tomimatsu controlled position & grinded it out. Below average match.
Mei Yamaguchi vs. Mika Nagano 2R Split Dec. An entertaining fight because they both have good submission games & were willing to take chances to try to finish. Nagano was the better wrestler here, and looked to have finished early transitioning into an armbar from mount, but apparently Yamaguchi was doing a couple weak punches to her leg? Yamaguchi eventually transitioned to a leglock and sat into a guillotine, so although for me it was clearly a Nagano round, Yamaguchi controlled the final stages & got herself into the match. Nagano had 2 early takedowns in the 2nd, but Yamaguchi again turned the tide in the later part of the round, countering a takedown by landing in the mount. Though her ground flurry was cut short by a debatable punch to the throat foul, Yamaguchi finally got her standup going, and was punishing Nagano with clinch knees. Yamaguchi continued to dominate at a distance, finally able to show the standup skills that ave allowed her to succeed in Shoot Boxing. She was just too quick for a fading Nagano, who seemed to be waiting for her opportunity to answer, but Yamaguchi never paused, just continuing to pour it on until the bell. Yamaguchi was the more well rounded fighter, and she seemed to want it more down the stretch & certainly had the answers, the strong finish being enough to edge out a close decision. Good match.
Jewels Lightweight Queen Title Match: Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seo Hee Ham 5:00 R1. Hamasaki controlled the round with her wrestling right from the outset, keeping Ham from utilizing her striking game. Ham eventually tried to roll into a kneebar, but Hamasaki squashed it. In the scramble, Ham was able to transition to a triangle that she maintained for the rest of the round. It appeared to be fairly tight, but the camera angle wasn't good, and the ref wasn't treating it as if there was any real danger. In any case, it was a good finish to the round for Ham, but in between rounds, she basically couldn't stand up straight. Apparently she injured her back, so her corner had to throw the towel in & carry her off. This was quite a downer of a finish after a fairly compelling 1st round, & unfortunately with Ham dropping to featherweight after this fight, there was never a rematch.
8/29/15
Emi Tomimatsu vs. Natsuki Shimomakise 2:43 R1. Debuting Shimomakise came out swinging, but was quickly taken down. Tomimatsu trapped Shimomakise's right arm under her left leg, and banged away with free lefts to the face. Tomimatsu had an arm triangle, but left it to mount then won with an awkward armbar where the cage denied her room to lie down & extend so she had to do it sitting on Shimomakise's chest.
JEWELS Bantamweight Title Match: Ji Yeon Kim vs. Takayo Hashi 3R Unanimous Dec. Standing fight where both were looking to land the power shot. Hashi has the big experience advantage with 21 fights to 5, but Kim already went to a draw with Hashi in just her 2nd fight on Road FC 2 3/9/14, and is looking extremely poised & comfortable in there. Both women had their moments in the 1st, but I felt Kim took it with accurate & powerful counter punching. Hashi was the one who was dictating the fight though, and Kim was landing less & less counters as the fight went on because Hashi adjusted, taking away her reach & wearing her down by closing the distance & grinding with clinch work. Kim became more aggressive after losing the 2nd round, finally coming forward rather than allowing Hashi to dictate. She dropped Hashi early with a crisp left straight counter. Kim took the back, but Hashi was able to turn into guard despite the body triangle. Hashi wasn't able to do anything from the top though, & when she finally disengaged then dove back in, Kim reversed & finished on top. I thought Kim had the fight anyway barring Hashi doing something to negate the knockdown, but one can never disregard the home town judging in a fight this close. Luckily, the judges made an impartial call here. This was good stuff, & Kim has a ton of potential as she rounds out the skills to go with her length & poise. Good match.
JEWELS Strawweight Title Match: Mizuki Inoue vs. Emi Fujino 3R Unanimous Dec. This fight was pretty much artful dodger against the muscular brute. Fujino used her strength to try to tire Inoue with grinding clinchwork. Fujino was really working hard, pressure, pressure, & more pressure. Fujino using a lot of punch combos early in round 2 & even jumped on Inoue's back to take her down. Fujino had a guillotine attempt, but Inoue finally took over when she slipped out. Fujino didn't get the result she desired with all her early control, as Inoue was the fresher fighter in the 3rd, and now her speed & poise were beginning to be deciding factors. Inoue began to score with her arcing overhand rights & cut Fujino above the eye with a short elbow. Inoue lacked a jab to open the cut, & Fujino came out strong after the rest to look at her cut. The difference in this fight in my opinion was Inoue's movement even beyond her cardio. Fujino threw all she had at her, & is certainly the more powerful fighter, but Inoue was slipping & sliding & pretty much always reacted at least enough that she didn't take any real damage. At the end of the fight, Fujino looked like she'd been beat up & worn out, & Inoue still looked fresh & relatively unscathed. Inoue made her 1st successful defense here. Above average fight.
11/22/15
Sachiko Fujimori vs. Karei Date 1:37 R1. Fujimori hit a double leg, mounted, & pounded Date into crumbs.
Emi Tomimatsu vs. Satomi Takano 3R Split Dec. Tomimatsu did a nice job of taking slight steps back to set up an overhand right when the distance was closed either by her attacking or her opponent chasing a little too much. These two were moving really well, and doing a good job of trying to set things up. There wasn't that many big blows being landed, but that's because the footwork, athleticism, & recognition was at a level were the defense was ahead of the offense. Takano had 1 takedown, but generally they settled into a boxing match. I would have liked to have seen Takano focus more on her kicking, as she showed a good front kick now & then and she should have been confident in that because Tomimatsu wasn't going to try to take her down. The match ended in an interesting standing Kimura vs. Kimura battle with Tomimatsu finally getting it just before the bell only to have Takano roll through. I think Tomimatsu had more skill, but Takano had better condition, and that was almost enough to get her the decision as she maintained her level a lot better. Above average match.
Naho Sugiyama vs. Mina Kurobe 3R Unanimous Dec. Sugiyama wanted to attack from the outside, while Kurobe wanted to set up the overhand right or close the distance & work the clinch or grappling game. Sugiyama was quicker, with better footwork. Kurobe knew she had to keep Sugiyama from fighting with space, but once she'd throw the right hand & clinch she couldn't win the positional wars to drag her down or consistently score with standing knees. Pretty much all the damage Sugiyama took was under the left eye from the right hands of Kurobe, whereas the majority of the front of Kurobe's face was bludgeoned. Where Sugiyama really came on in the later stages was in realizing that going from midrange back to the outside was a much better decision for her than going from midrange to the clinch game where Kurobe could grind with her wrestling. There was little doubt that Sugiyama was winning the fight, but Kurobe made it all very difficult & draining. Above average match.
8/29/15
Emi Tomimatsu vs. Natsuki Shimomakise 2:43 R1. Debuting Shimomakise came out swinging, but was quickly taken down. Tomimatsu trapped Shimomakise's right arm under her left leg, and banged away with free lefts to the face. Tomimatsu had an arm triangle, but left it to mount then won with an awkward armbar where the cage denied her room to lie down & extend so she had to do it sitting on Shimomakise's chest.
JEWELS Bantamweight Title Match: Ji Yeon Kim vs. Takayo Hashi 3R Unanimous Dec. Standing fight where both were looking to land the power shot. Hashi has the big experience advantage with 21 fights to 5, but Kim already went to a draw with Hashi in just her 2nd fight on Road FC 2 3/9/14, and is looking extremely poised & comfortable in there. Both women had their moments in the 1st, but I felt Kim took it with accurate & powerful counter punching. Hashi was the one who was dictating the fight though, and Kim was landing less & less counters as the fight went on because Hashi adjusted, taking away her reach & wearing her down by closing the distance & grinding with clinch work. Kim became more aggressive after losing the 2nd round, finally coming forward rather than allowing Hashi to dictate. She dropped Hashi early with a crisp left straight counter. Kim took the back, but Hashi was able to turn into guard despite the body triangle. Hashi wasn't able to do anything from the top though, & when she finally disengaged then dove back in, Kim reversed & finished on top. I thought Kim had the fight anyway barring Hashi doing something to negate the knockdown, but one can never disregard the home town judging in a fight this close. Luckily, the judges made an impartial call here. This was good stuff, & Kim has a ton of potential as she rounds out the skills to go with her length & poise. Good match.
JEWELS Strawweight Title Match: Mizuki Inoue vs. Emi Fujino 3R Unanimous Dec. This fight was pretty much artful dodger against the muscular brute. Fujino used her strength to try to tire Inoue with grinding clinchwork. Fujino was really working hard, pressure, pressure, & more pressure. Fujino using a lot of punch combos early in round 2 & even jumped on Inoue's back to take her down. Fujino had a guillotine attempt, but Inoue finally took over when she slipped out. Fujino didn't get the result she desired with all her early control, as Inoue was the fresher fighter in the 3rd, and now her speed & poise were beginning to be deciding factors. Inoue began to score with her arcing overhand rights & cut Fujino above the eye with a short elbow. Inoue lacked a jab to open the cut, & Fujino came out strong after the rest to look at her cut. The difference in this fight in my opinion was Inoue's movement even beyond her cardio. Fujino threw all she had at her, & is certainly the more powerful fighter, but Inoue was slipping & sliding & pretty much always reacted at least enough that she didn't take any real damage. At the end of the fight, Fujino looked like she'd been beat up & worn out, & Inoue still looked fresh & relatively unscathed. Inoue made her 1st successful defense here. Above average fight.