Following unsuccessful makes an attempt to combat overseas, Deep Jewels Flyweight Champion Rin Nakai will finally make the primary defence of her title on Might twenty fourth at Deep Jewels 53 in Tokyo, Japan. Nakai will finish her inactivity when she faces off towards challenger Yuka “Dosukoi” Okutomi in the principle occasion.
Within the co-main occasion, prospect Eru Takebayashi will look to proceed her string of victories since getting back from a devastating jaw harm when she takes on South Korean upset queen Ye Ji Lee at 49kg. The headlining bouts had been amongst 13 fights formally introduced for the cardboard earlier this week.
Nakai (28-2-1) first captured the Deep Jewels flyweight title when she gained a one-night event on Might 8, 2022. She has fought thrice in non-title bouts for Deep Jewels since then, however her championship has by no means been on the road. After spending a 12 months making an attempt to get booked to compete in North America, Nakai had been scheduled to debut for Ignite Fights in March. Nevertheless, that fell aside and the promoter issued a scathing public critique of Nakai’s husband and supervisor, whom he accused of abusing Nakai and sabotaging her profession. With no different choices left for her, Nakai will finally defend the dormant title that she gained 4 years in the past.
Okutomi (4-1-0, 1 NC) gained all 5 of her novice bouts for Deep Jewels and rapidly grew to become one of many promotion’s prime prospects after turning professional in Might 2023. She racked up three straight victories earlier than struggling what would have been a call loss at Deep Jewels 44. Nevertheless, resulting from opponent Momoko Saito lacking weight, the bout was dominated a No Contest and Okutomi remained undefeated till her ONE Championship debut in July 2024 when she was choked unconscious. After taking day without work to get better from that setback, Okutomi made a triumphant return at Deep Jewels 49 and scored a Unanimous Resolution victory. She now faces her hardest take a look at thus far subsequent month.
Takebayashi (5-4-0, 1 NC) started her novice profession in 2020 on the younger age of 16 and impressed Rizin matchmakers a lot together with her three consecutive Deep Jewels wins that she was invited to make her professional debut for Rizin on the finish of that 12 months. She went on to endure profession highs and lows in the course of the subsequent two years earlier than in the end participating in a fateful combat towards Saki Kitamura at Deep Jewels 42. After practically ending Kitamura, and being in full management, Takebayashi out of the blue discovered herself out of the combat and out of motion for greater than two years when Kitamura shattered Takebayashi’s jaw with a counter hook. Takebayashi started coaching below Deep Jewels and Rizin FF champion Seika Izawa and returned to preventing in November. She has appeared very spectacular in each of her wins since then.
Lee (6-8-0) additionally started competing at a younger age and made a reputation for herself in Japan again in March 2017 when she shockingly upset Satoko Shinashi. She would then endure 4 straight defeats earlier than choosing up a TKO victory in November 2019. Lee was then inactive for nearly 4 years till she returned to motion at Deep Jewels 42. She has since gone 2-2, with an enormous victory over Deep Jewels microweight champ Saori Oshima in a Might atomweight bout being Lee’s largest achievement for the reason that Shinashi upset. Lee was not capable of maintain the momentum going, nonetheless, as she dropped a Unanimous Resolution to former Rizin FF champion Ayaka Hamasaki in November. Subsequent month’s combat towards Takebayashi shall be a pivotal one for the 26-year-old South Korean.
In one in every of two featured strawweight bouts on the Deep Jewels 53 card, Nonoka Sakamoto (2-0-0, 1 NC) goals to remain unbeaten when she faces one other shining star from South Korea, So Yul Kim (9-1-0). Sakamoto has completed all three of her opponents thus far, although a victory over Mayumi Ono this previous April was dominated a No Contest resulting from Sakamoto lacking weight. She is coming off of a 63-second submission win at Deep Jewels 50. Kim has racked up eight straight victories since her lone profession setback and has submitted 5 opponents in a row. She is thought for her suffocating chokes and can pose a powerful take a look at for Sakamoto within the duel subsequent month.
Additionally within the strawweight division, Yuko Kiryu (14-14-0) hopes to construct extra momentum after profitable in February when she takes on Junna Tsukii (2-2-0). After a profitable run in ONE Championship, Kiryu has struggled throughout latest years since returning to Deep Jewels and going through a lot of the promotion’s prime fighters within the lighter weights. She snapped a dropping streak at Deep Jewels 52 when she submitted Karin Horii within the first spherical. Tsukii is coming off of a brutal knockout victory towards Princess Saaya in November, which avenged a controversial loss from September when Tsukii was disqualified for what was deemed to be an unlawful upkick.
Rounding out the skilled motion at Deep Jewels 53, Saki Kitamura (4-5-0) hopes to return to her profitable methods when she faces Abbie So (1-0-0) in a 49kg tremendous atomweight bout; Juki Sue (5-2-0, 1 NC) seeks redemption after falling quick in her February championship combat when she takes on Azuki Nakao (3-2-0) at bantamweight; Rena Kobayashi (5-4-0) meets extremely well-liked prospect Suzu Ooi (2-0-0) in a 44kg microweight bout; Princess Saaya (2-5-0) faces Ruka “Dobokuneki” Sakamoto (0-1-0) at strawweight; Haruka “Boss” Suzuki (2-5-0) tangles with Maho Tagawa (1-0-0 novice) in Tagawa’s professional debut at 58kg; and Sayaka “Juicy” Hishinuma (4-3-0) seeks her fourth straight win when she faces the debuting Urara (0-0-0) in a 60kg contest.
In novice bouts, one in every of Deep Jewels’ hottest younger prospects, Marin Yamabuki (3-0-0 novice), faces Cocoro Taniyama (1-2-0 novice) at a catchweight of 50kg; Manami “Akipi” Abe (3-3-0 novice) clashes with Mina Muramatsu (1-1-0 novice) at strawweight; and Anouk Rossen (2-2-0 novice) opens the cardboard towards 18-year-old Rio Yamauchi (0-0-0 novice) in one other strawweight contest.
Deep Jewels 53 takes place on Might twenty fourth at New Pier Corridor in Tokyo, Japan.
