Strawweight Queen of Pancrase Champion Haruka “Salt” Hasegawa will make her first title defence on September twenty ninth at Pancrase 347 in Tokyo, Japan. Hasegawa is about to face off towards former Pancrase champion and present Shooto titleholder Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino on the cardboard.
Pancrase officers introduced the title struggle this week together with two extra girls’s matchups thus far. Newly-crowned Atomweight Queen of Pancrase Champion Satomi “Sarami” Takano faces Yerin “Ghost” Hong in non-title motion, and former flyweight champ Takayo Hashi meets Fumika Watanabe.
Hasegawa (4-4-0) has primarily competed for Shooto throughout her profession and it will mark her first struggle for Pancrase since she received the ladies’s strawweight title from Karen in a rematch at Pancrase 333 in April 2023. She had beforehand upset Karen in a non-title bout 4 months prior. After succumbing to a first-round scarf maintain armlock from Deep Jewels champion Saori Oshima at Rizin FF 43, Hasegawa returned to Shooto with a fast TKO win in December earlier than most not too long ago dropping a a slim Break up Determination to Wushamo Hailai on Might nineteenth.
Fujino (30-14-1, 1 NC) is without doubt one of the most skilled feminine fighters in MMA. Her professional profession spans greater than 20 years and, most impressively, she is undefeated in her previous 5 fights and nonetheless acting at a excessive stage. Fujino held the Strawweight Queen of Pancrase title from late 2019 till she was upset by Karen in March 2022, however she has not too long ago skilled a profession resurgence after transferring to Shooto. On the Shooto identical card by which Hasegawa misplaced to Hailai, Fujino turned the inaugural Shooto Girls’s Strawweight Champion by stopping Megumi Sugimoto.
Takano (19-14-0), like Fujino, can be coming off of an enormous title win. Nonetheless, whereas Fujino received her championship in Shooto after struggles in Pancrase, Takano did the alternative. The previous Shooto Girls’s Tremendous Atomweight Champion entered the inaugural Queen of Pancrase title match in December and superior to the finals with a Unanimous Determination victory. Dealing with off towards rising star Sayako Fujita at Pancrase 341 in March, Takano knocked out her foe in simply 48 seconds. She is going to look to make it three straight wins for Pancrase within the September non-title bout.
Hong (4-4-0) received 4 of 5 fights after dropping her 2019 professional debut to the aforementioned Fujita, however she has not too long ago struggled and will likely be searching for redemption in September. In February 2023, Hong was submitted by Saori Oshima of their featured bout at Black Fight 5, and he or she didn’t return to motion till this previous April when she challenged former Pancrase champ Karen in a strawweight bout at Pancrase 342. Hong got here out on the incorrect finish of a Unanimous Determination and he or she now strikes again all the way down to atomweight in hopes of halting Takano’s successful streak.
Hashi (19-9-1) is one other battle-tested veteran whose prolonged profession dates again to September 2004 and contains title reigns for Smackgirl, Deep Jewels and Pancrase. She received the Flyweight Queen of Pancrase title with a five-round Unanimous Determination win towards Nori at Pancrase 324 in October 2021, then repeated that feat once more in a rematch 18 months later at Pancrase 333. Nonetheless, Hashi’s title reign got here to an finish by the hands of undefeated prospect Honoka Shigeta, who outpointed her at Pancrase 341, and the 46-year-old now seems to be to get again within the title hunt.
Watanabe (1-1-0) provides up an enormous edge in expertise and can understandably be a substantial underdog towards Hashi, however her most up-to-date struggle resulted in a major victory. After dropping an in depth determination to former title challenger Emiko Raika in her March 2023 professional debut, Watanabe confronted one other former Pancrase title contender in Nori at Pancrase 341. Shocking her extra skilled foe, Watanabe took a well-deserved Unanimous Determination victory. Now, regardless of having simply two professional fights, Watanabe is probably one win away from a title shot if she will be able to get previous Hashi.
Pancrase 347 takes place on September twenty ninth at Tachikawa Stage Backyard in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan.
(Picture Credit score: Pancrase)
