After competing for greater than 15 years, veteran bantamweight and flyweight contender Shizuka Sugiyama ultimately captured her first main MMA title tonight at Pancrase 346 in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. Sugiyama choked out Honoka Shigeta within the first spherical to turn into Flyweight Queen of Pancrase.
Tonight’s championship victory is the fruits of an extended MMA journey for Sugiyama, who made her debut on the inaugural Jewels occasion in November 2008 and later went on to problem for Deep Jewels titles at each 125 and 135 kilos. She used a ninja choke to take Shigeta’s belt within the transient battle.
Sugiyama (23-7-1) fought off an early clinch try from Shigeta (4-1-0) within the opening minute of tonight’s championship bout. She landed a physique kick and Shigeta missed with a head kick try, however she was capable of take Sugiyama down into again management. Sugiyama rapidly scrambled again as much as her ft and Shigeta tried a single-leg takedown. Sugiyama countered by trapping her in a good ninja choke, which she used to drive Shigeta down right into a seated place. Shigeta couldn’t transfer and was quickly rendered unconscious from the choke, prompting referee Tomomi Takarada to wave off the battle on the 2:40 mark of spherical one.
Put up-fight, Sugiyama referenced her lengthy profession and famous that she had lastly carried out it. She thanked her husband, Keita Nakamura, and her son, then acknowledged that she desires to comply with the lead of fellow veteran Emi Fujino by offering a troublesome problem for younger, up-and-coming fighters. Sugiyama has now gained seven of her previous eight fights, with the lone blemish coming in a Deep Jewels flyweight title battle in Might 2022. Nevertheless, her defeat there sparked her transfer over to Pancrase and finally led to the success that she achieved tonight.
