Very similar to she did eight years in the past, Ye Ji Lee scored one other high-profile upset victory over a top-ranked Japanese opponent tonight at Deep: “125 Influence” in Tokyo, Japan. The 25-year-old defeated Deep and Deep Jewels Microweight Champion Saori “Little Large” Oshima in an atomweight bout.
Lee, who first rose to fame in Japan in March 2017 when she shockingly defeated former Deep and Smackgirl champion Satoko Shinashi, nullified Oshima’s submission makes an attempt tonight and largely managed the grappling battles en path to successful two out of three rounds on the scorecards.
Lee (6-7-0) first competed in MMA at age 16 in a shedding effort in opposition to the massively favoured Shinashi earlier than avenging that defeat two years later. She has loved a profession resurgence in Japan since debuting for Deep Jewels in 2023 after a four-year layoff. Her much-improved grappling and wrestling each paid dividends tonight as she was in a position to overpower Oshima (14-6-0) on a number of events.
Early within the struggle, Lee reversed an Oshima takedown and the fighters battled for place on the mat till Oshima wound up on high. She handed to mount and attacked with a top-side guillotine choke and an armbar, however Lee escaped from each and she or he countered with a heel hook from the underside. Lee swept into Oshima’s half-guard and landed elbows and punches till the tip of the spherical.
Oshima instantly pulled guard with a decent guillotine choke within the second spherical, however Lee remained calm and she or he ultimately labored her manner free. On the ft, Lee landed a pleasant mixture and Oshima pulled half-guard. Lee labored for an arm-triangle choke after which an armbar, which Oshima escaped from, and Lee trapped Oshima in rubber guard whereas punching her within the face.
Lee stuffed a takedown to start the ultimate spherical and Oshima briefly pulled guard. Lee stood and compelled Oshima to comply with, and Oshima tried unsuccessfully to tug guard once more. As a substitute, it was Lee who slammed Oshima all the way down to the bottom. Oshima defended from the underside and Lee scored with punches from Oshima’s half-guard till the tip of the bout.
All three judges scored the struggle 29-28 for Lee, who has gained two of three fights since making her return to MMA. Her lone defeat got here in September in opposition to Moeri Suda, who has since gone on to soar up the rankings because of her personal upset win in opposition to Ayaka Hamasaki.
Oshima’s Deep and Deep Jewels microweight titles weren’t on the road tonight, because the bout with Lee was contested up at atomweight, however Lee’s efficiency could also be sufficient to earn her a future shot on the Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship that’s presently held by the undefeated Seika Izawa.
(Picture Credit score: Deep)
