A new generation emerges

When people think of active Japanese fighters, names like Kana Watanabe (Bellator), Mizuki Inoue (UFC), Kanako Murata (UFC), and Ayaka Hamasaki (Rizin) come to mind. This is likely due to the fact that they have all found success in and outside of Japan. Also, they have all been fighting long enough to put together impressive resumes. Watanabe made her debut in 2017, Murata in 2016, Inoue in 2019, and Hamasaki in 2009. Since then, MMA has become more popular in Japan. As a result, a new generation of fighters has started to emerge. Here is a list of 10 fighters that have emerged in the past 2 years (Sept 3, 2019 – present) that represent this new generation.

The New Generation

Seika Izawa. Having only made her debut in October of 2020, Seika appears to be improving at a rapid rate. She has already amassed a record of 3-0, including two victories over the judo standout, Miki Motono (who just missed qualifying for this list). As a graduate student at a prestigious university, Seika is an interesting prospect. Armed with a background in both judo and wrestling, she has already won the Deep Jewels 52kg/115lb championship. She is now set to face the Korean striker, Si Woo Park later this year. If she wins this bout, she should be expected to appear in Rizin in the near future.

Saori Oshima. Saori Oshima made her debut in January of 2020, when she 25 years old. Using her 22 years of judo experience, she won the Deep Microweight championship in her 4th fight and 9 months later she won the Deep Jewels Atomweight championship. Not even 2 years into her career and she is already a double champ, simultaneously holding two belts. She trains at AACC, which is famous for developing top female talent. At 149cm (4″11), it will be interesting to see whether she chooses to stay at Microweight, Atomweight, or fight in both.

Karen Pravajra. As a member of a talent group, Karen comes from a fairly unique and mysterious background. At 18 years old, she has put together a 3-0 record and is now set to fight for the Pancrase 52kg/115lb championship this October. In the past, Pancrase has promoted fighters like Rin Nakai, Syuri Kondo, and Emi Fujino, but with them taking part in other promotions, it is likely that if Karen wins, she will become the new face of Pancrase’s women’s divisions.

Micco Nirvana. With a fight this Saturday, the 27 year old fighter from Ibaraki is looking to make it 3-1. Despite losing to the highly touted Yukari Nabe in her last fight, Micco has looked impressive and appears to be taking her career seriously. She got her start under the instructions of the veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri and now trains at AACC with Saori Oshima and others. She also trains at Imanari Jiu-Jitsu with the leg-lock master, Masakazu Imanari.

Kate Lotus. Despite making her debut in December of 2020 and only training in MMA for a little over a year, Kate Lotus has already received a lot of attention. With a record of 1-1, she is looking to rebound this weekend, when she faces Micco Nirvana. Ahead of the fight, Deep Jewels released some promotional videos of Kate training with Mizuki Furuse and Mika Nagano, both of whom are/were faces of the promotion. If these promotional videos are any hint, Deep Jewels is giving Kate this same opportunity, should she do well.

Sakura. A talented grappler, Sakura has put together a record of 3-1 and is in a position to become one of the faces of Deep Jewels. At only 18 years old, she has sponsors, fans, and was chosen by the promotion to represent them in Rizin. However, there have been some problems. She’s missed weight twice, which is big deal in Japan and is probably serving an unofficial suspension right now, just like King Reina did. However, she will be back. When she fights, she sells tickets, and her fan section is very noticeable at events.

Eru Takebayashi. At 18 years old, Eru has already made an impression on those who have seen her fight. In 2020, she won 3 amateur fights and made her Rizin debut. In 2021, she won her first professional fight, which was an exciting fight with AACC’s Otoha (who barely missed qualifying for this list). So far, she has shown an extremely aggressive striking style combined with good cardio. However, in her bout with Sakura, some holes were shown in her grappling game so it will be interesting to see what she does to resolve these issues. She is set to fight this weekend at Deep Jewels 34.

Aya Murakami. Already known for her cospalying skills, the talented grappler made her pro-debut in October of 2020. She was supposed to take part in the Atomweight tournament this year, but she got sidelined with medical issues. Now back to full health, she is set to make her Microweight debut this weekend against fellow newbie, Kyoka Chibisai. Having earned her Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt faster than any other woman in Japanese history, Aya will likely have a clear grappling advantage against any opponent.

Chihiro Sawada. At 23 years old, Sawada has been training at AACC for years. An accomplished amateur wrestler, she made her pro-debut this May. The fight went to a draw, but her wrestling looked very solid. As a two round fight, a draw is understandable. Like many fighters before her, she made her pro-debut for Shooto and it will be interesting to see what improvements she has made in her next fight. It is also worth noting that her brother currently fights for One Championship.

Namiko Kawabata. A former basketball player, Namiko made her debut in March. Now she is 2-0, with wins over Kate Lotus and Shoka Fujita, both interesting prospects themselves. Going by the nickname “Hime”, princess in English, not a lot is known about her yet as she only made her debut 6 months ago. She currently trains at Mouri Dojo, with the likes of Emi Sato and Kazumasa Majima.

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