On September 11th, the undefeated Aya Murakami will return to the cage at Deep Jewels 38 in Tokyo, Japan. Having made her pro-debut in 2020, the 30 year old BJJ blackbelt has quickly established herself as one of the best grapplers in the promotion and has proven to be an aggressive finisher, finishing her past 3 opponents in the first round. This Sunday Aya will be in the main event for the first time in her career, a notable achievement for someone with just 4 fights. When asked about being in the main event, she told us, “At first I was pretty surprised, I was like, ‘I’m in the main event?!’ (laughter). But as it gets closer, the more I want to put on an interesting and exciting match.” Learn more about the upcoming match and Aya below.
Murkami vs Suda II
When Aya steps into the cage on Sunday, it’ll be to face the young up-and-comer Moeri Suda. At just 18 years of age, the Osaka-based Suda has put together a 6-3 record, has 4 armbar victories, and is coming off a successful Rizin debut in July. Interestingly, nearly two years prior, at the exact same venue, the two made their pro-debuts against each other. Aya won via decision, the only time she hasn’t finished her opponent. That fight, like this fight, took place at Atomweight, marking the only two times Aya will have competed at that weight. When asked about whether she prefers Atomweight or Microweight, Aya told us, “I don’t mind either way as long I can fight, but I prefer Microweight in terms of my physique.”
When asked about Suda, Aya told us, “I think she’s good at coming up with a strategy for her opponents and countering what they do in order to make the fight unfold in away that’s advantageous for her. My image of her grappling is that it’s limber and flexible, she’s good at the cross armbar technique, and she seem’s like the kind of person that does what she sets her mind to.” When asked about the fight itself, she told us, “I don’t think I’ll be able to take her down as easy as I did in the first fight, since it looks like her team is really good at coming up with ways to counter her opponents. Ultimately though, we’re both grapplers, so I think it’ll turn into a grappling match. However, I do think a key part of the fight, will be whoever can do more damage on the feet before the grappling begins.”
Getting to Know Aya
Murakami wears a lot of hats. She’s a BJJ blackbelt, she’s a programmer, she’s a cosplayer, she’s active on Youtube, and she’s an undefeated MMA fighter. Originally from Shikoku, Aya moved to Tokyo, where she started training in BJJ 10 years ago after watching Jackie Chan in Rush Hour. As a brown belt, she won the All Japan Jiu-Jitsu championship in 2018 and made her MMA pro-debut in October of 2020. She is now a blackbelt, having earned it faster than any woman in Japanese history, and has showcased it in all of her fights to date.
Currently, she trains at several gyms. Her MMA training is done at Shooto Gym, but she also visits Rising Sun and Krazy Bee. For her grappling, she trains at Carpe Diem, where she tells us, “Basically, I train with men who are way bigger than me, but I also train with top level women from the grappling world, Rizin, One, and various others who are active in Shooto.”
Outside of combat sports, Aya is perhaps best known for her cosplay. She cosplays before her fights and uploads content to her Instagram and Youtube. She told us that she recently secretly did some cosplay based on “Cells at Work” and that she plans on dressing as a character from One Piece’s Wano Country. Aya went on to tell us, ” I haven’t been playing a lot of games lately, as for anime, I have always loved Fate and One Piece is my new favorite. I like One Piece because of the way of life, beliefs, and the dreams of the characters. They are very cool and give me courage. Kozuki Oden is the coolest.”
Aya’s Message to the Readers
Of course, my goal is to make it to the big stage, but I also want to make each match count and have good wins. First, I would like to have a title match in the Microweight division, then I would like to compete in the Atomweight division, and then in RIZIN…This will be a rematch with Suda and I determined to win and make it a good win. I think my opponent has gotten stronger, but I would like to show my growth as well. I want to put on a fun and inspiration fight for those that watch. Thanks for your support.
Aya’s Fights
- Versus Moeri Suda (climbed to 1-0)
- Versus Kyoka Chibisai (climbed to 2-0)
- Versus Yasuko Tamada (climbed to 3-0)
- Versus Mizuki Furuse (climbed to 4-0)
How to watch
- Japan Time: September 11th, 2022 at 11:50 AM
- US EST: September 10th, 2020 at 10:50 PM
- Advance Ticket: ¥2,500
- Day of Ticket: ¥3,000
- Guest Commentator: Seika Izawa
- PPV Link: Event SPWN
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