Since 2020, Deep and Deep Jewels have been making an effort to rebuild their smallest division, Microweight. As part of this effort, a tournament was held, two champions were crowned, young talent was signed and is being developed, and one of their popular fighters, Mizuki Furuse, has announced her intention to fight in the division. In addition to the young talent, veterans like Satoko Shinashi and Yasuko Tamada have also been competing, adding some depth to the division.
One of the more interesting Microweight prospects is Aya Murakami. She made her pro-debut in October of 2020 and is now 2-0. This record is somewhat deceptive, as the 29 year old is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt. In fact, she earned her blackbelt faster than any other woman in Japanese history. These skills were on clear display in her last fight, where she won via armbar in the first round. Outside of the ring, she has a passion for cosplay, is building a youtube channel, and seems to enjoy her work as programmer, a profession she transitioned to after working as a hostess. Like her grappling, her passion for cosplay was also on display in her last fight, as she wore a costume during her entrance.
This Sunday, she will be facing the veteran Yasuko Tamada, who is clearly her most experienced and skilled opponent to date. A simple look at their records illustrates this, revealing that Aya has been a professional fighter for a year and Tamada has been one for 15. Furthermore, while Aya is 2-0, Tamada is 17-11-3 and is a former champion. However, more interesting than their difference in experience is the fact that Tamada has never been submitted. This may be due in part to her training at AACC, where she has regularly sparred skilled grapplers like Megumi Fujii, Ayaka Hamasaki and Hitomi Akano. On a final note, it is worth noting that Tamada has not been fighting continually since her debut. In 2015, she took some time off after some high-profile bouts against Kanna Asakura and Michelle Waterson. She didn’t return to the ring until 2019 and has gone 2-1 since.
Deep Tokyo Impact 2nd Round Full Card
- Sho Hiramatsu vs Kaito Yoshimura (61.2kg/135lbs)
- Eru Takebayashi vs Aira Koga (49kg/108lbs)
- Mutsuki Miyajima vs Yujin Yamamoto (61.2kg/135lbs)
- Masato Nakamura vs Genta Nemoto (55kg/121lbs)
- Aya Murakami vs Yasuko Tamada (44kg/97lbs)
- Marina Kumagai vs Yurina Horiguchi (61.2kg/135lbs)
- Shinobu Wakui vs Yuta Komaki (77kg/170lbs)
- Amateur Bout: Rio Kimura vs Hiroto Kumagai (61.2kg/135lbs)
How to watch
- Round 1 PPV Link
- Round 1 is 1,500 Yen pre-order, 2,000 Yen day of
- Round 1 guest commentator is Kate Lotus
- The 1st Round starts at 11:50 AM, October 17th in Japan
- Round 2 PPV Link
- Round 2 is 1,500 Yen pre-order, 2,000 Yen day of
- Round 2 guest commentator is Shoji
- The 2nd Round starts at 5:20 PM, October 17th in Japan
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