On July 23rd, Deep Jewels will crown an Interim Strawweight Champion. In a classic clash of styles, Miki Motono, the grappler, will be taking on Asami Nakai, the striker. While Mizuki may still technically be the champion, this matchup is evidence of a resurgence in popularity of MMA in Japan.
At 25 years old, Nakai may be young like Motono, but she comes from a very different background. While Motono is a solid grappler, Nakai comes from a strong striking background. With her roots in Nihon Kempo and Kickboxing, Nakai has recently worked on further strengthening her striking skills. Earlier this year, she went to the Philippines where she trained at boxing and MMA gyms, then went to Indonesia where she trained in Silat.
Nakai made her debut back in 2018 and has amassed a record of 4-2. She may have lost twice, but those losses were against Kana Watanabe and Shizuka Sugiyama, both of whom are veterans and larger than Nakai. Nakai is undefeated at 52kg and made a big impression on Japanese audiences when she stunned Watanabe with an overhand right early on in their fight.
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