As part of our series of interviews introducing some of Deep Jewels young talent, we had the opportunity to interview Mikiko Shimizu aka Micco Nirvana. At 27 years old, Mikiko is a member of AACC. Despite making her pro-debut in October, she has been active in MMA for a couple of years, having had amateur fights going back to 2018.
A talented grappler who works at a muscular girl themed bar, Mikiko is an interesting fighter with a lot of potential.
Please enjoy our interview below.
CJ: Let’s get started with your background, whats your martial arts background? How did you become a pro fighter?
MS: My background is in BJJ and kickboxing. I had four amateur MMA fights in Pancrase and Deep Jewels, after that I got an offer for a my first pro fight.
CJ: How did you get your nickname, Nirvana? Is it a reference to the band or Buddhism?
MS: It was given to me by one of my training partners. It’s a Buddhism reference.
CJ: Onto your next fight, what do you think of your next opponent, how do you think the fight will go?
MS: I think Arami is primarily a grappler. I think/hope it’ll be a match where we get entangled and go to the ground.
CJ: You won your pro-debut earlier this year. How was it?
MS: I felt a sense of relief, the lead up to the fight had made me nervous. My thoughts were roughly that since I am becoming a pro-fighter, I have to work/train harder.
CJ: Do you have an goals as a pro-fighter?
MS: To say it forcibly, I want to be a strong gandma. I want to keep being involved in martial arts for as long at possible, but at the moment I’m just thinking about winning my fight on 12.19 at Deep Jewels.
CJ: Has COVID-19 made it difficult to train?
MS: Corona didn’t really affect my training. The only thing that has changed from before Corona is that now I am wearing a mask. During the time period when the gym was closed, between April and May, I rode my bike 20 km every day, did online training and circuit training.
CJ: What’s it like training at Imanari’s gym? Do you work on leg locks there? How about AACC?
MS: I like grappling so I’m happy to learn under Imanari-sensei. When people think of Masakazu Imanari, they often have an initial impression of leg locks but that is not all we learn. We also learn techniques and sweeps from various positions. At AACC, we do everything from striking, ground fighting, wrestling, and physical training. Many female athletes train there and all of them have strong backgrounds in disciplines like judo, wrestling, kickboxing, and BJJ, so there is a lot you can learn in sparring. Coach Abe watches the training and gives guidance to all the athletes. I think it is a very fulfilling environment.
CJ: You mentioned you like grappling, what’s your favorite thing about it?
MS: I like foot locks.
CJ: Do you have any message or comment for the fans?
MS: Please support me, I’m gonna do my best!
Please follow Mikiko on Twitter and Instagram
Also, her fight will be available on PPV
Japanese 
English