Ever since the launch of Rizin, focus has shifted in Japan for the women, from Strawweight to Super Atomweight and Atomweight. In Rizin, a lack of opportunity caused Kanako Murata to leave for Invicta and in Deep Jewels, most fighters dropped down. Pancrase on the other hand has been working to build the division, sending two of their champions to the UFC in the process. Continuing this tradition, Pancrase is bringing in one of Japan’s best Strawweights, Miki Motono, to face one of their former champions, Emi Fujino. With immediate title implications on the line, we had a chance to catch up with Miki and ask her about the move, her upcoming fight, and what to expect in the future.
From Road to UFC to Pancrase
When Miki steps into the cage at the Yokohama Budokan this Sunday, it will be the first time she’s fought in Japan since 2022. That was the year she took part in Abema’s Overseas Warrior Training Project, where she got to train at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. As part of that experience, she got to go to the UFC P.I. and train with UFC fighters, an experience that helped shape her current goal of fighting in the UFC. In pursuit of which, she took a fight in China, then took part in the Road to UFC last year, where she unfortunately lost in the semi-finals.
Not one to be easily deterred, Motono is still determined to get into the UFC. She told us that she’s aiming to do this within two years and that is why she signed with Pancrase. When she looked at fighters from Japan who have fought in the Road to UFC and the Contender Series, she noticed that a lot of them hailed from Pancrase. An astute observation, as they have has sent more fighters to those series than any other Japanese promotion. It’s also worth mentioning that at last week’s press conference, she mentioned that she’s aiming to become the Pancrase champion as quick as possible, meaning that if she defeats Fujino, we may see her in the cage with Salt in the near future.
Training at Ground Slam
For Motono, this upcoming bout represents a lot of change in her career. Not only is she fighting in a new promotion, she’s also training at a new gym. Having spent the bulk of her career at AACC, during the Road to the UFC last year, Motono started also training at Ground Slam. Now she’s joined their team and is training there full time, under the watchful eyes of Shuichiro Katsumura. Old fans might remember that Ground Slam is where Roxanne Modafferi trained. Nowadays, it’s roster boasts fighters like Seichiro Ito and Sayako Fujita. Having recently moved back up to Strawweight, Miki credited training with the men there for helping her build up her muscle mass. Something she’s further augmented with physical training.
When talking about Ground Slam, Motono also has mentioned how beneficial it is to learn from Ito, who also comes from a Judo background. He is able to show her things in a way she can understand, while also giving her advice on how to fight in a way that best plays to her strengths.
Battling the Kamikaze Angel
When Motono steps into the cage on Sunday, it will be against a veteran’s veteran in Emi Fujino. Known for her raw power, Fujino is a 46 fight veteran, with a career stretching back to 2004. Tough as honey badger, in those 46 fights, she’s only been finished 3 times, twice by cuts and once because her eye swelled shut. If Motono can get a dominant win or finish the former champion, that would be a big statement in the division and would likely put her next in line to face the current champion, Salt.
When asked about Fujino, Motono told us that “she’s a strong and powerful fighter. She always comes forward, even when taking punches, it’s like she has the strong will of someone on a suicide squad. There aren’t many fighters in Japan that can beat her, I know she’s strong, but I want to beat her this time.” She also added that when it comes to Strawweights in Japan, Fujino was who she wanted to face, so she’s grateful this fight got put together.
Going into this fight, both Motono and Fujino are coming off losses, so both are highly motivated to get back in the win column. According to Motono, she’s learned from the loss, telling us she was too hesitant, which forced her into a passive position, where she spent most the fight reacting to her opponent. In response to that, she plans to take the initiative and go on the attack, adding that the most important thing to her is to finish Fujino and get the win.
With her motivated to make a big impression, there are several ways this fight could go. If Motono wants to keep the fight standing, she could use her speed to avoid getting trapped against the cage by the bull-like Fujino, avoiding her like matador. However, this seems unlikely. Motono’s most realistic route to victory is to use her Judo, take Fujino down, and finish her with strikes or a submission. Given Fujino’s proven toughness and proneness to cuts and swelling, ground and pound could be the answer.
How to Watch
Outside of Japan, Pancrase 352 is watchable via PPV on Tiget with English Commentary from Stewart Fulton and Guy DeLumeau.
- Tiget: https://tiget.net/events/382994
- Fee: 2,000 Yen / $13.50
- Start Time: 3/9 @ 13:00 JST (Japan), 3/8 @ 23:00 EST (U.S.)
Japanese 
English