Founded the same year as the UFC, Pancrase has a long history of developing strong female fighters. While Ronda Rousey brought women into the UFC in 2013, Hisae Watanabe brought women into Pancrase in 2004. Since then, Pancrase has seen the likes of Rin Nakai, Syuri Kondo, V.V. Mei, and Kanna Asakura. However, as a result of the pandemic, their women’s divisions are in an interesting state of affairs. Like Rizin, Pancrase depends on foreign talent and the inability to bring them in, has slowed things down. The straweight champion, Emi Fujino, was unable to fight in 2020 due to a knee injury and recently debuted with Rizin. Their flyweight champion, Sidy Rocha, hasn’t fought for the promotion since winning the title in 2019 and has gone 1-3 since then in other promotions. Despite these setbacks, Pancrase has found some interesting local talent in Team Pravajra, two of whom are Nøri and Karen. Both are scheduled to fight this Sunday for the promotion, with Nøri facing the veteran Takayo Hashi for the interim flyweight championship.
At just 23 years of age, Nøri is an interesting fighter. As a member of a talent group, she is by all accounts charismatic and has star potential, if she can continue to put wins together. So far, she has put together a record of 4-4, but this is somewhat deceptive, as she has consistently faced top talent, including Emi Fujino and Mizuki Inoue in her 2nd and 3rd fight. This Sunday, when she faces Takayo Hashi, she will have the chance to get the biggest win of her career, including a championship belt. When asked about her veteran opponent, she had the following to say:
"I've seen her on the women's MMA scene, and she's won some titles. She's a good all-rounder. Her timing is good and when she goes in for the kill she goes all in...For me it seems she doesn't get knocked out our submitted, she's very patient, so I have to turn the tables and finish her and bring in the new generation."
When asked about how she thinks the fight will play out, she added:
"I don't think she's faced someone with the standup game, movement and plenty of kicks like mine, but she'll be sharp. As long as I stick to my style and plan, I'll get the win."
Her opponent will be the one-time Invicta FC title challenger and crafty veteran, Takayo Hashi. At 44 years old, she made her Pancrase debut in 2018 after nearly 3 years away from the sport. Since then, she has gone 2-2 in the promotion, including a win over Raika Emiko in her most recent bout, who also happens to be Nøri’s last opponent, who she also defeated. Interestingly, this is their only common opponent.
When asked about her younger opponent’s weaknesses, Takayo had the following to say:
"Looking at her lat title match, I think maybe she's not good with long-reach opponents that strike from the outside. Although she's good all round, I get the strong impression that she wants to grapple and go to the ground...If I land some solid strikes from the outside, take my time to find the spots, I think it'll go well for me...I don't think she can grapple. I get the feeling that she can't handle wrestling attacks and defense, you know, the different kinds of situations. I think I have more experience in that...If it goes my way, I'll submit her within the first two rounds, and it'll be done. But, she's got a big heart, so it's possible it'll take the full five rounds."
Also on the card will be Nøri’s 18 year old teammate, Karen. With a record of 3-0, Karen will not only be looking to keep her undefeated record intact, she will also be looking to continue her streak of finishes, one by submission and one by TKO.It will be interesting to see if a win here will earn her a title shot against the veteran Emi Fujino, or if Fujino will remain in Rizin.
You can watch Pancrase 324 will be available on PPV.
- 1,500 yen at Tiget.net
- It will also be available via Abema Premium
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