{"id":4963,"date":"2025-09-19T03:49:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T03:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sogo-kaku.com\/?p=4963"},"modified":"2025-09-20T20:51:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T20:51:28","slug":"third-times-the-charm-karen-looks-to-reclaim-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sogo-kaku.com\/ja\/third-times-the-charm-karen-looks-to-reclaim-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Third Times the Charm, Karen Looks to Reclaim Title"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few months ago, I made my way through the rainy morning streets of Tokyo, umbrella in hand, camera around my neck. As I passed a park where the last cherry blossoms clung to the trees, I reached a quiet caf\u00e9 known for its chocolates \u2014 though I wasn\u2019t there for sweets. I was there to meet Karen, one of Japan\u2019s top Strawweights, to talk about her training, the state of women\u2019s MMA, and her upcoming title fight. Arriving early, I waited outside until two familiar figures approached: Karen, with bleached blonde hair, and her sister N\u00f8ri, a rising pro-wrestler and former MMA fighter. Once inside, over drinks and light snacks, we sat down and conducted the interview below.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Training at Black Belt Japan<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

CJ: <\/strong>Last time we spoke, you had just started training at Black Belt Japan. Now it\u2019s been awhile, can you talk about there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s right. I\u2019ve been at Black Belt Japan in Kashiwa for about 2 \u00bd years now. Since joining, I\u2019ve learned a lot more about ground fighting. Recently I also started going to BJJ classes. Even though it’s in a gi, I\u2019m able to learn a lot from my teammates, so I try to soak up as much as I can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Belt Japan has a big team and it keeps growing. This allows me to spar with a lot of different people, which is great, and it allows me to practice techniques against a variety of people with different skill sets, who utilize different patterns. which helps me learn to adapt and refine techniques. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a number of teammates with different skills also helps expose me to new techniques and absorb what I learn from them into my own skillset, which I can then practice. Doing this has actually led me to using those new techniques in fights, which is huge.<\/p>\n\n\n

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CJ:<\/strong> It is well known that Kanna Asakura was a key member of the women\u2019s team at Black Belt Japan, how has her retirement impacted the team?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> Yes, she was the most senior girl on our team, so with her retiring, I feel like Honoka and I really had to step up and keep the momentum going for the women\u2019s team. Also, even though she\u2019s retired, we still practice the techniques she taught us and her presence still feels very real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CJ:<\/strong>Speaking of your training, I was curious if you are able to focus on training full-time or if you have to work? I know a lot of young fighters have side-jobs to help pay the bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> Kind of. For a fighter to focus on training full-time, without working, is really difficult. I\u2019m in a position where my family is able to help support me, so I am able to dedicate a lot of time to training, which is my top priority. However, I do occasionally do some part-time work when I have time.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The State of Women\u2019s MMA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

CJ: <\/strong>What do you think about the current state of women\u2019s MMA in Japan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> When I first got started in martial arts, I saw veterans like Emi Fujino competing a lot, but more and more recently, I\u2019m seeing people from my generation joining and taking over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like the younger generation is rising up and as a result, women\u2019s MMA is becoming re-vitalized. There used to be this image that the younger fighters couldn\u2019t beat the older veterans, but that\u2019s been changing. I mean age is a factor, but I alsoI see it at the gym. Younger fighters are learning new techniques, adapting what was stereotypical Japanese MMA and adopting new techniques from abroad, so maybe that\u2019s why the younger fighters are getting better<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I do feel like before, more people wanted to see women\u2019s matches and it does seem like the number of women\u2019s matches has decreased. Almost like interest in women\u2019s MMA is waning. Previously, the fighters were glamorous, they were fighters that people wanted to cheer for. I want to become a fighter like that, a fighter who brings excitement to my fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CJ: <\/strong>How would you go about re-invigorating it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> I want my fights to entertain the fans. I don\u2019t want to just hold people down and stall, I want to fight in such a way that people watching can\u2019t think it’s boring.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Thoughts on One Championship<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

CJ: <\/strong>In the past when we\u2019ve spoken, you\u2019ve mentioned that you would like to fight for the UFC one day, is that still a goal of yours?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> Yeah, that was my goal, but now I\u2019m also considering One Championship. First, I want to reclaim the Pancrase belt, then I want to conquer Asia. One is primarily in Asia, so I could do that by becoming a top fighter there. If I fought for One, I\u2019d like to reach a level where fighters from the UFC want to come to Asia to fight me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CJ: <\/strong>As many are aware, One Championship has unique weight divisions, what are your thoughts on that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> If I were to join One, I\u2019d compete in their Atomweight division. There are a couple Japanese fighters in that division already. Right now, I\u2019m focused entirely on One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CJ:<\/strong> What about the Road to UFC?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> I was considering entering this year’s Road to UFC, but I wanted the Pancrase belt first. It’s a place where a lot of different fighters compete, so I’m not uninterested in it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Fighting Salt again, for the Pancrase Belt<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

CJ:<\/strong> Can you tell us about how this title shot came together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> From the start, I was the one asking for a title match, but it was difficult to arrange. Salt hadn\u2019t defended her title in over a year and I had maintained my spot as the number 1 contender, so it was put together and my chance has finally come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CJ:<\/strong> What does this title match mean to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen:<\/strong> Till now, I\u2019ve fought her twice and lost twice. Well, the third time\u2019s the charm and in this upcoming fight, I will absolutely reclaim my belt and become the champion again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we fought the second time, I had only been at Black Belt Japan for a few months. In that fight, I wasn\u2019t able to show anything that I learned there. Now, time has passed, and I\u2019ve absorbed a lot more technique and knowledge, which is now ingrained into me. I\u2019ve trained relentlessly to defeat her and I want all who watch to see how much I\u2019ve grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fight could be a bloodbath, but whether it’s striking or grappling, I\u2019m going to be the one overwhelmingly in control and I\u2019m going to win by knockout or submission. I will become the champion.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Karen is set to face Salt for the Pancrase Strawweight title on September 23rd at Pancrase 356. Those in Japan can watch the event on U-Next, while those outside of Japan can watch the event with English commentary via the link below for 2,000 Yen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n