On September 3rd, the Japanese veteran Mei Yamaguchi will return to action against Julie Mezabarba. This fight will serve as an alternate bout for the Atomweight tournament, with the winner in a position to replace another fighter should they not be able to continue in a later round. As the first Japanese woman to join ONE Championship, Mei has been a trailblazer throughout her career and has had a large impact on the sport in her native country. (Photo courtesy of LadyGo!)
Her Impact on Martial Arts in Japan
In August of 2018, ONE Championship held their first press conference in Japan. In attendance, dressed in a traditional Japanese yukata, was Mei Yamaguchi. As the only Japanese woman fighting for the promotion at the time, she used this opportunity to make the following appeal, “…there are a lot of good women fighters in Japan who are looking for an opportunity to compete in bigger promotions…I think when I competed for ONE Championship, it’s been inspiring for them, so yes, please give Japanese women the chance to compete in ONE Championship.” Less than a year later, she was joined by Ayaka Miura and Itsuki Hirata, both of whom have found success in the promotion.
Having made her pro-debut in 2007, Mei is no stranger to being a trailblazer. She fought on the first Valkyrie card, at Shoot Boxing’s first Girl’s S-Cup, and in the first women’s main event for Pancrase. Asides from being a trailblazer, she has also had some crazy moments in her fights, like when she submitted Yuka Tsuji and snapped her 15 fight win streak to win the Valkyrie’s 52kg/115lb championship, or when she threw suplex after suplex in the first Girl’s S-Cup. Perhaps most memorable are her fights with Angela Lee and Megumi Fujii, both of which received high-praise from fans and media alike.
Outside of her fights, Mei has played an active role in the martial community as a teacher, commentator, ring announcer, translator, and as an ambassador of the sport. She’s even appeared on NHK’s app, with a member of AKB 48 to teach self defense. By refusing to quit, even when there wasn’t money to be made and promotion after promotion folded, Mei has led by example. Over the course of over 30 fights, she has fought all around the world, for over 10 promotions, and shown fighters that they can make their own path.
Upcoming Fight
Having gone 6-4 since joining ONE, Mei is looking to rebound from a loss in early 2020. Her opponent is the Brazilian Julie Mazabarba, who will be making her promotional debut. Going in the fight, Mei clearly has more experience, having 3 times as many fights as Julie. While Mei will have the experience, Julie has the youth and the height, coming in 10 years younger and 3 inches taller. Given that Julie hasn’t fought outside of her native Brazil, it makes it difficult to asses how good she is, but this match against Mei will be a clear indicator.
Mei Yamaguchi will be fighting Julie Mezabarba on September 3rd at ONE Championship: Empower, in Singapore. The match is an alternate bout for the Atomweight tournament.
How to watch
- US: Bleacher Report, B/R App, or B/R’s YouTube channel
- China: Great Sports or iQiYi
- India: Disney + Hotstar or Star Sports Select 1
- Japan: Abema TV
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