From drummer to muscle girl, Nirvana is an interesting prospect -

On September 4th, those at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, will witness what has become a common occurrence at Deep Jewels events. Just before her match, Micco Nirvana will enter the ring, lay down in in her corner, and do her best impression of a reclining Buddha. To those outside Japan, this pose may bring back memories of when Nick Diaz taunted Anderson Silva. Having made her pro-debut nearly a year ago, this will be Nirvana’s 4th professional fight. With a current record of 2-1, she will be looking to rebound from her first loss. (Photo is (c) of Marrion Apparel)

A unique and interesting prospect

A native of Ibaraki prefecture, the 27 year old with the Buddhism inspired ringname was born the same year the prefecture’s statue of Buddha was completed. (It is 120 meters tall / 390ft). Since moving to Tokyo and turning professional, she has quickly become one of the more interesting and unique prospects. In a culture, where the fighters tend to be more reserved and serious, Nirvana is refreshingly direct and playful. Perhaps it comes from her background as the drummer in a J-Pop cover band.

Those that follow Nirvana on social media will quickly realize that she works at an interesting bar. The bar is called Muscle Girls and all of the staff are “strong” women. They do things like crush fruit with their hands, dance, and workout in between serving drinks. The bar actually has Rin Nakai and Ayaka Hamasaki’s autographs on the wall. When asked about working there, she seems to like it, saying that she can train and get tipped in healthy drinks while on the clock.

One may wonder how a girl from Ibaraki wound up in Tokyo. Well, having gotten her start under the tutelage of fellow Ibaraki native, Tatsuya Kawajiri, a veteran of Pride, the UFC, Dream, Strikeforce, and Rizin, Nirvana went undefeated as an amateur, winning 4 fights under both the Pancrase and Deep Jewels’ banners. Not wanting to be a parasite and keep living at her parents, her own words, she then moved to Tokyo and now trains at AACC and Imanari Jiu-Jitsu. AACC is home to numerous champions, like RIzin’s Ayaka Hamasaki, and has been producing top female talent for over a decade. Imanari Jiu-Jitsu, run by its namesake, the eccentric Masakazu Imanari, is newer but provides an opportunity to learn from one of the more unique grapplers in Japanese martial arts history. In fact, in her recent bout against Yukari Nabe, Nirvana went for several rolling kneebars.

Facing Kate Lotus on Saturday

On September 4th, Micco Nirvana will be facing the popular prospect Kate Lotus at Deep jewels 34. When asked about her opponent, she told Gongkaku, “She is physically strong. When I saw her get a takedown, I felt like she has a lot of potential…as for her technical skills, I saw her get an armbar in her previous match and felt that she wouldn’t have been able to get that on me. I think this will be a match were I will be chasing her around. I think it is going to be a one-sided fight where I’m going to hit her and take her down. She will be on the defensive.”

Deep Jewels 34 takes place on September 4th at Shinjuku Face.