This Monday, a holiday in Japan, Pancrase will return to action at the Belle Salle Takadanobaba in Tokyo, Japan. As is the norm now, the event is divided into three parts, Part I, Part II, and the Post-Lims. Part I and II each have a title fight, with Daichi Kitakata defending his Strawweght title against the undefeated Keito Yamakita and Tokitaka Nakanishi and Shinsuke Kamei fighting for the interim Featherweight title. Elsewhere on the card, Nøri returns to action for the first time since she fought Takayo Hashi for the Flyweight Title. Across the cage from her will be Deep Jewels’ Aoi Kuriyama, a tall brawler from Smoker’s Gym in Osaka.
Now with Team Pravajra, Nøri wants to defeat Kuriyama completely
So far this year, Team Pravajra has been perfect. In March, Karen TKO’d Emi Fujino to become the Strawweight Champion and Darani made quick work of his opponent, breaking his jaw and finishing him in under a minute. Nøri looks to keep this streak going on Monday, telling us that she is aiming to “defeat Kuriyama completely.” Speaking of Kuriyama, it is worth noting that at 167.64cm (5’6), she will be Nøri’s tallest MMA opponent to date. When asked about the height and reach difference, Nøri replied, “She’s certainly taller than most of the opponents I’ve faced in MMA, but I’ve faced taller opponents in my striking career. I’ve even fought a taller fighter, who was 178 cm (5’10), so the height difference isn’t a problem.”
For those that are unfamiliar, Nøri, like the other members of Team Pravajra, is predominantly a striker, armed with a variety of kicking techniques. This includes using side and hook kicks to keep the fight outside of boxing range. Last year, this style was on full display when she defeated the former boxing champion Emiko Raika. Like Raika, Kuriyama likes to throw punches. The similarities do end there though as she is significantly younger, taller, and more aggressive. When asked about the fight, Nøri told us that she thinks distance will be the deciding factor in who wins. In other words, will Nøri be able to keep Kuriyama out of punching range or will Kuriyama be able to come forward and land. Historically, neither fighter has shown a preference for grappling, so it is likely that this fight will be contested on the feet and in the clinch.
“I want to fight in a bunch of places, countries, and regions”
Since leaving Team Date, which was based in Sendai, Nøri, Karen, and Darani have established Team Pravajra in Tokyo. Now that its just the three of them, Nøri told us that her training has improved. This is because she can now train longer hours and no longer feels like she has to hold anything back. As a result, she would now like to fight 2-3 times a year. It is also worth noting that the members of Team Pravajra have been outspoken about their desire to compete on the global stage. Nøri reiterated this when speaking to us, telling us that she would like to fight in a variety places, countries, and regions. Pancrase has a talent-sharing partnership with Invicta FC and Pancrase champions have a strong track record of getting into the UFC, meaning that if Nøri continues to perform well in the promotion, her goal of fighting around the world could be realized.
Message to the fans
Thanks again for your support. I don’t plan on going to a decision, so stay tuned! Thank you for your support!
How to watch
- When: July 18, 14:30 JST
- How much: 1,500 Yen, roughly 11 dollars
- Link: https://tiget.net/events/189987 (English Commentary)
Fight card
Part II
- Tokitaka Nakanishi vs Shinsuke Kamei (Interim-Featherweight Title Match)
- Kiyotaka Shimizu vs Ryota Sasaki
- Ryo Asamii vs Kisugi Endo
- Suguru Nii vs Reo Hansen
- Ryo Takagi vs Yusaku Hayashi
- Nøri vs Aoi Kuriyama
Part I
- Daichi Kitakata vs Keito Yamakita (Strawweight Title Match)
- Ryo Hatta vs Ryosuke Noda
- Hirotaka Nakata vs Yojiro Uchimura
- Kazuki Kasai vs Darani
- Kohei Maeda vs Tomoki Otsuka
- Yuhi Fujinami vs Yoshito Itokawa
Post-Lims
- Yuri Amari vs Takashi Mochizuki
- Mito Kasoudai vs Seiya Yamazaki
- Ryo Tajima vs Koji Kanda
- Teppei Mochida vs Yuki Ueda
- Tomoya Ohno vs Makoto Ito
English 
Japanese