Ohara and Nakamura win big at Deep 108 -

This past Sunday, Deep 108 went down at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in front of a nearly sold-out crowd. The event was filled with Deep staples and included 8 Rizin veterans. In the main event, Juri Ohara made quick work of Ishizuka, dropping him with a punch and then finishing him with a soccer kick. Earlier, Daisuke Nakamura put on a catch-wrestling clinic against Yuta & Lock, Shooto Watanabe out-grappled Uchiyama, and Arami defeated the popular Kate Lotus. With Deep 108 in the books, the next numbered Deep show will be on August 21st.

Machi defeated Miyuu Tsunoda

In the event’s opening bout, both Machi and Miyuu Tsunoda looked like they may be ready to turn pro. Machi hails from Utsunomiya, the gyoza capital of Japan, where she trains at Sportsgym 67’s. She’s 3-2 as an amateur, which includes two fights with EX Fight, the new LHD promotion. On Sunday, she looked to get the fight to the mat and did this repeatedly by timing her takedown attempts with Miyuu’s kicks. Once she got the fight where she wanted, she went for submission attempts, but Miyuu did a good job defending until the 2nd round when she was caught in a RNC and forced to tap.

Arami stifles Kate Lotus

Since turning pro in 2017, Arami has consistently fought some of the toughest fighters in Japan across numerous divisions. This includes fighters like Seika Izawa, Yukari Nabe, and Shizuka Sugiyama. While the Kyoto-native doesn’t have a martial arts background dating back to her childhood, she is tough and relentless. These two characteristics helped carry her to victory over Kate Lotus. Early on, it looked like Lotus might be able to use her speed and footwork to keep distance and strike at range, but this changed when Arami started initiating clinches and going for takedowns. While she had a hard time getting and keeping Lotus down, Lotus didn’t have an answer for the clinching. Most of the fight was spent in the clinch, with Arami momentarily getting Lotus down. In the end, Arami earned a UD in what was her first fight this year.

Daisuke Nakamura thrills crowd with submission attempts

In one of the most exciting fights of the night, Daisuke Nakamura and Yuta & Lock engaged in what was mainly a grappling affair for three rounds. Throughout the fight, the then-undefeated Lock would shoot for takedowns, which would lead to armbar attempts from Nakamura or scrambles where the two would end up tangled like pretzels. Nakamura repeatedly rolled Lock with armbar and wristlock attempts in such a way as to force one to remember Sakuraba. All three judges ruled the fight in Nakamura’s favor who is now back in the win column after losing a split decision in Rizin earlier this year. Since returning to MMA in 2020 after a 4-year absence, Nakamura has gone 5-2, with 4 finishes, including a knockout win over the current Rizin champion Ushiku.