On Wednesday, it was announced that “Panchan” Rina will be making her long-awaited Rizin debut against Momoka. The match will be at 46.5kg (102.5lbs) and will be contested under kickboxing rules. This booking is notable because this will be the first women’s kickboxing match in Rizin history. It also worth noting that after the press-conference, when asked if Rizin was planning to add a women’s kickboxing division, Sakakibara was hesitant to commit. Sakakibara commented that, “It’s up to the fans to decide whether there is a demand or not for women’s kicboxing…In any case, I’d like to try it as a new challenge, see what the response is, and then think about it again in the future.” Based off of these comments, this match appears to be a market-test or a probe in order to determine if women’s kickboxing can be a money maker for Rizin. This then leads to the question, can “Panchan” Rina make women’s kickboxing attractive to Sakakibara?
When asked by the media if she was confident that she could elevate women’s kickboxing in Rizin, like Rena initially did with women in Rizin, “Panchan” gave a simple and direct answer, “Yes, I am.”
According to our estimations, with 58,000 followers on Instagram, 36,000 on Twitter, and 95,000 Youtube subscribers, “Panchan” has the 3rd largest social media presence amongst professional female fighters in Japan. She is directly behind Kanna Asakura and Rena, who both are already established stars in Rizin. This also means that “Panchan” has the biggest social media presence for a female kickboxer in Japan. In addition to her own social media presence, other videos including her have amassed millions of views on Youtube.
“Panchan” is not only successful on social media, she has also been successful in the ring. Having turned pro in 2019, one month before turning 25, she has put together an undefeated record of 11-0, including 2 knockouts. This includes wins over Deep Jewels’ Si Woo Park, Shoot Boxing’s Misaki, and the aggressive brawler Sasori.
This is all to point out that in signing “Panchan”, Sakakibara has selected not only a fighter known for her good looks, he has also selected one of the most popular fighters in Japan on social media, who is an undefeated rising star, and is only 2 years into her professional career. In other words, she is a potential marketing dream.
Not only does “Panchan” have marketing potential, the timing of this signing is also important. Rizin needs a woman to step up and be the next face of their women’s divisions. Ayaka Hamasaki is 39 years old and has hinted that her career is nearing its end. Rena has already announced that she is close to retiring. Rena, especially, played a large role in getting women into Rizin, so Rizin is likely looking for someone to fill a similar role. It looks like Sakakibara thinks that “Panchan” may be able to fill that role.
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