Kyoko Takabayashi wins close decision to get VALKYRIE Featherweight Title shot

Kyoko Takabayashi vs Emi Fujino

VALKYRIE held their latest show this afternoon at Differ Ariake. The main event had Kyoko Takabayashi face Emi Fujino with the winner getting a shot at V1's Featherweight Championship. At yesterday's weigh-in, Fujino was flapping her gums about how she deserved the title shot because Fujino beat her in 2007. Close but no cigar. The southpaw Takabayashi started with punches and took Fujino down and tried to pass guard. They stood up when they wound up in the fence. Fujino knocks Takabayashi down but gets nowhere on the ground and they have to stand up. In round two, They trade strikes and Takabayashi gets a takedown and lands punches. They end up in the fence again and Fujino is able to stand and land strikes. So that was the pattern of the match. Takabayashi wants to keep it on the ground and Fujino wants to KO her. It doesn't happen for Fujino. She lands strikes but Takabayashi lands her own and then drives her into the fence and land more strikes. Then she takes Fujino down again and it's over. Takabayashi wins by majority decision. One judge scored it a draw and the other two gave it to Takabayashi. It was close but it appears that Takabayashi got enough takedowns and controlled Fujino on the ground just enough to get the win. Fujino thought she won but she may have tried too hard for the KO. A fighter can lose if it goes to the judges.

Megumi Yabushita controls Mutsumi Kasai

The semi-main hadwomen's MMA pioneer Megumi Yabushita replacing the injured Ayame against Matsumi Kasai. Yabushita wastes no time taking Kasai down with one of her patented neck throws. Then she takes her down again and pounds her She tries for an armbar but doesn't quite get it. This continues in round two as Yabushita controls Kasai until she taps her out with an armbar at 2:58 of round two. The main event for this show was supposed to be Yasuko Tamada vs Naoko Omuro for the VALKYRIE Flyweight Title. But Omuro is injured so Tamada faced Yukiko Seki. Tamada wins easily by unanimous decision. In other matches Akiko Naito won over VALKYRIE matchmaker Yasuko Mogi by unanimous decision. Kayo Nagayasu won by majority decision over Happy Fukuko. And HARUMI kept her winless record intact by losing to Naoko Torashima by unanimous decision. And I almost forgot. V1 entertained fans with a judo demonstration.