Match added to July 31 JEWELS show

Misaki Takimoto

JEWELS announced on their blog a match for their July 31 Shinjuku FACE show. But it's not for the tournament. And it's not an opponent for Shizuka Sugiyama. In a match contracted for 48kg, veteran Misaki Takimoto will face Lisa Newton. Takimoto trains at the Yokohama branch of Zendokai. Her record is 11-11-4 and her last match was a win over Yasuko Mogi at the Oct. 24 VALKYRIE show. She's been around since 2002. Lisa Newton trains at Team Akurei in Wales. Her record is 1-2 and her last fight was a loss to Simona Soukupova at the Mar. 6 Kayo MMA show in Watford, England. While it might seem that Takimoto has a substantial experience edge, Lisa has an extensive amateur grappling and jiu jitsu background and competes in grappling tournaments on a regular basis. On the other hand, Takimoto is a karate girl so she prefers the standup game. I'm not familiar with Lisa Newton but my guess is she'll want to take the fight to the mat. One fighter who is familiar with both girls is Lisa Ward. Lisa won over Takimoto in 2006 and has faced Newton at FILA grappling tournaments.