Shizuka Sugiyama added to July 20 DEEP show

Shizuka Sugiyama

DEEP matchmaker Shigeru Saeki announced today several matches for the July 20 show at Shinjuku FACE including the semi finals of the DEEP Lightweight GP2013. But he has also announced a women's match as the introduction to DEEP JEWELS. He didn't say anything about rule changes (probably none), the contracted weight (probably 62kg) or the match length (probably two five minute rounds). It will be Shizuka Sugiyama vs Chisa Yonezawa. Sugiyama trains at Zendokai in Yokohama. Her record is 9-3 but as a lot of fans know, she moved to Australia after losing two fights. She's a teacher so she went to Australia to improve her English. Sugiyama is pretty and she won her first five fights. So she looked like she had potential. But she lost her confidence when she started losing and her future was in question when she decided to leave Japan. Since returning last year, Sugiyama has won three straight fights against questionable opposition. Her last win was over Korean kickboxer Kim Sung Eun who is 0-2 in MMA. That was on the Mar. 30 JEWELS show. This match will not help Sugiyama. Yonezawa is one of the worst fighters in Japan and her last fight was two years ago. She trains at Cobra Kai in Osaka. Her record is 1-5 and her last fight was a loss to Mongolian former pro wrestler Esui on the May 14, 2001 JEWELS show. And I think Esui may have quit the fight business after SMASH closed. She worked in the SMASH office and trained at their dojo. Yonezawa's only win was over Hari, probably the only fighter in Japan worse than her. The problem is there are very few 135lb fighters in Japan and most of them aren't very good. It will be very difficult for Sugiyama to improve unless she moves to the US. And before you say anything, Rin Nakai is under exclusive contract to Pancrase and is not a potential opponent for any JEWELS fighter. That's why Pancrase is bringing in gaijin fighters. DEEP JEWELS may have to do the same for Sugiyama.