Korean Kim Ji Yeon wins DEEP JEWELS Bantamweight Championship

Kim Ji Yeon, Takayo Hashi

In case you didn't know, DEEP JEWELS ran a very brief show at Differ Ariake yesterday. They sandwiched it between two DEEP shows so it didn't have to draw on its own merits. If they're going to do that, I don't know why they don't just fold DEEP JEWELS into DEEP. Matchmaker Shigeru Saeki thinks that there needs to be a separate brand for women's MMA. And he acknowledges that DEEP JEWELS is losing money. He's wrong but Japanese promoters are notoriously stubborn even in the face of bankruptcy. This show had two title matches, a retirement ceremony, a third MMA match and a grappling match. That's it folks. The main event had MIZUKI defending her DEEP JEWELS Strawweight Championship against Emi Fujino. DEEP JEWELS title matches are three five minute rounds, not five. The match went as one would expect as MIZUKI has beaten Emi before. MIZUKI won easily but I don't think she was as dominant as she wanted to be as she expressed disappointment in her performance. She still has potential but something is missing and she doesn't know what the problem is. If she can figure that out, MIZUKI can be an elite fighter again. She isn't one right now. The other title match had veteran Takayo Hashi defending her DEEP JEWELS Bantamweight Championship against Korean Kim Ji Yeon. These two fought to a draw in Korea. Because she is mainly a kickboxer, Kim is a very good striker. And she used her quickness to win a unanimous decision to win the title. There has been talk that the UFC wants Kim on the upcoming Korea show. I hope she is on that show because then we can see if she's any good. It's hard to tell against someone like Hashi who is 37 years old and has been slowed down by knee surgery. And the only other Bantamweight in Japan is Shizuka Sugiyama and she's really terrible. So it's perceived as a big win for Kim but the weight class is very shallow so it probably means nothing in the bigger picture. Kim is also champ of Gladiator, the promotion owned by her management CMA Korea. She might as well have got that out of a box of Cracker Jack. There was a retirement ceremony for MIYOKO who retires with a record of 5-9. Though not much of a fighter, I understand she is very well liked by the other girls. Emi Tomimatsu was supposed to fight Tomo Maesawa. But when Maesawa pulled out due to injury, she was replaced by newcomer Natsuki Shimomakise. Tomimatsu won with a first round armbar. The grappling match was notable because the winner, Natsumi Makai, could make her MMA debut on the next DEEP JEWELS show. After competing as an amateur wrestler in high school, Makai planned to compete in MMA. But marriage and a baby derailed that and now she plans to resume her MMA career. She won her grappling match over Megumi Sugimoto with an armbar. That's it. They charged money for that.