Sogo-Kaku - Japanese MMA and Kickboxing

A couple months ago, I sat down and talked with Saori Oshima. This Monday, she's set to take on Moeri Suda in a fight with big consequences.

Japan’s Little Giant: A Conversation with Saori Oshima - A couple of months ago, I took a train to Tokyo, made my way to Shibuya, and after a short walk, came across some unassuming stairs that led down to a basement. From the street, the only things that gave away where they led were some flyers for MMA lessons, Reversal Gym, and Me, We. However, once I....

Pancrase 341 went down this weekend and we have two new champions in Honoka Shigeta and Satomi Takano. Elsewhere on the card, Shizuka Sugiyama won her promotional debut and Fumika Watanabe picked up her first win.

Pancrase 341 Results, Honoka and Satomi both win titles - This Sunday, in front of a packed house at the Tachikawa Stage Garden in Tokyo, Japan, three new champions were crowned. While both Saika and Takano made quick work of their opponents, Shigeta had to grind out the champion Hashi over five rounds. Elsewhere on the card, Shizuka Sugiyama won her Pancr...

Tomorrow at Pancrase 341, the women take center stage with Shizuka Sugiyama making her return to the cage after 2 years. In other matches, up-and-comer Honoka Shigeta faces Hashi for the title, Satomi Takano and Sayako fight for the inaugural Atomweight title, and Nøri takes on Watanabe.

Women take center stage at Pancrase 341 - This Sunday, Pancrase will hold their first numbered event of the year at Tachikawa Stage Garden in Tokyo, Japan. On the card are three title fights, as well as a plethora of women’s matches, showcasing the growth their divisions have undergone. Fighters set to participate include the champion Tak...

This Saturday, Korean Striker Yuri Shim returns to action to face Japanese star Rena and Rizin Landmark 9 in Kobe, Japan. We had a chance to catch up with her ahead of the fight.

Yuri Shim returns to competition, takes on Rena - This Saturday, Rizin returns to Kobe with Landmark 9 where one of their stars, Rena, is set to return after suffering a knee injury in her loss to Claire Lopez last April. To date, Rena has yet to lose two in a row, and having gone to Thailand to train for this fight with Miki Motono, she looks to b...

Chihiro Sawada, like her brother before her, has joined One Championship on a multi-fight contract and is set to face Jihin Radzuan this weekend. For those that are unfamiliar, Chihiro is a highly decorated amateur wrestler who has gone undefeated in MMA, winning Shooto's Atomweight title in the process.

Chihiro Sawada returns to ONE this weekend - Throughout its history, One Championship has done a lot to promote women in combat sports, and this weekend will be no different when they celebrate International Women’s Day with an all-women’s event at the famed Lumpinee Stadium. One of those set to participate is Chihiro Sawada, the current S...

This Saturday, the former two-division champion Saori Oshima will step up with 10 days of preparation to face Claire Lopez at Rizin Landmark 8. We had a chance to speak to her before the fight and get some of the details on how the fight came together.

Saori Oshima steps up to face Lopez at Landmark 8 - This Saturday, Rizin will go to Kyushu for the first time with Landmark 8 at the Saga Arena. Originally, the former champion Ayaka Hamasaki was scheduled to face Claire Lopez, who challenged Izawa for the title last July, but Ayaka re-injured her arm and was forced to withdraw. With just 10 days to....

Don't forget that former Shooto champion and 31 fight veteran Satomi Takano will be making her Pancrase debut tomorrow. She will face AACC's Zenny Huang in the opening round of an Atomweight Tournament, where the winner will be crowned the inaugural champion.

Satomi Takano to face Zenny in Pancrase debut - This Sunday, on Christmas Eve, Pancrase will return to the Yokohama Budokan for their final event of the year. Included on the card is the opening round of their Atomweight tournament, where the ultimate winner will be crowned the inaugural Atomweight Queen of Pancrase. In the opening round, Satomi....

Taiwan's first female mixed martial artist, Zenny Huang, moved to Japan a little more than a year ago after several years away from the sport. Since then, she's picked up two submissions and is now set to fight at Pancrase 340 this weekend, where if she wins, she'll fight for their inaugural Atomweight title next year.

Zenny Huang returns this Sunday - This Sunday, on Christmas Eve, Pancrase will return to the Yokohama Budokan for their final event of the year. Included on the card is the opening round of their Atomweight tournament, where the ultimate winner will be crowned the inaugural Atomweight Queen of Pancrase. In the opening round, Zenny H...

One of Japan's top prospects, Chihiro Sawda is set to defend her title for the first time tomorrow against Miku Nakamura at Colors 2nd show, the WMMA series under Shooto managed by Megumi Fujii. Sawada is a highly decorated wrestler who hopes to follow in her brother's footsteps and compete for One Championship

Sawada to defend title, looks to show improvements - This Saturday at the Toyosu Pit in Tokyo, Japan, Shooto’s Atomweight Champion Chihiro Sawada will defend her title for the first time against Miku Nakamura. Going into this bout, Sawada has emerged as one of Japan’s top prospects. A decorated amateur wrestler armed with a karate background, Sawa...

This Sunday, Ayaka Watanabe, one of the top prospects in Japan, will step into the Rizin cage and face off against fellow prospect Machi. With 3 wins under her belt, Ayaka finished Mina Kurobe with an uppercut and Satomi Takano with a high kick. Learn more about her here

Meet Ayaka Watanabe, Shooto's hard hitting champion - This Sunday, AACC's Ayaka Watanabe looks to win her Rizin debut against fellow up-and-comer Machi.

Tomorrow, former Pancrase Strawweight Champion Karen is set to return to action against Chiyo Takamoto. Ahead of the fight we spoke to her about her move to Paraestra, where she trains with Kanna Asakura among others, the fight itself, and her goal of getting to the UFC.

Karen looks to rebound at Pancrase 337 - In September of 1993, some 50 days ahead of UFC 1, now-legendary fighters like Ken Shamrock, Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, and Bas Rutten were all part of history when they fought on Pancrase’s first show. This Sunday, 30 years later, Pancrase will celebrate their anniversary at the Tachikawa Stage Garde...

Deep Jewels celebrated their 10th anniversary on Sunday, with DJ 42, where Aya Murakami won the Atomweight Championship in the main event.

Murakami wins belt, Deep Jewels 42 Results - Deep Jewels celebrated their 10th anniversary on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. In the main event, the popular cosplayer/BJJ black belt Aya Murakami out-grappled Amp the Rocket en route to a unanimous decision victory. In doing so, she became the new Deep Jewels Microweight Champion, not to be confused wit...