2/2/21 CORRECTION: A previous version of the article inaccurately said that DEEP Jewels 32 is on February 7th. The event is actually scheduled for March 7th. This inaccuracy has been changed.
DEEP Jewels determined the matchups for the first round of their eight-woman atomweight tournament on Sunday. The pairings for the opening round of the bracket will take place at DEEP Jewels 32, which is set to happen on March 7th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
The matchups were determined by the participants in the bracket. Done partly in person but also through Zoom for two participants who could not be present, the drawing process was randomized through games of rock, paper, scissors and envelopes that determined the order of picks.
The process was viewable live on Youtube.
Park Si Woo vs. Nisse
After Park Si Woo chose to compete in the third bout in the bracket, second pick Nisse decided to be her opponent.
Park enters the fight with the momentum of four consecutive wins from 2018 to 2020.
The fight will be Nisse’s fifth as a pro. Having competed for two years now, Nisse has an even record of two wins and two losses.
Aya Murakami vs. Sakura
The second matchup was put together after Sakura decided to face Aya Murakami.
Sakura has been one of the rising stars in the promotion’s recent years. She currently has a pro record of three wins and one loss since making her pro debut in December of 2019.
Her last fight was in December, where she stopped Eru Takebayashi in the first round with an armbar at RIZIN 26. Due to Sakura missing weight for the fight, her win was overturned to a no contest.
Murakami is competing while still under her rookie year as a pro. Murakami won her pro debut in October, defeating Moeri Suda via decision.
Saori Oshima vs. Emi Tomimatsu
After Saori Oshima decided to fight in the co-main event of the March 7th show, Emi Tomimatsu opted into that fight as well.
Oshima will be returning after a hectic rookie year as a pro. Competing both under the Shooto and DEEP Jewels banner, Oshima put together a record of three wins and two losses in 2020.
Tomimatsu enters the tournament as easily the most experienced fighter. With over 30 fights as a pro, Tomimatsu has competed frequently in the promotion and challenged for belts in the past.
Tomimatsu’s last fight in DEEP Jewels was a championship loss to Tomo Maesawa in 2019.
Hikaru Aono vs. Emi Sato
The final two spots in the tournament went to Hikaru Aono and Emi Sato.
Aono is coming off of a title shot in October. Aono lost to Tomo Maesawa in her last fight, getting finished in the third round with a front choke. The championship fight came after earning a stoppage win against Rion Noda in July.
Sato will attempt to snap a three-fight losing streak in the bracket. Her last fight was in February of 2020, where AMP The Rocket stopped her within a minute with an armbar.
News broke earlier in the week that Sato would replace Otoha Nagao, who withdrew from the tournament due to injury.
DEEP Jewels 32 Full Lineup
The goal of the recently formed bracket is to crown the promotion’s new atomweight champ by the end. The tournament’s formation comes after the retirement of previous atomweight champ Tomo Maesawa.
DEEP Jewels 32 is currently set to be headlined by a title fight in a different weight class. DEEP Jewels Strawweight Champion Miki Motono will face Seika Izawa in a rematch to headline the card.
Here is the updated lineup.
Bout 8: Miki Motono (5-2) vs. Seika Izawa (2-0) (DEEP Jewels Strawweight Championship)
Bout 7: Emi Tomimatsu (15-17) vs. Saori Oshima (3-2) (DEEP Jewels Atomweight Tournament Quarter-Finals)
Bout 6: Park Si Woo (4-2) vs. Nisse (2-2) (DEEP Jewels Atomweight Tournament Quarter-Finals)
Bout 5: Sakura (3-1) vs. Aya Murakami (1-0) (DEEP Jewels Atomweight Tournament Quarter-Finals)
Bout 4: Hikaru Aono (6-4) vs. Emi Sato (4-5) (DEEP Jewels Atomweight Tournament Quarter-Finals)
Bout 3: Yukari Nabe (8-3-1) vs. Micco Nirvana (2-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Amiba (9-8) vs. Shoko Fujita (0-0) (Strawweight)
Bout 1: Momoka Yoshikawa vs. Karin Horii (Catchweight 112 lbs) (Amateur Bout)
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