Rocky Kawamura will get the chance to become a three-time Middleweight King of Pancrase Champion on March 21st, facing undefeated prospect Yura Naito for the promotion’s vacant belt.
The title fight was recently announced for Pancrase 326, which will take place Belle Salle Takadanobaba in Tokyo, Japan.
Kawamura, an MMA veteran of over a decade, has celebrated two title reigns earlier in his career. He first earned the promotion’s middleweight belt in 2012 by defeating Shungo Oyama.
His second run as a champion came in 2016 when he finished Yuki Niimura in the second round of a fight. Niimura would later avenge that loss in 2017 and regain the belt.
Kawamura is now back in the title picture after scoring a finish victory over Yuji Arai in September. That fight was his return to MMA, as he had been previously absent from competing in the sport for nearly four years.
The upcoming title fight is set to be the biggest of Naito’s short career thus far. He has earned four wins since turning pro in 2020, with three of the victories coming within a round.
Naito went the distance for the first time in his career last month, defeating Fernando Matsuki via unanimous decision.
It was reported Tuesday that Strawweight Queen of Pancrase Emi Fujino will make her return to the promotion at Pancrase 326, meeting KAREN in a title fight.
Here is the updated card for Pancrase 326:
Bout 3: Emi Fujino (25-12) vs. KAREN (4-0) (Strawweight Queen of Pancrase Championship)
Bout 2: Rocky Kawamura (19-10-4) vs. Yura Naito (4-0) (Vacant Middleweight King of Pancrase Championship)
Bout 1: Yojiro Uchimura (17-15-3) vs. Tokitaka Nakanishi (6-3) (Featherweight)
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