After over a year spent competing for other promotions Shizuka Sugiyama returned to Deep-Jewels on a triumphant note submitting up and coming prospect Asami Nakai in the second round of their flyweight clash.
The 32-year-old Kanagawa defeated her opponent by way of second-round submission in the headliner of Deep-Jewels 25, which took place at the Shinjuku Face event hall in Tokyo on Sunday.
Giving away size to Nakai, Sugiyama wasted no time in bringing the action to the ground. A high-level grappler in her own right, she swiftly secured a dominant top position and denied every attempt of her foe to have on-feet exchanges at the center of the ring.
Sugiyama seemed to be looking for the finish in the dying moments of the first round as she locked in a painful heel hook, but she did not have enough time on the clock to complete the sequence.
Decisive finish
Fortunately, the opportunity to finally end the match in decisive fashion came in the second round, where Sugiyama immediately shot for a takedown that marked the beginning of the end for Nakai.
With Nakai lying flat on her back, Sugiyama swarmed on her, raining down a torrent of hard punches. Having Nakai in a vulnerable state, she initially latched on a deep rear-naked choke.
As Nakai managed to shrug Sugiyama off her back and return to her feet, the latter immediately took her down and quickly fastened a wrenching armbar.
Nakai tried to defend and remove the dangerous submission hold, but Sugiyama applied more pressure to force the tap at the 4:04 mark of the second frame.
Future plans
With the victory over Nakai, Sugiyama improved her professional record to 18-6-1. She also claimed her first win via submission since August 2017.
In her post-fight interview, Sugiyama expressed her availability to compete later this year, mentioning the names of Kanako Murata and Kana Watanabe as her targeted opponents.
On the other hand, the loss snapped Nakai’s three-fight winning streak. It likewise downgraded her win-loss standing in the sport to 3-2.
In other bouts, Hikaru Aono submitted Miyuki Furusawa with an arm-triangle in the second round. Meanwhile, Mizuki Oshiro emerged victorious against Momoko Yamazaki via technical submission in the second round.
Deep-Jewels 25, Tokyo, September 1st
Shizuka Sugiyama def. Asami Nakai via Submission (Rear-Naekd Choke) at 4:04 of Round 2
Hikaru Aono def. Miyuki Furusawa via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 3:53 of Round 2
Mizuki Oshiro def. Momoko Yamazaki via Technical Submission (Armbar) at 1:58 of Round 2
Mao Ueda def. Mayumi Aoki via TKO (Punches) at 3:43 of Round 1
Kickboxing: Pan Hui def. Izumi Jet via Decision (Unanimous)
Tomoko Inoue def. Shoko Fujita via Decision (Unanimous)
Rion Noda def. Otoha Nagao via Decision (Split)
