Notable Wins: Naho Sugiyama, Emi Fujino, Mizuki Inoue, Ham Seo Hee, and Yuka Tsuji
CJ: You returned to action in August (after a year layoff to recover), and defeated Sugiyama by TKO. That's your first non-injury TKO. You also dropped her with your punches. Can you talk about the fight? Did you think you would win by TKO?
AH: It was my first fight in over a year because of my knee surgery, it was also my first fight at 105, so I was a little nervous. From the beginning of the fight I was looking for either the TKO or the Sub, so its great that I got one.
Courtesy of Lady Go!
Hamasaki Drops Sugiyama
CJ: You were supposed to fight for Invicta FC in November, but the fight fell through because of your opponent's visa problems. Your opponent who you were supposed to fight is now the champion. Did you see her fight with Michelle?
AH: I haven't seen it, but I think that both Herica and Michelle are also very strong.
CJ: Would you like to fight for the Invicta FC title? If so, when?
AH: I want the title! Whenever is ok!
Courtesy of Lady Go!
Two of DJ's Successful Invicta Fighters
CJ: Now there isn't a Deep Jewels 105 champion. Yet, there are a lot of 105 fighters in Japan right now. Are you aiming at the Deep Jewels championship as well?
AH: I'd also like to fight in Japan. However, when it comes to the title, I want the Invicta title more than I want the Deep Jewels title.
CJ: How's your knee? Is it back to 100%?
AH: Yes, I can train and practice without taping without being nervous about it.
Hamasaki before the surgery, where she had to tape her knees.
CJ: You're fighting on a NYE card. Can you talk about what that means to you?
AH: This is my first time at such a big event as a NYE event, so I think I will have a chance to show all the people who come my fight.
So I will do my best with all of my might!
CJ: Is there anything you would like to say? Anyone you would like to thank?
AH: I'd really like to thank those who have helped me and supported me. I will repay your support by going for the win.
CJ: You’ve had a busy 2014. You fought Gina Iniong, fought in the Girl’s S-Cup, fought Yukiko Seki, and you started a new gym (I think). Can you talk about your year, the fights you’ve had, and about the new gym?
Mei: I fought in Philippine in March, PXC, which made me realize that I need more skill and physical in order to win against foreign fighter, I only need submission or KO.
I've started a new gym,only kids karate class dojo, but my life haven't change at all.
I'm training as hard as I can for each fight, always looking for progress with my great teammates.
CJ: Your fight with Ayaka will be one of the biggest fights of your career. Can you talk about what the fight means to you? How do you think the fight will go? How are you preparing?
Mei: Many people says it's the biggest fight in my career so far. I think it's an important match but I always consider all of my fight is important in my life so I prepared as same as other fights. Both of us think it'll end in either submission or KO so it's gonna be either one.
CJ: Your fight with Megumi Fujii was an amazing fight. Does fighting Fujii help you prepare for Hamasaki?
Mei: Yes, their base is Judo, same coach and similar habit. But it's same thing for them, they can prepare well enough to fight against me. We both are well prepared, so I only can rely on my fighting spirit.
Courtesy of Lady Go!
CJ: You are also a karate instructor. Can you talk about your karate background, and how it influences your style?
Mei: I started traditional style karate in Gensiryu Butokukai since elementary school. I'm instructor at same school now.
I learn a lot from Lyoto Machida for my mma fighting style.
Since I'm fighting in shootboxing, it gives me hint to mix several technique to create my mma style.
CJ:You’ve fought several times at 105 now. Can you talk about any differences you are noticing? How is the cut?
Mei: There is big difference in power. I was able to fight in 115 for long time but 105 is much better to move around in the cage and control the opponent.
Weight cut is bit hard but I'm getting used to it.
CJ:The 105 division is a very interesting division. There seems to be talent all over the world. Can you talk about who you would like to fight next? With a win over Ayaka, would you like to fight for Invicta? What would a win over Ayaka mean for you?
Mei: There's a lot of great fighter in 105. But before I talk about who I want to fight and where, I just need to win against Hamasaki now. I'll talk about 105 after I win.
CJ:You have headlined cards, been a part of the first female pancrase main event, taken part in numerous S-Cups. What part of your career stands out the most to you?
Mei: S-cup gave me confidence to my stand fights.
Courtesy of Lady Go!
CJ: Are you still looking to fight in the U.S?
Mei:Yes I'm always. But as I said, I need to win this time in order to fight outside Japan.
CJ: There are a lot of 105lbers in Japan, and no champion, how do you see the future of the division?
Mei:I will be the Champion!
And I hope there's more young stars appear.
CJ: Is there anything you would like to say? Anyone you would like to thank?
Mei: I thank all of my fans and teammates, family and sponsors.
I hope there's some way to see Deep Dream Impact 2014 from foreign country. All of the fight is gonna be exciting, especially women's!!
Notable Wins: Amber Brown, Mika Nagano, Celine Haga, V.V. Mei
CJ: In your last fight you defeated Ayaka Miura. Can you talk about that fight? What did you think about it?
EF: It's good that I won, but it's bad and unfortunate that I wasn't able to finish. Even my seconds got angry with me for not finishing.
Courtesy of Lady Go!
CJ: Before your fight with Miura, you lost to Jessica Aguilar. Even though you lost, a lot of fans in America thought you performed well. What kind of response did you get from the fans?
EF: I received a lot of messages from American fans after my fight.
CJ: Do you think you would like to fight in America again?
EF: I'd like to fight in America again.
CJ: In your last fight you were injured, how has your recovery been?
EF: I'm completely recovered now, so it's ok.
Courtesy of Sherdog
CJ: How's your training going? What you have you been training?
EF: I've successfully adjusted my training. Physical training, running, technical, sparring, I'm training all of them several times a day.
CJ: Next year how many times do you think you'd like to fight? Is there a fighter you would like to fight?
EF: I'd like to fight 4 times. There really aren't any opponents left in Japan, so I'd like to fight non-Japanese in America.
CJ: Is there anything you would like to say?
EF: I'm still getting stronger and stronger. Because of that, I'd like to show you more of my fights. When I watch the UFC 115lbers, I see they are all at a high level and it makes me excited. To the people I always train with, to the people who support me, to those who teach me in privates, to my family who helps me I'd like to say thank you.
CJ: Since Jewels was hard to watch outside of Japan, some fan's might not know much about you. Can you introduce yourself? How did you get into MMA?
SS: Actually I wasn't interested in any martial art until I was 18. I wanted to be a PE teacher. I loved all kinds of sports. It's said that Japanese PE teachers must teach Judo in junior high, so when I was 19 I visited Zendo-Kai. After I entered Zendo-Kai, I recognized that it's not a Judo gym and they teach more MMA.
CJ: In your last fight, you fought against Hashi. Can you talk about that last fight? What did you learn from the fight?
SS: I totally made many mistakes during the fight.
Mentality, strategies, training.
Hashi-san always made movement before I moved at any situation.
I think that was an easy game for Hashi and her team.
CJ: You've fought at several weights. Your next fight is at 56.7kg (125lb). Why? Can you give us your reasoning? Will you stay at 56.7kg from now on?
SS: First, there are not many 135 fighters in Japan. I was told that if I wanted to fight this summer, I need to change my weight class to 125. Second, many people say to me that I'm to small and weak for 135 compared with Invicta FC fighters. But I'm still thinking.
Anyway, this time is a challenge.
CJ: There are a lot of Invicta fighters at 56.7kg. Would you like to fight for Invicta? Do you think you want to fight abroad?
SS: Yeah, if I succeed at 56.7kg, I will probably try. Not only Invicta.
CJ: You trained in Australia before. Can you talk about that? Would you like to train abroad again? Where and who with?
SS: I only trained Jiu-Jitsu and No-Gi in Australia, but that's so exciting!
Of course I want. Wherever great coaches exist.
CJ: Where do you train now? How has your training changed?
SS: I train at Reversal Gym Me, We. Physical training has made my body big and strong.
CJ: You got to meet Dana White in June. How was it? How did that happen?
SS: UFC staff introduced me to Dana at UFC Japan Press Conference.
He always smiled to everyone. He asked me my record, my weight division, next fight ect.
I was very impressed, he was serious even to me.
CJ: How do you think Rin Nakai will do in the UFC? Have you ever trained with her?
SS: Simply I want Rin to win. Yeah, I rolled with her last month. She is very technical!
CJ: You know a lot about the UFC. On Deep Jewels TV you referenced Chael Sonnen. What fighters do you like? Is there a fight you like? If you got an offer, would you join the UFC?
SS: I like Sonnen. I like intelligent person. I like Roy Nelson's fight style. If the UFC offers me....I'll try to punch opponent like Roy.
Sugiyama channeling Roy against Yabushita
CJ: Were there any fighters or pro-wrestlers that you liked when you were a kid?
SS: No, I'm not interested in pro-wrestling. But Ikuhisa Minowa aka Minowaman is my hero.
CJ: Do you have any hobbies that you do when you're free?
CJ: Your fight is at 130lbs (59kg). Do you want to fight at 125 or 135 in the future?
SS: Yeah, I'll try. If I need. I think I can. But in Japan, I'm ok still at 135.
CJ: You did some work with the UFC, what was that like? Is it your goal to fight for the UFC?
SS: I just helped their local promotion, especially for girls. Those days made me think UFC was the goal I should head to. But it's a very long way.
CJ: UFC has a relationship with Invicta FC. Would you consider fighting for them?
SS: Yes, but any promtoion or event is ok for me now I think.
CJ: In your last fight, you defeated Yurika Nakakaura. Can you talk about that? She was on a 3 fight win streak.
SS: That's the second time I fought her. So I wasn't worried about losing before the fight. But I was not aggressive with my wrestling.
Courtesy of Lady Go!
CJ: How's your training going? How are you preparing?
SS: In my last fight, I wasn't happy because I couldn't use my wrestling techniques. Now, I'm training judo and wrestling more. And next opponent is the champ of boxing. I'll try to use many kickboxing techniques.
CJ: What does it mean to fight on a NYE show?
SS: For me it's honor to fight in a big event. This is not pride or dream but for me this is PRIDE.
CJ: What will a win mean for you? Who would you like to fight next year?
SS; I need to win this fight. I'm gonna offer to fight Hashi again next year.
CJ: Do you have anything you would like to say? Anyone you would like to thank?
SS: Many people and my team are supporting me, and the fans who bought tickets for me. I think I would like to give this win for them. And I'm gonna step up to the stage bigger than this one.
CJ: Recently you fought and won in Korea. Can you talk about that fight? Also, what was it like fighting in Korea and how did it relate to fighting for PXC?
ET: During the fight I was able to get several takedowns, I'm still on the way to mastering them. I wasn't able to strike or do anything that I had done in training. That I was able to win by a decision away (as the outsider) is kind of a miracle. So I've thought about those things, and then I went to next practice.
Both PXC and Road FC when compared with Japan, have much better compensation. I'd like to see the day when it's like that in Japan.
CJ: What's it mean to you to be fighting on a New Years Eve card?
ET: I've always watched the NYE's card, so now that I'm able to fight on a similar stage makes me happy.
CJ: Recently, a lot of fighters have moved down to 105lb (48kg). What do you think of that? Do you plan on going down as well?
ET: I thought I was going to go down, since there is really no one left at 115lb (52), but I think I'lltry to do my best a little longer.
CJ: You are going to be fighting Emi Fujino, You train together. How do you think the fight will go? Do you have a game plan going into the fight?
ET: Fujino is stronger than most men, so if I can't find a way to defeat her power I can't win. (lol)
CJ: How's your training?
ET: I've been training boxing, MMA, and BJJ at various gyms, since I've been able to train at these places I've improved.
CJ: What would a win over Fujino mean for you?
ET: In Japan right now, the 115 division is Mizuki, Fujino, and myself. We are the top 3. If I win, I'll be number 2.
CJ: Do you have any goals for 2015? How often would you like to fight?
ET: I kind of feel like I'd like to take a break, I'd like to fight abroad again, not only for Deep Jewels, I also want to get a belt.
CJ: Is there anything you would like to say?
ET: WMMA is fun it shows violence and splendor, so please come to the NYE event at the Super Arena!
CJ: Do you know what song you are going to enter to yet?
ET: Of course my younger sister Rie a.k.a. Suzaku! lol
Stepping in on late notice, the always exciting Raquel Pa'aluhi will be facing Kaitlin Young tonight. Known for her aggressive style, Raquel took nearly a year off from fighting to really focus on her jiu-jitsu and grappling. She's also made some drastic changes in her training and life. This fight, in my opinion, has all of the makings of fight of the night. Both fighters are known for their aggression and both fighters have made significant changes in their training and outlook. I had the opportunity to talk with Raquel last night before her fight.
CJ: You've taken some time off to work on your grappling. Can you talk about Abu Dhabi and your other accomplishments?
RP: Last year, I won the Abu Dhabi trials and I ended up going but there was a lot of problems and miscommunication. So much crap happened that I wasn't able to compete because of some weight issues. I did compete in and get 3rd at Worlds and I won the no-gi Worlds.
I really started focusing on the gi after my loss to Nunes. I feel like my grappling has gotten a lot better and that I've really fallen in love with jiu-jitsu. It really consumed me and I took some time off to focus on it. It took me on a journey that I didn't expect to take but that I needed to take. I think my jiu-jitsu is one of the best at 135 now.
CJ: Can you talk about the changes in your training?
RP: I went to a fight camp at X'Treme Couture and at Drysdale. I trained at the same time that Miesha was training for her fight, but my fight fell through so I was was kinda sitting there. Now that I know what's here, I thought I'd be hurting myself if I went back home. So I went home for 10 days, called my dad and mentioned that I wanted to stay in Vegas. My friends said they would help me out, my dad sold my car for me, while I was home I packed my stuff and sold what I didn't.
CJ: What should fans expect to see tomorrow?
RP: Whatever happens, I'm going to be aggressive. I always fight the same fight. my gameplan is not a secret. I started out as a wrestler but I'm not afraid to punch. Most of my finished come when I take people down and punch on them.
I think Kaitlin and I are both in a place where we need to win. We are both in the same place record wise where we have more losses than wins. I think a win will put me in a good place because we have both fought tough opponents.
CJ: You're record is pretty deceptive considering the people you fought and how close the fights were.
RP: Yeah, I feel like I had good fights against the girls I lost to. My fight against Nunes was also a late notice.
CJ: Do you see yourself in the UFC?
RP: I would think if I can get 2 or 3 more wins, I can be in the UFC. If I win (tonight) I would like to get a couple more fights with Invicta, to help me with what isn't necessarily ring rust, but just to get comfortable in the ring.
CJ: Is there anyone in the UFC you would like to fight?
RP: I've not been worrying about other fighters. It has been part of my journey. I've been worrying about becoming a complete martial artist. It doesn't matter who I fight.
My dad's given name was the Hawaiian word for martial arts. We've always excelled in martial arts and it goes deeper than being Hawaiian. We are a line of fighters.
Be sure to watch Raquel fight tonight on UFC Fightpass
In tonight's co-main event, Mizuki Inoue will be facing off against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Having fought her entire career in Japan, Mizuki burst onto the international scene last year when she defeated Bec Rawlings. Throughout the fight she showed the hand and head movement that has made her popular. Since that fight, Mizuki has not been idle. She has been competing in grappling competitions, won two Girl's S-Cups (shootboxing) and became the Deep Jewels Champion. Her striking seems to have improved even more and her underrated grappling has also improved. Before the fight, I had the opportunity to talk to Mizuki about what she's been doing and about the future
CJ: Congratulations on winning the S-Cup again. Is Shootboxing something that you would like to keep doing?
MI: Being the back to back champion has made me a lot more confident. If I get the chance, I'd like to do it again.
CJ: Is there a potential Rena fight in the future?
MI: (Coach Yamaguchi) There was talk that Rena might go up a weight class, but we don't know. If she moves up in weight it wouldn't be a problem, of course she would fight her.
CJ: At this year's S-Cup your teammate, Yukari Yamaguchi won the 105 tournament, how did it feel watching one of your training partners do so well?
MI: It was only her second pro-fight, she was able to win. We train together so I felt very comfotrable about her going into the tournament.
CJ: You recently became the Deep Jewels Champion, with your victory over Tomimatsu, can you talk about that fight?
MI: It was what it was, Tomimatsu actually pushed me in some striking exchanges so I need to look back and learn from that fight. I think she may have adjusted from the first fight but I also think that I might have not been as serious as I needed since I had won the previous fight.
CJ: Do you think a victory over Karolina will put you in a spot to fight for the title?
MI: Eeeh, I think its still too early for that.
CJ: You've fought and beaten Bec Rawlings and Alex Chambers, both of whom are on TUF, have you been able to watch and what do you think?
MI: They are very good fighters, fighters that I would like to fight.
CJ: What are your thoughts on your opponent tonight?
MI: Karolina is a very good striker that is also good on the ground. I think that the fight might turn into a ground battle, which is ok with me because I want to show what I can do on the ground.
CJ: Is there anything you'd like to say?
MI: It's going to be a good fight
CJ: How are you handling all the press related stuff?
Tonight the #4 ranked atomweight in the world, Amber Brown,
will be stepping into the Invicta cage for the first time. Amber somewhat came
out of nowhere in 2013, when she stepped up to fight Emi Fujino on late notice
in a heavier division. When I spoke to her then, she told me to expect a war. She was right. In a losing effort, Amber bloodied Fujino and came close to
finishing the fight. Two months later, she fought Kikuyo Ishikawa. In the top
5, Kikuyo was a tough opponent for anyone. Amber wore her down with strikes and
big knees and in the end set up a fight ending armbar. That fight was in July
of last year and Amber hasn’t fought since. She’s going to be stepping into the
cage with Liz McCarthy tonight in what promises to be an exciting match. Before
her fight, I had the opportunity to talk to her;
Brown mounted Fujino
CJ: Your last fight was an impressive victory over then
ranked Kikuyo Ishikawa, but that was more than a year ago. How have you
improved since then?
AB: I’m not even the same fighter that fought Kikuyo, I’ve
been in the gym working on everything. I’ll be a different fighter, they might
expect the same fighter, but it has been a long time and I’ve been training.
CJ:
That was a great fight, can you talk about that fight?
AB:
It was awesome, she was ranked number 5, I came in and got the armbar. It was
amazing. I don’t even know if I was ranked in the top 30 at the time, so to go
out and win like that was amazing.
CJ:
Since it’s been awhile since your last fight, what should people expect to see?
AB:
I’m going to be aggressive, forward pressure in her face, she should expect the
knees, maybe go to the body more, I wanted to do that against Kikuyo but I
really wanted to hit her in the head. I’m a lot better at everything now,
everything has come a long way.
CJ:
What does a win tomorrow night do for you?
AB:
I’m looking for the title of course, I feel like a couple more wins will get me
a title shot.
CJ:
Who do you think would be a good match to get you closer?
AB:
Jodie (Esquibel), she’s up there and had a good win in her last fight/
CJ:
How do you see a fight with the champ going?
AB:
She’s a pretty good striker, her kicks are her thing but I’d take her down and
beat her up.
AB:
I am ready, so ready, I finally get to fight, It’s been a long time. I want to
thank all my coaches that have helped me prepare over the past 15 months.
I'd lik to thank Amber for taking the time to speak with me.
You can watch her fight tonight on UFC Fightpass for Invicta FC 9
With a stable full of young fighters, the relatively unknown gym Hakushinkai has had a very productive August, as two of their fighters brought home championships. At 19, Mizuki Inoue brought home the Deep Jewels Championship and a 16 Yukari Yamaguchi won the 48kg Girls S-Cup Tournament. Both Championships are prestigious and both girls looked very impressive in-route to those victories. In an interview, Mizuki talked about her coach a little bit. Her coach, holding a Karate background, believes that if you want to be the best fighter, you must be able to compete in MMA. Like many fighters, Coach Yamaguchi was affected by the Gracies, in that he saw Minoki Ichihara, a Karate fighter, get defeated by Royce Gracie. This loss is probably the main influence for his ideas regarding MMA. As a result, the Hakushinkai Karate students also train in grappling and compete in a variety of combat sports.
Photo Courtesy of Lady Go!
Turning 20 this month, Mizuki Inoue is one of the senior students at Hakushinkai. As one of the seniors, a lot of people didn't know what to expect when she started competing professionally. Now we know that Mizuki possesses some of the best technical striking in the sport and has a very underrated ground game. Having broken her leg, Mizuki was forced to train with only her hands for a time, and as a result her boxing is especially refined. However despite her striking prowess, all of her MMA finishes have come via submission. Having stated that she wants MMA, Shoot Boxing and Kickboxing titles, Mizuki is now 2/3's the way finished; having competed in and won the Girls S-Cup 2 times and having won the Deep Jewels 115 Championship over the weekend. I've had the opportunity to see Mizuki fight several times and there is something about her. She picks fighters apart with stiff jabs and straight rights to the body that seem to break them. Having defeated 2 of the TUF 20 contestants, her age and language ability kept her off of the show. With her Title victory over the weekend. DJ's Saeki stated that promotions have been contacting him about Mizuki and that her next fight will most likely be outside of Japan.
Courtesy of Lady Go!
At 16, Yukari has more experience that a lot of her opponents and represents the new-generation of martial artists. As the daughter of Hakushinkai's coach, she's been practicing Kyokushin Karate for over 13 years, Kickboxing for 10 and BJJ for 7. Under her father's guidance, she's been training 6 days a week since elementary school. She stated in an interview her philosophy towards training, "I've never thought about quitting. If you don't train hard, you can't win championships, so I train hard." Like Mizuki, Yukari is an excellent striker. As an ambidextrous fighter, she is able to fight naturally in both stances. She started out Orthodox, switched to Southpaw, switched back to Orthodox and is now back in Southpaw. Though predominately right-handed outside of the ring, she prefers to use her left in some instances, like using chopsticks. Having gone 3-0 in Kickboxing/Shootboxing and having competed in a number of grappling events, Yukari seems to be following the same path as Mizuki and it's just a matter of time before she makes her MMA debut.
Courtesy of Kinya Hashimoto
Here is a video of them competing at a grappling event 2 years ago.
Fast forward to the 29 minute mark to see the beginning of Yukari's match, Mizuki's match follows it immediately.
Championship: Deep Jewels 115lb Champion (2/16/2014 - Present)
CJ: Before, people outside of Japan couldn't really watch Jewels or Deep Jewels fights. However Deep Jewels 4 was and 5 will be available on the internet. Since some fans outside of Japan may not know a lot about you, can you introduce yourself and your fight style?
ET: So, I retired from pro-wrestling because of an illness, and I'd always been a fan of Shooto so I joined a gym and I'm still there, Matsudo Paraestra. In the beginning, I started out with Jiu-Jitsu, but then I started to think that MMA looked pretty cool so I started that as well. My fight style, well I'm a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu so I try to pin my opponent down and now I have added boxing to my skill set.
CJ: You used to Pro-Wrestle and are a big fan of it, can you talk about that?
ET: As soon as I graduated from high school, I entered Yoshimoto Girl's Pro-Wrestling JD. My sensei was the most famous and amazing wrestler in Japan, Jaguar Yokota. However, because of an illness I had to have three operations and it forced me to retire. Now, I love the independent organizations. There is a organization called 666 that I like and I also like AJPW that does death-matches. I go and watch all the time.
Emi the Pro-Wrestler
CJ: It is pretty known that you like metal music. Your sister is in an awesome band as well. Can you talk about this and do you have any interesting stories?
ET: My younger sister, Rie a.k.a Suzaku is a famous metal guitarist. She's still independent and has released CD's and DVD's. If you look her up on Youtube you can find some. Everyone in my family likes metal, in summer when our clothes are being washed there are a lot of black-metal t-shirts on the line!
CJ: In 2008, you got injured. A lot of people abroad might not know about this so can you tell us about it and your recovery?
ET: During a match for Pancrase, my small intestine was ruptured and I was immediately taken to the hospital. I was in the hospital for three weeks, I couldn't eat so I lost 16 pounds. After that I started weight training and returned to practice, that winter I entered a grappling tournament and won.
CJ: In 2013, you fought and lost to Mika Nagano. However, later that year you defeated her in a rematch, what changes did you make?
ET: In the first fight, I feel like I lose because of the takedowns. So I really worked on my boxing and wrestling going into the rematch. I was able to do what I wanted to do, so I won the fight.
CJ: Recently WMMA has changed in Japan. Can you talk about your training and who/where you train?
ET: My home gym is Parestra Matsudo, so I train there, then CAVE gym is near where I work so I train boxing and grappling there as well. In particular, I am taught by the King of Pancrase Ishiwatari and Shooto's Bantamweight Champion Miki. In addition, I go to train at other gyms, and I take part in V.V. Mei's women's training sessions.
Ishiwatari, Emi, Miki
V.V Mei's Women's Training
CJ: When you heard that you were going to have a rematch with Mizuki, what was your reaction?
ET: My opponent was overweight in the first fight, so before the rematch she had to lose the weight and maintain it. I really want to get past that first fight, so when I think of my opponent, it can't be anyone but Mizuki. Since you lose a fight because of yourself, I am going forward and without fail will get my revenge, I will go in with a fighting spirit.
CJ: Since you've fought her before, do you feel like you understand her fight style now? Will it be easier in a way for you to prepare for your next fight?
ET: Since we've already fought once, I can measure her up pretty easy, I also understand there are certain things that if I don't get better at them, I won't be able to win.
CJ: Would you ever like to fight in America?
ET: YES! Outside of Japan, Martial Arts's popularity is swelling up and they have respect for Martial Artist. In Japan, the athletes I have access to is restricted, so if I have the chance I'd love to fight abroad.
CJ: On your blog you post about Ramen a lot. What can you tell us about Ramen?
ET: I love ramen. In particular I love Jirou Ramen. It gets greasy with the fat, people are divided. They either like it or dislike it, since I love Jirou Ramen, I want to go to eat at all of the Jirou Ramen restaurants! Since I will get fat, I'll do it after my fight!
A picture from Emi's Blog
CJ: Finally, can you give us some metal recommendations?
ET: My biggest recommendation is my sister Rie a.k.a Suzaku, I also listen to Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom, EDGUY and In Flames quite a bit. There is a metal festival called LOUD PARK in October that I always look forward to going to!
Comment/Fan Message
ET: A lot of people still don't know a lot about Women's Martial Arts in Japan. We have really acquired and learned our skills, we won't lose to men. Our fights are more exciting and I think our genre is getting more and more popular. For the sake of spreading Women's Martial Arts, this lady will continue to do her best for a bit longer!
