Leading all-female kickboxing promotion J-Girls teamed with Shoot Boxing to create an entertaining fight card on Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan. In the “J-Girls X Shoot Boxing” headliner, two-time JKS48 champion Mio Tsumura defeated Taiwan’s Kai-Ting “Kill Bee” Zhuang under shoot boxing rules.

In the night’s co-main event, rising star Akari “Union” Nakamura earned a huge victory by upsetting reigning J-Girls Mini Flyweight Champion Momi Furuta in a non-title shoot boxing match. Highly-touted 16-year-old Yukari Yamaguchi dominated Michi Nakamura in a J-Girls title contender’s bout.

Tsumura (16-2-0 SB) connected with a nice right hand early in the main event and she dumped Zhuang (0-2-0 SB) to the mat. The fighters traded punches and Tsumura tried unsuccessfully for a rolling throw. Zhuang fought off another throw attempt and nearly trapped Tsumura in a standing rear-naked choke. Tsumura kicked at Zhuang’s lead leg and mixed in crisp right hands in the final minute.

Both women flurried with punches in round two and Tsumura scored with hard kicks to the legs and body. She threw Zhuang to the mat, but was unable to get enough arc on the throw to earn a Shoot Point. Tsumura continued to target the body with left hooks and quick kicks. Zhuang countered with one-twos, but Tsumura hurt her with hooks to the liver shortly before the bell.

Zhuang was aggressive with punching flurries and knees to the body in the final round. Tsumura fired back with right hands and Zhuang snapped her head back with an uppercut. The pace remained high as the fighters traded punches and knees in close. Zhuang avoided a throw attempt, but Tsumura teed off with punches to the head and liver in the final seconds.

The bout went to the scorecards and all three judges had it 30-28 for Tsumura, who has now won three straight bouts since suffering a loss to Yukari Yamaguchi in the finals of the 48kg Shoot Boxing Japan Girls S-Cup in August.

“I have a lot of work to do after this fight,” Tsumura stated following her win. “Hopefully everyone will [continue to] improve each other’s skills and give the women’s combat scene a push forward. I will lead that movement.”

Winner: Mio Tsumura by Unanimous Decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-28) after three 3:00 rounds. She improves her shoot boxing record to 16-2-0.

Nakamura (13-6-1 SB/KB) and Furuta (22-12-6 SB/KB), both southpaws, exchanged leg kicks and one-two combinations in the early stages of round one. Nakamura landed a nice overhand left and Furuta replied with one of her own. A three-punch flurry and a knee to the body scored for Nakamura, who kicked at Furuta’s leg. Furuta danced and taunted Nakamura late in the round, and she scored with a one-two before the bell sounded.

Furuta was the aggressor early in the second round and she landed quick combinations of punches and leg kicks. Nakamura countered with lead right hooks and chopping kicks in return. In the final minute of the round, Nakamura had great success with three- and four-punch combos followed by leg kicks. Both women landed hard shots before the bell.

The third round began with an exchange of kick-punch combos. Neither woman displayed any interest in clinching or working for throws. Furuta missed with a left hook and attempted a spinning backfist. Nakamura punished her with a combination and the fighters rolled to the mat after a brief clinch. Both women landed lengthy flurries of punches in the dying seconds.

One judge scored the fight 30-29 for Furuta. The remaining two both had it even at 29-29 for a Majority Draw. The fight then went to an extension round.

Lead right hooks and overhand lefts landed for both fighters in the fourth and deciding round. Nakamura snapped out quick jabs and she kept Furuta on the defensive with one-twos and front kicks. Furuta lunged in with hooks from a distance, but Nakamura landed the cleaner shots and she attempted a standing guillotine choke just as time expired.

All three judges scored the final round 10-9 for Nakamura, who earned her biggest win to date. She is rapidly becoming one of the top female stars on the Shoot Boxing roster.

Winner: Akari Nakamura by Unanimous Decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) after one 3:00 extension round and four rounds overall. She improves her combined shoot boxing and kickboxing record to 13-6-1.

Yamaguchi (12-2-0 amateur, 5-1-0 pro KB/SB) opened the action with knees to the body and a barrage of punches that backed Nakamura (3-5-0 KB/SB) into a corner. Nakamura circled out and Yamaguchi promptly put her in another corner by blasting her with more punches. Nakamura’s right eye began to swell up from Yamaguchi’s unrelenting punches, and Yamaguchi finished the round with more knees.

The second round began with Yamaguchi throwing kicks to the body from a distance. She backed Nakamura up against the ropes with punches and three kicks to the liver. Nakamura struggled to land anything as Yamaguchi repeatedly scored with front kicks and step-in knees until the bell.

By round three, Nakamura’s left eye had also become swollen and Yamaguchi targeted the eye with jabs. She flurried in close and mixed in knees to the body that forced Nakamura to retreat. In the final 30 seconds, Yamaguchi continued to tee off with punches on the feet. She knocked Nakamura down against the ropes right as the final bell sounded.

The judges were left with an easy decision and all three scored the lopsided fight 30-27 in Yamaguchi’s favour. She will compete in her pro MMA debut next month at “Vale Tudo Japan In Osaka.”

Winner: Yukari Yamaguchi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three 2:00 rounds. She improves her pro kickboxing and shoot boxing record to 5-1-0.

Remaining “J-Girls X Shoot Boxing” Results:

– Nori Date defeated Wano Sato by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three 2:00 rounds. [J-Girls Rules]

– Erika Maruyama defeated Naoko “Bovy” Okada by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three 2:00 rounds. [SB Rules]

– Emi Matsushita defeated Proof Date by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three 2:00 rounds. [J-Girls Rules]

– Rumiko Tanaka defeated Maki Goto by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28) after three 2:00 rounds. [J-Girls Rules]