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Name: Shinju Nozawa-Auclair



Age: 23



Record: 1-0 (2-1 Amateur)



Fighting out of: El Niño Training Center - San Francisco, California



Our Prospect of the Month for July is atomweight Shinju "Juju" Nozawa-Auclair, who won her professional MMA debut on Sunday by submitting Sheena Brandenburg in less than two minutes at RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 in Saitama, Japan.



Auclair (1-0) put on a flawless performance in that matchup, as she immediately secured full mount and was able to rain down elbows with ease on her American opponent. From there, the 23-year-old up-and-comer was able to transition to an armbar and secure the fight-ending finish.



If the "Auclair" name rings a bell to FloCombat subscribers, you may remember her impressive first-round TKO victory over Alyssa Lawrence back in June at KOP 56. That was just her third fight, which is incredible considering she made her amateur debut in February.







Don't let the lone blemish on her resume fool you, either. She was disqualified in her bout against Chelsea LaGrasse at RFO Big Guns 23 for landing an illegal kick -- something she forgot about in the matchup and as she explained here in an interview we did with her earlier this year.







Previously training at Scorpion Fighting Systems with UFC strawweight Amanda Bobby Cooper, Auclair has since moved back home to San Francisco and now trains at El Niño Training Center.



The former Michigan resident was juggling a bartending gig along with trying to fit in training. This move to the West Coast not only allows her to be closer to family but to also have the ability to train full-time and take some of the financial pressure off being a fighter.



Auclair is tall for her weight class, standing a towering 5-foot-8, which can pose a lot of problems for her much smaller opponents. She's made it known she wants to compete primarily in Japan for RIZIN as opposed to trying her hand with any North American promotions, such as Invicta FC.



The atomweight is also the daughter of notable Japanese comedian Naoko Nozawa. So along with having a famous last name and a promising skill set, Auclair has all the tools to become a big chip for RIZIN going forward.



Many pundits have dubbed Auclair a potential superstar, but in the meantime she'll take home Prospect of the Month honors here on FloCombat.







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