Miku Matsumoto new DEEP Female champion, DEEP 31 results

DEEP 31 full results, winners in bold:

• Hidehiko Hasegawa (SK Absolute) / Dong-Hyun Kim (CMA Korea) (TKO, 3R 4:57)
• Hisae Watanabe (Freelance) / Miku Matsumoto (Club Barbarian) (Judges decision, 0-2) [DEEP Female Lightweight Title match, Miku Matsumoto is the new champion]
• Masakazu Imanari (Team-ROKEN) / Jong-Man Kim (CMA Korea) (Armbar, 1R 3:28)
• Kazunori Yokota (Team Grabaka) / Minoru Tavares Tuchiya (Hard Combat) (Armbar, 1R 3:53) [Anthony McDavitt didn't make weight and was replaced by Minoru Tavares Tuchiya]
• Yoshihiro "Barbaro44" Tomioka (Club Barbarian) / Makoto Ishikawa (PUREBRED Omiya) (TKO, 2R 3:12)
• Ryuichi Murata (Yoshida Dojo) / Sojiro Orui (SK Absolute) (Unanimous draw, 1-0)
• Yuya Shirai (Team M.A.D.) / Kozo Urita (Seiken Kaikan) (Armbar, 1R 2:42)
• Keigo Takamori (Samurai Sword) / Dong-Yi Yang (CMA Korea) (TKO, 1R 1:57)
• Takeshi Yamazaki (Team Grabaka) / Yoshisuke Kitada (Paraestra Chiba) (Judges decision, 2-0)
• Yusuke Kawaguchi (Blue Dog Gym) / Iro Zeki (Freelance) (TKO, 1R 1:06)

Future Fights:

• Takafumi Otsuka (AACC) / Seiji Ozuka (Combat Sports Circle OZ) (Draw)
• Tarou Shimazaki (U-File Camp) / Takao Nakajima (Team Barbosa Japan) (Submission, 1R 1:16)

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HERO's looking to add 143 lbs weight-class in 2008

In the wake of the HERO's 154 lbs tournaments first round, FEG is examining the possibility to add a 143 lbs (65 kg) weight-class next year. This comes after both Hideo Tokoro and Kazuyuki Miyata where eliminated in tournaments first round, both smaller fighters who would fit better in the 143 lbs weight-class. This would of course also cater better to the organizations big star Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, a natural 143 pounder.

Also noteworthy is their plan to raise the weight limit for the 154 lbs (70 kg) division to a more PRIDE styled limit of 160 lbs (73 kg), again leaving questions if Gomi is going to fight for HERO's in the future.

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The Road to the Title: Hisae Watanabe vs Miku

For the second time ever the DEEP female lightweight belt (110 lbs) is on the line at DEEP 31 this Sunday. The first time saw Hisae Watanabe become the first female champion in DEEP history after, at DEEP she KO'ed Satoko Shinashi in the first round for the vacant belt. This time Hisae Watanabe is defending the belt against Miku Matsumoto, a classic striker versus grappler matchup. Miku has been on a three fight winning streak in Club DEEP, while Hisae has one loss and one win in non-title matches.

Here's a collection of bouts, chronicling the two fighters journeys leading up to this title fight.

Hisae Watanabe

• vs Sumie Yamada, Smackgirl, 11/9/2002
• vs Jacqueline Roos, Girls Shock V (kickboxing), 6/27/2004
• vs Izumi Jet, IKUSA GP (kickboxing), 9/19/2005
• vs Mariko "Strawberry 15" Fujimoto, Smackgirl, 2/15/2006
• vs Satoko Shinashi II, DEEP 25 IMPACT, Lightweight title fight, 8/4/2006
• vs Su-Hi Ham, DEEP 28 IMPACT, 2/16/2007
• vs Masako Yoshida, DEEP 29 IMPACT, 4/13/2007

Miku Matsumoto

• vs Hikaru Shinohara, Club DEEP: Barbarian Festival 2, 5/15/2005
• vs Yuki Faratade, DEEP 23 IMPACT, 2/5/2006
• vs Carina Damm II, MARS 4, 8/26/2006
• vs Lisa Ward, Smackgirl, 9/15/2006
• vs Yuki Tanaka (kickboxing), 03/xx/2007
• vs Su-Hi Ham, Club DEEP Toyama, 5/13/2007
• vs Misaki Takimoto II, Club DEEP, 6/16/2007

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DEEP 31 card on August 5th finalized

With the addition of the Hidehiko Hasegawa / Dong-Hyun Kim bout, the DEEP 31 IMPACT card on August 5th in now final.

DEEP 31 full card:

• Masakazu Imanari (Team-ROKEN) / Jong-Man Kim (CMA Korea)
• Yoshihiro "Barbaro44" Tomioka (Club Barbarian) / Makoto Ishikawa (PUREBRED Omiya)
• Takeshi Yamazaki (Team Grabaka) / Yoshisuke Kitada (Paraestra Chiba)
• Yusuke Kawaguchi (Blue Dog Gym) / Iro Zeki (Freelance)
• Hisae Watanabe (Freelance) / Miku Matsumoto (Club Barbarian) (DEEP Female Lightweight Title match)
• Hidehiko Hasegawa (SK Absolute) / Dong-Hyun Kim (CMA Korea)
• Ryuichi Murata (Yoshida Dojo) / Sojiro Orui (SK Absolute)
• Kazunori Yokota (Team Grabaka) / Anthony McDavitt
• Yuya Shirai (Team M.A.D.) / Kozo Urita (Seiken Kaikan)
• Keigo Takamori (Samurai Sword) / Dong-Yi Yang (CMA Korea)

Future Fights:

• Takafumi Otsuka (AACC) / OZ (Combat Sports Circle OZ)
• Minoru Tavares Tuchiya (Hard Combat) / Toshiaki Saiki (Paraestra Tokyo)
• Tarou Shimazaki (U-File Camp) / Takao Nakajima (Team Barbosa Japan)

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DEEP Welterweight champ Hasegawa takes on Dong-Hyun Kim at DEEP 31

But not in a fight for the title, DEEP recently has become famous for matching up their champions with Koreans in non-title fights. This has backfired before though, Su-Hi Ham defeated Hisae Watanabe at DEEP 28, and this maybe another one of those times. Dong-Hyun Kim is coming of a 6 fight winning streak, most recently knocking out his opponent in 11 seconds at CMA Festival 2.

Saeki was quoted saying that a future title fight between the two was dependent on the result of this fight. Being Korean in DEEP you have to work twice as hard.

DEEP 31 IMPACT takes place on August 5th in Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.

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