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Miki Motono successfully defended her Queen of PANCRASIST strawweight championship with a second round TKO victory over SARAMI at PANCRASE 366 on September 23. The championship bout took place at Tachikawa Stage Garden in Tokyo, with Motono stopping SARAMI at 4:09 of the second round via ground punches. The victory marked Motono’s first successful defense of the strawweight championship.
Motono Controls the Opening Round
Motono entered the fight as the reigning strawweight champion, while SARAMI moved up from atomweight in an attempt to become a two division PANCRASE champion.
The champion quickly established her striking range from the southpaw stance. Motono repeatedly landed her straight left hand and controlled much of the boxing exchange during the opening round.
SARAMI did manage to secure a takedown after catching one of Motono’s kicks, but Motono quickly returned to her feet and resumed her striking attack.The first round ended with Motono maintaining the momentum.
Motono Finishes the Fight in Round Two
SARAMI managed to take Motono down again early in the second round, but the champion immediately reversed the position. Motono secured a scarf hold and began attacking with punches from the top position. SARAMI survived two scarf hold arm lock attempts, but Motono continued throwing punches.
The champion eventually landed more than 50 punches during the finishing sequence, forcing the referee to stop the contest at 4:09 of Round 2. The victory moved Motono’s professional record to 11 – 5, while SARAMI fell to 20 – 15 according to the official PANCRASE results.
Motono Keeps the Strawweight Championship
The victory gives Motono her first successful defense of the Queen of PANCRASIST strawweight championship.Motono has now won three consecutive fights since joining PANCRASE and continues to hold the top position in the promotion’s women’s strawweight division. KAREN remains ranked No. 1 behind the champion.
SARAMI, meanwhile, remains the Queen of PANCRASIST at atomweight despite the defeat. Her move up in weight gave her the opportunity to challenge for a second championship, but Motono’s striking and ground attack proved decisive.
Shizuka Sugiyama Wins Her Retirement Fight
The co main event delivered another significant moment at PANCRASE 366. Longtime champion Shizuka Sugiyama defeated Emi Fujino by unanimous decision in her retirement fight. All three judges scored the bout 30 – 27 for Sugiyama, who finished her career with a victory after 18 years in competition. Fujino was also competing in her 50th professional fight.
Sugiyama controlled much of the grappling exchanges and repeatedly took Fujino down during the final two rounds. She closed out the fight on top and secured the unanimous decision.
Chiara Penco Earns Split Decision Over KAREN
Former Bellator fighter Chiara Penco extended her winning streak to four with a split decision victory over former PANCRASE strawweight champion KAREN. Penco won two of the three judges’ scorecards, with the official scores reading 29 – 28, 29 – 28 and 28 – 29. The victory could put Penco into contention for a future strawweight title opportunity against Motono.
Chikaya Suzuki Remains Undefeated
Chikaya Suzuki improved his professional record to 3 – 0 with a split decision victory over veteran Kengo Fujimura.
Fujimura had success with his grappling during the first two rounds, including several submission attempts, but Suzuki took control of the final round and secured enough points to win the decision.
The judges scored the fight 29 – 28 for Fujimura, 30 – 27 for Suzuki and 29 – 28 for Suzuki.
Full PANCRASE 366 Results
Main Event
β’ Miki Motono def. SARAMI: TKO, ground punches, Round 2, 4:09
β’ Miki Motono retains Queen of PANCRASIST strawweight championship
Co Main Event
β’ Shizuka Sugiyama def. Emi Fujino: Unanimous decision, 30 – 27, 30 – 27, 30 – 27
Main Card
β’ Chiara Penco def. KAREN: Split decision, 29 – 28, 29 – 28, 28 – 29
β’ Chikaya Suzuki def. Kengo Fujimura: Split decision, 30 – 27, 29 – 28, 28 – 29
β’ Tokumitsu Takagi def. Jung Da Eun: Unanimous decision, 30 – 27, 30 – 27, 29 – 28
β’ Taira Yasuhiko vs. Reo Masuda: Cancelled
Preliminary Card
β’ Daiki Shimada def. Ruki Saito: Unanimous decision, 30 – 27, 29 – 28, 29 – 28
β’ Yuki Ito def. Daiki Mine: Split decision, 29 – 28, 29 – 28, 28 – 29
β’ Soukichi Maeda def. Takashi Koyama: Split decision, 29 – 28, 29 – 28, 28 – 29
β’ Taisei Hata def. Torao Hamachi: TKO, punches, Round 2, 4:19
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