Controversy Erupts as 12-Year-Old MMA Fighter ‘Momo’ Takes on Opponent Twice Her Age in a Brutal Japanese Bout

Japan is a country known for its heritage in Martial Arts. The sport of MMA is quite popular in Japan too. Pride FC, which originated in Japan, was once the biggest MMA promotion in the world. However, even though the country is known for its legendary MMA status, there have also been freak shows staged in Japan. In a similar instance, a 12-year-old girl in Japan fought a girl twice her age.

12-year-old Momo Shimizu competed against her 24-year-old counterpart, Momoko Yamazaki. While the age difference in this bout seems unacceptable, it is also worth noting that Shimizu had zero experience in MMA fights whereas her opponent was a veteran of 8 pro MMA bouts.

This fight took place on the DEEP JEWELS 16 fight card in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The two fighters exchanged some punches early in the round, but after a while, the 12-year-old Shimizu shot for a takedown and successfully achieved it. Yamazaki’s experience did not help her as she had no answer for Shimizu’s ground game.

Further in the fight, Shimizu saw an opportunity for a rear-naked choke. The 12-year-old fighter took the opportunity with both hands. She executed a submission that even Charles Oliveira would be proud of. Yamazaki seemed to be helpless, and hence the referee immediately intervened and stopped the bout.

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While Shimizu beat her experienced opponent, she did not have the confidence to. However, her coach was of a different opinion compared to that Shimizu.

Momo Shimizu and her coach on how they felt before going into the MMA fight

While Momo Shimizu won her debut fight, the 12-year-old did not have the required confidence before the bout. Prior to making her MMA debut, Shimizu had only received training in a Karate gym.

Before going into the fight, Shimizu did not have a firm confidence, but she also didn’t think she would lose. The young Shimizu said, “I don’t have firm confidence to win this fight, but I don’t think I will lose or anything like that.”

However, Shimizu’s coach, Shu Hirata, was confident in her student from the beginning. Hirata believed that even though her student was younger, she had more experience. The coach also revealed that this wasn’t the first time that the promotion matched a teenager against an adult. Hirata said, “Momo has been training MMA six times a week at least three hours a day ever since when she was in the kindergarten.”

“Momo already had 100 amateur fights in BJJ, kickboxing, and karate combined, which is far more experience than her upcoming opponent Momoko Yamazaki who actually works at Hostess Bar and barely trains. This is not the first time Jewels put teenagers against an adult,” added Shu Hirata.

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Since this bout, Shimizu fought two more times in the same promotion, winning both fights via unanimous decision. The young fighter also competed in Shootboxing and came out victorious.

What do you think of Momo Shimizu’s fight? Do you think such fights should be sanctioned? Let us know your valuable opinions in the comments below.