12-year-old Japanese woman submits adult rival in her MMA debut

Momo, just 12 years old, wins in her MMA debut. Photo: Reproduction: Gong Magazine

The world was shocked when Japanese event Deep Jewels announced that MoMo Shimizu, a 12-year-old girl, would make her MMA debut against a woman twice her age. But what no one expected happened: the young fighter defeated the adult Momoko Yamazaki, aged 24, with a rear naked choke in sensational fashion. The event took place this weekend at Shinjuku Face, in Tokyo.

Even at her young age, Momo showed that she was prepared for her debut. She closed the distance with some front kicks and quickly reached her rival's back to lock in the rear naked choke. Yamazaki tried to resist, but ended up fainting with the choke in place.

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“Momo has been training MMA six times a week, on average three hours a day, since she was in kindergarten and has had more than 100 jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and karate fights, and is much more experienced than Momoko Yamazaki,” he said. Momo Shimizu's trainer, Shu Hirata.

Bizarre fights in Japan

Confrontations considered controversial and 'bizarre' are nothing new when it comes to Japanese MMA. Last December, Brazilian Gabi Garcia was the protagonist of one of the strangest weddings in recent years. The 31-year-old jiu-jitsu world champion was scheduled to face Yumiko Hotta, 49, at Rizin. The duel ended with a knockout applied by Gabi in just 41 seconds.