In an exclusive interview with MMASucka.com, Invicta FC’s Mizuki Inoue (13-5) talks with Andrew Benjamin about the just recently announced strawweight, 115-pound tournament the promotion will be hosting. The tournament will have seven other entrants in the tournament. The other competitors are Janaisa Morandin (10-2), Danielle Taylor (10-4), Sharon Jacobson (5-4), Juliana Lima (9-5), Briana Van Buren (5-2), Kailin Curran (4-6), and Sunna Davidsdottir (3-0).
Strawweight Tournament
The tournament will be a one-night event with single elimination rules. The quarter and semifinal rounds will be one round and five minutes. The finals will be three rounds and five minutes. The opening round blocks will be selected at random. The fighters will have incentives to finish early. The competitors who get a finish will get a monetary bonus. The fighter with the fastest finish in the opening round will also get to pick their next opponent. If there is no early finish, the following rounds will be selected at random again.
In the interview, Mizuki Inoue talks about getting her start in MMA at 16-years-old, how the women’s MMA scene has changed since she started, preparing for a stacked tournament, and what her hobbies are outside MMA.
Mizuki Inoue
Inoue is a former Deep Jewels Strawweight champion. At the age of 16, she won the 2010 Deep Jewels 115-pound Rough Stone Grand Prix tournament. She has also competed in kickboxing and shoot boxing in Japan. In shoot boxing, she won the Girls S-Cup 2012 and 2013 tournaments. She trains at Longo & Weidman MMA in New York along with her brother, former UFC flyweight Naoki Inoue, ONE’s Ken Hasegawa and RIZIN’s Ulka Sasaki.
As of now, there is no announcement on what the winner will receive but it would be no surprise if they get a title shot against champion Virna Jandiroba. The two have previously fought last year where Jandiroba beat Inoue by split decision to win the vacant title.
Invcita’s Phoenix Rising Series
Invcita’s Phoenix Rising Series will take place May 3 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The event will stream on UFC Fight Pass.
