Strawweight Queen of Pancrase Champion Haruka “Salt” Hasegawa makes her second Rizin FF appearance on June 14th at Rizin Fighting Federation: “Landmark Vol. 11” in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Hasegawa faces two-time Deep Jewels interim title challenger Machi Fukuda on the card.
The strawweight matchup was officially announced this week. Hasegawa’s debut for the promotion ended in a quick submission defeat two years ago. She now seeks redemption in the bout against Fukuda, who is a perfect 2-0 for Rizin including a dominant TKO victory at Rizin FF 50 in March.
Hasegawa (5-5-0) captured the Pancrase title in only her fifth pro fight when she defeated Karen for a second time in a rematch at Pancrase 333. She was subsequently submitted by Saori Oshima at Rizin FF 43 and has since gone 2-2 including a successful Pancrase title defence against former champion Emi Fujino. Hasegawa’s most recent outing ended in a decision loss to Bo Hyun Park for Shooto in March, and she now seeks her first non-Pancrase victory since December 2023.
Fukuda (7-2-0) dropped razor-thin Split Decisions in both of her bids to become Deep Jewels Interim Strawweight Champion, against Arisa Matsuda and Si Woo Park, respectively. She has since bounced back with three straight second-round stoppage wins, however, and most recently mauled Shooto Infinity League winner Seo Young Park en route to a TKO stoppage in their Rizin FF 50 bout. Should Rizin choose to add a women’s strawweight title in the future, Fukuda will be a top contender if she can get past Hasegawa next month.
Rizin Fighting Federation: “Landmark Vol. 11” takes place on June 14th at Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
(Photo Credit: Pancrase)