12-Year-Old To Make MMA Debut Against Adult Fighter Next Month
Remember when you were in middle school and you tried to impress your classmates in gym class that you can run the fastest mile, or hit a baseball the hardest, or even make the claim that you’re the toughest kid in class?
Well no matter how tough you think you were when you were 12 years old, there is at least one 12-year-old that drops a deuce on all others.
Meet MoMo, an MMA fighter who is set to make her MMA debut against a 24-year-old fighter who has four fights under her belt.
You read that right. A seventh grader is going to be fighting an adult in an MMA bout. MoMo will be fighting Momoko Yamasaki on Japan’s DEEP JEWELS 16 event on May 20. In the amateur rules for DEEP JEWELS, striking to the head on the ground is not allowed and both fighters will be wearing head gear. It's worth noting, it's in Japan, so it could end up being a work.
The fight will be contested in the minimumweight division, which is a 95-pound division. MoMo is so young, she still is not even close to get to 95 pounds. MoMo weighs about 86 pounds, so not only is she fighting someone twice her age, way more experienced, but also Yamasaki will have nearly 10 pounds over the child.
Putting aside any and all questions about how an MMA company got the ok to even sanction such a fight, this is the most badass thing a kid her age can do. You want to know what I was doing when I was her age? Playing the latest Pokemon game on my Nintendo DS system and I thought I was cool.
(Editor's Note: I liked Meowth so much, I refused to evolve it into a Persian. Persian's ain't cute! — SRS)
Japan is no strange to pitting children against trained adults, though. Before he was having six-star matches at Wrestle Kingdom, Kenny Omega wrestled a nine-year-old girl, once upon a time. I guess there’s an audience for children vs. adult fights, whether they be a work or a shoot fight.
While researching for this article, I actually came across this video of other children skilled in MMA beating up adults. Perhaps this is just an omen from the MMA gods creating an army of adorable children skilled in mixed martial arts to overthrow the adults in the world?
Are we seeing the beginning of the kids vs. adults era? Are these children the start of the real life Kids Next Door who will battle against adult tyranny?! (Points for anybody that remembers that awesome cartoon from the mid-2000s)
Anybody that is actually interested in watching this fight can view on the promotion’s website. Also expected to be on the card is top-three ranked lightweight contender, King Reina, as well as top atomweight contenders, Satomi Takano and Tomo Maesawa.
