By Simon Head |
December 26, 2020 8: 05 am
Miyuu Yamamoto heads into basically the most involving combat of her occupation with the phrases of her legendary brother serene unique in her mind.
Yamamoto (6-4) will explain for the vacant Rizin FF massive atomweight title when she takes on feeble champion Ayaka Hamasaki (20-3) at Rizin FF 26 on Dec. 31 in Saitama, Japan. It’s the opportunity she has been hoping for ever since she transitioned from freestyle wrestling to MMA in 2016, and, on the age of 46, she says she’s never felt greater.
Yamamoto’s title tilt comes precisely one 365 days after her final appearance, when she outpointed Thailand’s Suwanan Boonsorn at Rizin FF 20. Since then, she’s been in Guam, sharpening her abilities while the island has remained largely locked down attributable to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Guam is extra strict than Japan and is currently under lockdown,” she outlined all over Rizin’s pre-combat YouTube collection, “Rizin Confessions.” “There are limits for gatherings (and) my children are serene attending online classes.”
But that isolation, out of the aggressive cycle and left to work on her abilities, has proved to be a blessing for Yamamoto, who has used the time to sharpen her abilities sooner than her return.
“On yarn of there was no combat lined up, I didn’t obtain to think my opponent,” she talked about. “I was in a place apart of abode to accommodate what I needed to work on. So it labored out wisely.”
The past frequent time to work on her sport has proved worthwhile, as Yamamoto appears to be like to be like to meet the doubtless she brought to the sport after taking pictures four freestyle wrestling world championships earlier in her occupation.
As she outlined, her originate up to life in MMA was a tough one, as she struggled to utterly adapt to the sport. But, after suffering some early setbacks, she was boosted by the boldness of her brother, the leisurely Japanese MMA legend Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto.
“I started off with motivate-to-motivate losses,” she recalled. “‘Kid’ instructed me, ‘Your bodily strengths, your pure instincts, your velocity and items, nobody can match that. So have faith to your self.’”
The advice clearly labored. After starting out 1-3 with Rizin, Yamamoto hit derive and heads into the Unusual Year’s Eve title clash with Hamasaki having won five of her final six outings.
“I started winning and lastly began to climb the ladder,” she talked about. “I indubitably obtain near this some distance (and feel) the strongest in my life at 46 years faded. … Now I obtain to originate finishing things.”
Rizin FF 26 takes place apart of abode on Thursday, Dec. 31 at Saitama Plump Arena and streams through pay-per-scrutinize on LIVENow.
