“I will prepare with the determination that I cannot lose as much as my mental strength.”
Road FC champion Shim Yu-ri makes her second appearance in a major team
Two consecutive away games between Korea and Japan following the match against the world’s 9th ranked team.
Ayaka Hamasaki (42, Japan) highly praised Shim Yuri (30), who will be playing against Korea and Japan in their home game.
Rizin Landmark 10 will be held on November 17 at Exhibition Hall 1 of the International Exhibition Center in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (capacity: 15,000). Ayaka Hamasaki, former world number one in mixed martial arts, will compete with the second Road FC atomweight (-48kg) champion Yuri Shim in -49kg 5 minutes x 3 rounds.
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241111.d9e127c0fbbf4619909f93e2874cab18_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="403" /> Enlarge photo 2nd Road FC atomweight champion Shim Yuri (left), 1st and 3rd Raijin – 49kg champion Ayaka Hamasaki. Photo = RIZIN FF
UFC, PFL, Bellator (USA), ONE Championship (Singapore), and Japanese Raijin are grouped into major competitions. Ayaka Hamasaki served as the 1st and 3rd Raijin –49kg champion. Yu-ri Shim is currently active under a contract with Risen through KMMA Fighter Agency (CEOs: Yong-jun Jeong, Dae-hwan Kim).
This is Ayaka Hamasaki’s return to mixed martial arts (MMA) after 785 days (2 years, 1 month, and 24 days). After the public training for Raijin Landmark 10, he was wary of Shim Yuri, saying, “He has good physical strength and his tenacity is even stronger than that.”
The mixed martial arts ranking system ‘Fight Matrix’ ranked Ayaka Hamasaki as the world’s No. 1 atomweight in the 4th quarter of 2014 to the 1st quarter of 2018, the 4th quarter of 2018 to the 4th quarter of 2019, and the 2nd to 4th quarter of 2021. He was also the 4th US Invicta champion and the first DEEP Jewels champion in Japan.
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20240325.4a6c04851c3543b79c8e0ecbcd98918c_R.png" data-width="640" data-height="360" /> Enlarge photo Shim Yu-ri (right) appeared on Netflix’s sports survival entertainment program ‘Physical: 100 – Underground’ with participation number 003. Photo = Galaxy Corporation and Ruiworks Media
Shim Yu-ri became the Road FC atomweight champion in September 2021, but returned to RIZIN after surrendering the title in December 2023. He appeared as participant number 003 in the Netflix sports survival entertainment program ‘Physical: 100 Underground’, which was released on March 19, 2024.
Season 2 of the global OTT Netflix sports entertainment program Physical 100 was an international hit, ranking first in viewing time in non-English languages until March 24. For Shim Yu-ri, who survived up to 49 people (stage 2), it was enough of an opportunity to increase her reputation. This is why Japan’s ‘Eplus Spice’ calls her the “Queen of the Korean Wave.”
Ayaka Hamasaki said, “She is a player with a long reach, ability to maintain distance, and difficult elbow attacks. “I am improving my physical condition with the mindset that I will not lose to Shim Yuri, at least mentally,” he said, expressing his determination to prepare for Raijin Landmark 10.
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20240930.7e8628c8660246a9978c0a1853db5ccb_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="371" /> Enlarge photo Shim Yu-ri (right), ranked 13th in the world, and former mixed martial arts female atomweight rank 1 Ayaka Hamasaki. Photo = RIZIN FF official SNS
Shim Yu-ri’s advantage is her physique, including a height of 168-155 cm and a wingspan (arms + shoulders) of 164-160 cm. On the other hand, Ayaka Hamasaki experienced twists and turns such as injury to the ulna of her left arm in September 2022 → surgery → confirmation of return in February 2024 → fracture and reoperation during training.
Of course, Shim Yu-ri also feels burdened by the fact that she is having to go to Korea-Japan again 240 days (7 months and 26 days) after losing by unanimous decision to kickboxing star Rena Kubota (33), a former champion of two groups, in her debut match in Raijin.
KMMA co-representative Yongjun Jeong encouraged Shim Yu-ri, who is preparing for her match with Ayaka Hamasaki, saying, “It’s really difficult, but if you dream of becoming the top of Raijin like Seo-hee Ham (37) and Si-woo Park (33), you must beat her.”
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20240325.f4acffd2d59f48869f91e4778894ffc6_R.png" data-width="640" data-height="800" /> Enlarge photo Shim Yuri Raijin Landmark 9 profile. Photo = RIZIN FF 
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241111.8efbc02775ec4f7ead37c21c5c097926_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="440" /> Enlarge photo Challenger Ham Seo-hee (left) is happy after declaring a 2-1 victory in the title match and becoming the 2nd Raijin – 49kg champion. On the right is the inaugural champion, Ayaka Hamasaki, applauding in congratulations. Photo = RIZIN FF 
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20241111.b30e326d8ad3409f9728717a19c546d3_R.png" data-width="660" data-height="660" /> Enlarge photo Park Si-woo (left) is declared victorious in the semifinals of the 2022 Risen -49kg Grand Prix. Ayaka Hamasaki endured the decision in the second round with a broken left arm. Photo = RIZIN FF
Seohee Ham participated as a challenger in Ayaka Hamasaki’s second title defense at the end of 2019 and won by a 2-1 decision, becoming the second Raijin -49kg champion and ranked first in the world rankings of the ‘Fight Matrix’ atomweight class.
Park Si-woo defeated Ayaka Hamasaki by unanimous decision in the semifinals of the 2022 Raijin –49kg Grand Prix, advancing to the finals and becoming second in the world rankings in the ‘Fight Matrix’ atomweight division.
Ayaka Hamasaki is a living legend, as evidenced by her ranking of 13th in the women’s all-time rankings of ‘Fight Matrix’, which runs through MMA history. As a fighter with 17 years of experience, his experience of 44 official fights is impressive, including 4 wins and 1 draw as an amateur, 24 wins and 6 losses as a professional, and 8 wins and 1 draw in grappling.
Shim Yu-ri’s career high is ranked 13th in the atomweight division in ‘Fight Matrix’ in the third quarter of 2019. Attention is being paid to whether she will make up for the disappointment of not being able to surpass Rena Kubota, who rose to 9th place in the rankings, by defeating Ayaka Hamasaki, a leading mixed martial artist.
news/cms/202411/11/news-p.v1.20240325.fd92e3cf8179472a8f08fb21e1b15b16_R.png" data-width="640" data-height="640" /> Enlarge photo Shim Yu-ri (left), former Road FC champion, is disappointed after losing by unanimous decision in the first match of the Raijin Landmark 9 main card. On the right is Rena Kubota, a former Rise and shootboxing champion. Photo = RIZIN FF
[강대호 MK스포츠 기자]
