Sumiko Inaba (born February 6, 1991) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the Women's

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

division of the Bellator MMA. As of December 13, 2022, she is #8 in the Bellator Women's Flyweight Rankings.

Background

After graduating

King Kekaulike High School King Kekaulike High School (KKHS), home of the ''Na Ali'i'', was established in 1995 and is located in Pukalani, Hawaii.King Ke ...

, Inaba studied nursing before she discovered mixed martial arts while attending boxing classes to get into shape. She has a daughter, Kiyarah-Lei, who was born around 2009.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

She went 6-1 as an amateur, including four TKOs and one submission. After the pandemic put her career in the travel industry on hiatus, she put her full-time efforts into training. She decided to go professional in 2020 and landed an endorsement with Hilo-based Waiakea Water Company.

Bellator MMA

After a successful amateur career, Inaba signed with Bellator MMA. She made her professional MMA debut against Jessica Ruiz on November 5, 2020 at Bellator 251. In her sophomore performance, Inaba faced Kristina Katsikis on May 21, 2021 at

Bellator 259 Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by Bellator MMA at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event featured a Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the ...

. She won the bout via third round TKO. Inaba faced Randi Field on October 16, 2021 at

Bellator 268 Bellator 268: Nemkov vs. Anglickas (also known as ''Bellator Phoenix'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on October 16, 2021, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The ev ...

. She won the bout via arm-triangle choke in the second round. Inaba faced Whittany Pyles on April 23, 2022 at Bellator 279. At the weigh-ins, Pyles missed weight for her bout, weighing in at 127.4 pounds, 1.4 pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Pyles was fined a percentage of her purse, which went to Inaba. Inaba knocked out her opponent with a left hook in the first round. Inaba faced Nadine Mandiau on October 1, 2022 at Bellator 286. She won the bout after grinding out an unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts record

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Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

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Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

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Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ea ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Wailuku, Hawaii Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th cent ...

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Maui, Hawaii The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inaba, Sumiko 1991 births Living people American female mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Bellator female fighters American sportspeople of Japanese descent