is a retired Japanese female mixed martial artist,

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

. She has participated in several Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotions. She is a Japanese national

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

champion and a former Smackgirl open weight champion and tournament winner.

Background

Yabushita was born on in Asahikawa,

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Her father introduced her into judo, training her before entering

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

. Yabushita excelled at judo starting in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and became a regular participant in national championships.

Judo career

Yabushita graduated from Asahikawa University High School, where she won the judo club competitions in the less than 48 kg division in 1988 and 1989. Scouted by Japan's corporate judo team Miki House, she won the all-Japan individual championships in 1993, in 1994 she placed third in the Fukuoka international women's judo championships in the 52 kg class and in 1995 she placed fifth in the World Masters Munich in the 52 kg class. and also participated in the 52 kg class in the

1995 World Judo Championships The 1995 World Judo Championships were the 19th edition of the World Judo Championships, and were held in Chiba, Japan in 1995. Medal overview Men Women Medal table Results overview Men 60 kg 65 kg 71 kg 78 kg 86 kg 95 kg + ...

celebrated in

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

, Japan.

Professional wrestling career

In 1996, Yabushita joined Jd' wrestling promotion, She made her debut on in a match against Sumie Sakai at

Korakuen Hall is a famous sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many notable boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches. History On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with ...

. On , Yabushita won the Jd' Junior title in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

by winning a

round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero ...

where she defeated Sakai in the final match and she would lose it on her first defense against The Bloody on . She would regain the title on by defeating Sakai once again and this time went on to successfully defend it three times before vacating it. On , Yabushita and Sakai became the Trans-world Wrestling Federation World Women's Tag Team champions. and defended it one time before losing it on against Crusher Maedomari and Drake Morimatsu. Megumi Yabushita and Sumie Sakai would regain the title one more time, by

pinning Pinning may refer to: * Pinning, the effect of certain weapons that cause their targets to be pinned down * Pinning ceremony (nursing), a symbolic welcoming of new graduates into the nursing profession * Pinning force, a force acting on a pinned ob ...

Kazuki on and Sachie Abe on in a couple of special stipulation matches. Yabushita left Jd' gym in 2002. She would win the Tag team title one more time with Maru as her partner on by winning the final of an 8-team tournament against The Bloody and Yumi Ohka, who would in turn gain the title in Yabushita's and Maru's first defense on . Yabushita also won the American Wrestling Federation World Women's Title on and on . On , Yabushita defeated The Bloody to win the BS Japan Queen of the Ring Title, and with his victory of the AWF title, she unifies both titles that then became the Jd' Double Title. Yabushita along with Command Bolshoi became the Daily Sports Women's Tag Team and JWP Tag Team Champions on .

Mixed martial arts career

When she joined women's wrestling promotion Jd' in 1996, she met Yoko Takahashi, "Japan's First Woman MMA Fighter." At the time, Takahashi, injured with a

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...

that made her retire from pro-wrestling and focus on MMA, was working as pro-wrestling referee and also trained in MMA, which was the reason why Yabushita started training in MMA. On , Yabushita made her MMA debut against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Ji Hee Yu, defeating her with an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

submission at 2:51 of the first round at Central Martial Arts Association event ''Octagon Challenge'', held at the Nagoya Congress Center Century Hall in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Aichi,

. Her next bouts and her rose to prominence would take place during Smackgirl's ''ReMix World Cup 2000'' celebrated on at the

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

, Japan. The tournament held a for the winner, for the runner-up and for both third places. Yabushita's first match in the tournament was against American kickboxer Bambi Bertoncello, whom Yabushita defeated with an armbar submission. Her spotlight in the tournament was in her match against Russian judoka Svetlana Goundarenko, who had submitted American

Erin Toughill Erin Young Toughill (born June 13, 1977) is an American professional boxer and former mixed martial artist who also appeared as a Gladiator on the American Gladiators series. She began kickboxing at the age of 18 and started training in Brazil ...

, outweighed Yabushita for over and had a height advantage of . Despite these disadvantages, Yabushita was able to control the fight with her quickness and takedown skills, earning a unanimous decision victory and a spot in the final. In the final, Dutch fighter

Marloes Coenen Marloes Coenen (born March 31, 1981) is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist. She competed professionally from 2000 to 2017 and is a former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. Early life Coenen's brothers and grandfather were both involv ...

defeated Yabushita by unanimous decision. With her performance in the tournament, Yabushita and women's MMA became one of the hottest topics in Japanese fight sports. Yabushita lost her next bout by technical submission (armbar) against

on in the ReMix's event ''Golden Gate 2001''. Yabushita's next match was on in Jd' wrestling promotion event ''No holds barred 2002'' in a MMA rules bout where she was once again defeated by Marloes Coenen, this time by a rear naked choke submission. Yabushita would lose for the third time in a row against Japanese Asako Saioka who, contrary to Yabushita's previous opponents, matched her in height and weight and defeated Yabushita by unanimous decision on in ReMix promotion successor, Smackgirl, in the event ''Smack Legend 2002'' at the Differ Ariake Arena. On , Yabushita got another victory by submitting Japanese kickboxer Naoko Sakamoto with an armbar at 0:23 of round one in ''Smackgirl Third Season-IV''. At All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling event ''Tag League: The Best'', Yabushita defeated fellow pro-wrestler Shioya Yoshimi by armbar submission in a MMA bout on . Yabushita made her debut in Shooto promotion on in the event ''G-Shooto Japan: Activation'', defeating Hitomi Akano in Akano's professional debut and in a match in which Yabushita applied a giant swing on Akano. On , Yabushita participated in Smackgirl's ''World ReMix 2004'' held on

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

, in the open weight queen decision tournament, which would crown the first Smackgirl open weight champion. Josh Barnett's student, American fighter Shannon Hooper, was Yabushita's first opponent whom Yabushita defeated at 0:29 of round one with a

wristlock A wristlock is a joint lock primarily affecting the wrist-joint and, in some cases, the Distal radioulnar articulation, radioulnar joints through rotation of the hand. A wristlock is typically applied by grabbing the opponent's hand, and bending an ...

. Yabushita next faced American grappler Roxanne Modafferi in the semi-finals, defeating Modafferi by unanimous decision. In a rematch of their 2001 bout, Yamaguchi and Erin Toughill fought in the tournament final. Toughill, who had just defeated Marloes Coenen by TKO, outweighed Yabushita for around and was controlling the fight until Yabushita grabbed Toughill's left wrist in an effort to stop her attacks, to which Toughill responded with two elbows to the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the spi ...

, an illegal action. The referee immediately stopped the fight and gave Toughill a yellow card while Yabushita was writhing in pain. The ring doctor didn't allow the bout to continue after checking Yabushita, which resulted in an immediate disqualification for Toughill and this gave the open weight title to Yabushita. As a precautionary measure, Yabushita was carried to the waiting room in a stretcher and was taken to a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

in which she was diagnosed with

lumbar In tetrapod anatomy, lumbar is an adjective that means ''of or pertaining to the abdominal segment of the torso, between the diaphragm and the sacrum.'' The lumbar region is sometimes referred to as the lower spine, or as an area of the back i ...

transverse processes The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic i ...

fracture Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

, according to the event organizers, and rendered Yabushita unable to fulfill her commitment to fight against

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

specialist

Felicia Oh Felicia Linda Oh (born in Seattle, Washington, on December 13, 1967) is an American submission grappling competitor and martial arts instructor. Oh earned her black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under senior instructor Jean Jacques Machado. Biog ...

in a

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

match on . Yabushita's next fight was in the event ''G-Shooto Japan 02'', where American fighter

Tara LaRosa Tara may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tara'' (1992 film), an Indian film directed by Bijaya Jena * ''Tara'' (2001 film), an American film, also known as ''Hood Rat'', directed by Leslie Small * ''Tara'' (2010 film), a ...

defeated Yabushita by

majority decision A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on which ...

on . On , Yabushita fought against South Korean kickboxer Hyun Sung Kim as part of the opening round of Smackgirl's first middleweight queen decision tournament in ''Smackgirl 2005: Cool Fighter's Last Stand''. In an unexpected development, as Kim advanced to attack, Yabushita used a judo throw on Kim which slammed Kim's face directly on the mat, knocking her out instantly, while Yabushita tried an arm submission, unaware of Kim's state. The referee rushed to stop the fight and Yabushita won at 0:29 of round one, with Yabushita not knowing what transpired until asking her corner. There was concern over Kim's health, as she had to be carried outside the ring on a stretcher but after being examined at the hospital there were no abnormalities found on Kim. Yabushita fought in World X-Impact Federation's ''X-Impact World Championships'', an event held in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

on , where she defeated local fighter Yong Joo Lee by unanimous decision. On , Yabushita returned to Smackgirl for the final part of the middleweight queen decision tournament that took place in the event ''Smackgirl 2005: Dynamic!!'' in

Shibuya, Tokyo Shibuya (渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1, ...

, Japan. In the semi-finals, Yabushita defeated Asako Saioka by armbar, avenging her 2002 loss against Saioka. Yabushita was defeated in a 1-2 decision in the tournament final by American fighter Laura D'Auguste, who became the first Smackgirl middleweight champion. After the tournament, Yabushita lost against American Amanda Buckner by submission (guillotine choke) in ''Smackgirl 2006: Advent of Goddess'' on . Yabushita had an exhibition match against Mika Nagano on . A few days after, Yabushita would have another defeat on in ''G-Shooto Japan 05'' at the hands of Roxanne Modafferi by unanimous decision, in a rematch of their 2004 fight. On , Yabushita and Laura D'Auguste had a rematch in which D'Auguste was defending her Ring of Combat women's welterweight title in ''Ring of Combat 11'' held in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Yabushita's corner was forced to stop the fight after Yabushita got her

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is most often used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anat ...

fractured during the first round. Yabushita rebounded back with a majority decision victory against Japanese Mizuho Sato in Shooto's ''Battle Mix Tokyo 02'' on . On , Yabushita defeated

Mayumi Aoki is a Japanese swimmer. She competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in the 100 m and 200 m butterfly and 4 × 100 m medley relay and won a gold medal in the 100 m butterfly. She won a bronze medal in this event at the 1973 World Aquatics Champion ...

by unanimous decision in ''Smackgirl 2007: The Dance of the Taisho Romance''. Yabushita participated in the event ''K-Grace'' on in the contest open weight tournament. Her first bout was against

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

kickboxer Jurgita Leitonaite, whom Yabushita defeated in 17 seconds with an armbar. For the third time, Yabushita clashed with Roxanne Modafferi, with Modafferi gaining a unanimous decision and advancing to the final which she eventually won. Returning to the US, Yabushita participated in ''Fatal Femmes Fighting Championship 2: The Crystal Brawl'', where she faced another Josh Barnett's student, American Ginele Marquez, who defeated Yabushita by unanimous decision on . In the open-air event ''Smackgirl in Summerfest!!'' on , Yabushita submitted Hiroko Kohata with an armbar in 15 seconds. On , Yabushita was defeated by American fighter Lisa Ellis with a unanimous decision in the event ''Fatal Femmes Fighting Championship 3: War of the Roses''. Facing another American fighter on in ''Smackgirl 7th anniversary: Starting Over'', Yabushita was once again defeated by unanimous decision, this time against Lana Stefanac, who had an advantage over Yabushita. During the open weight tournament in ''Smackgirl world ReMix tournament 2008 Opening Round'' held on , Yabushita had a rematch against Hitomi Akano, whom Yabushita defeated in Akano's debut in MMA in 2007, and in this occasion it ended with Akano submitting Yabushita with a

heel hook Heel hook may refer to: * Heel hook, in grappling * A climbing technique __NOTOC__ This glossary of climbing terms is a list of definitions of terms and jargon related to rock climbing and mountaineering. The specific terms used can vary conside ...

. Yabushita had her four straight loss at the hands of Russian fighter

Julia Berezikova Julia Berezikova ( rus, Юлия Березикова, Julija Berezikova; born ) is a Russian female mixed martial artist and boxer. In February, 2014 she was the #7-ranked 125-pound female fighter in the world according to the Unified Women's MMA ...

, who won the match by unanimous decision in the event ''FightFORCE: Russia vs. The World'' held in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, on . Rebounding back from her

losing streak ''Losing Streak'' is the second studio album by ska punk band Less Than Jake, released on November 12, 1996 on Capitol Records. The album was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida and Mirror Image Studios in Gainesville, Florida, bo ...

, Yabushita scored a unanimous decision victory over Emi Fujino at Japanese event ''Demolition 080721'' on . After a year without fighting in MMA, on , it was announced that Yabushita would be making her debut with

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

promotion in the event '' Jewels 5th Ring'' facing fellow pro-wrestler Atsuko Emoto. On , Yabushita defeated Emoto by submission (armbar) at 2:43 mins. of round one after resisting Emoto's initial attack. Yabushita returned to the United States on to participate in Freestyle Cage Fighting women's bantamweight grand prix at ''Freestyle Cage Fighting 39''. For the third time, Yabushita was facing another Josh Barnett's student, this time submission specialist Shayna Baszler, who dominated the fight and submitted Yabushita with a twister, a

catch wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission h ...

move rarely seen in MMA. On , Yabushita made her debut with

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

promotion, defeating Japanese fighter Mutsumi Kasai with a

scarf hold In grappling, side control (often also called side mount, cross mount, 100 kilos) is a dominant ground grappling position where the top combatant is lying perpendicularly over the face-up bottom combatant in such a way that the legs are free and ...

armlock submission, handling Kasai her first professional loss, in the event ''Valkyrie 05''. Yabushita next faced Japanese MMA rising star

Rin Nakai is a Japanese professional female mixed martial artist. Starting her MMA career in 2006, she has participated in the organizations Pancrase, Smackgirl, Valkyrie and the UFC. Nakai has been rated amongst Top 10 of Women's Flyweight and Bantam ...

at ''Valkyrie 06'' on , losing by unanimous decision in a match that Nakai dominated to remain undefeated. Yabushita faced

Sarah Kaufman Sarah Elizabeth Kaufman (born September 20, 1985) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA). She competed in the women's bantamweight division where she is a former Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Kaufman was the inaugural Strike ...

at ''Armageddon Fighting Championship 5: Judgment Day'' on in

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

. She was defeated by TKO in the third round. Yabushita faced professional wrestler

Kyoko Kimura is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Throughout her 14-year career, she competed in Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Ibuki, Ice Ribbon, JWP Joshi Puroresu, NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling and World Wonder Ring Stardom, amo ...

at ''Pancrase Impressive Tour 11'' on . She was defeated by TKO (doctor stoppage) due to an ankle injury sustained in the first round. Yabushita returned to Jewels to face

Shizuka Sugiyama , occasionally nicknamed and , is an American-born Japanese female mixed martial artist. She previously fought in the MMA promotion Jewels and now competes for Deep. Background Sugiyama was born on in New York City, New York, United States. Su ...

at ''Jewels 20th Ring'' on . She was defeated by split decision. On , Yabushita faced Jade Marie Anderson at ''Jewels 22nd Ring''. She was defeated by unanimous decision. Yabushita faced Anderson again in a rematch at ''Gladiator: Dream, Power and Hope'' on . She was defeated by technical submission due to an armbar in the first round.

Submission grappling career

Yabushita was supposed to debut at submission grappling against

on , but

injured Yabushita in their MMA bout and Yabushita was unable to grapple against Oh. Yabushita participated in ''Smackgirl Grappling Queen Tournament 2007'' on , defeating against

Hitomi Sakamoto is a female wrestler from Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. She is Captain in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. On 8 August 2012, Obara won the women's 48kg freestyle wrestling gold in her first Olympic Games at London's Excel Ar ...

by decision (25-0) and losing against Akiko Ninomiya with a choke sleeper submission in the middleweight tournament final.

Kickboxing and Shoot boxing career

On , Yabushita debuted in kickboxing, losing against Yuko Okamoto by TKO, after Yabushita had her left shoulder dislocated in All-Japan Kickboxing Federation event ''Girls standing fight 1st. bout - Girls Shock!''. Her next match was a draw against Hikaru Shinohara in the event ''Nyotei Produce: Belief'' in a kickboxing rules match with no judges on . On , it was announced that Yabushita would have a kickboxing rematch against South Korean Hyun Sung Kim whom Yabushita had brutally knocked out with a slam on Kim's face in a MMA match on . This time, Kim controlled the match and defeated Yabushita by decision (0-3) on in the Central Martial Arts Association event ''CMA festival: Japan vs. South Korea total war''. Facing another South Korean, Yabushita was defeated by Seo Hee Ham by unanimous decision in the event ''CMA Festival 2: Ikuhisa Minowa debut 10 anniversary tournament'' celebrated on . Yabushita was defeated by Japanese

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

expert Rie Murakami with a unanimous decision on in the event ''Breathless Muay Thai 4''. Yabushita had another unanimous decision loss at the hands of Mitsuki, whom Yabushita faced on in the event ''Dragon Gym & professional wrestling ring Noah combined performance''. Yabushita got her first victory in kickboxing by defeating Kanako Oka by decision (3-0) at ''Shoot boxing Osaka 2010 Alpinisme -Young Caesar Cup-'' on . On , Yabushita was defeated by Kozue "Azuma" Nagashima in a 3-0 decision in the event ''New Japan Kickboxing Federation: Neppuu Reisan''. On at Dragon Gym event ''Charity kickboxing event: No Name Heroes 10'', Yabushita was defeated via unanimous decision by Monica, MAD 66 kg champion. At the event ''J-Girls Women Festival 2010: The women who fight are beautiful'' on , Yabushita had a rematch against Rie Murakami, who once again defeated Yabushita, this time by KO in the third round, successfully defending J-Girls lightweight title. On , Yabushita faced Seo Hee Ham for a second time at ''Gladiator 14 KOK Samurai Series''. Yabushita lost the fight by TKO in the second round. On , Yabushita faced Hiroko Yamanaka in a shoot boxing match at the ''2011 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup''. She was defeated by TKO (doctor stoppage) due to a knee injury in round three.

Outside sports

Yabushita has a younger sister named who is also a judoka. Yabushita along with Yoko Takahashi left Jd' in 2002 and associated with Soft on Demand (SOD), one of the biggest adult film makers in Japan, and founded SOD Women's MMA Dojo and started to train MMA fighters. After some years, Yabushita and Takahashi decided to leave their partnership with SOD and closed their gym at the end of and they formed their own team called Tomoe-gumi. This situation forced them to collaborate with Fang Gym in order to have a place to train. Members of Tomoe-gumi had differences with Fang Gym's policies and Yabushita and Takahashi were forced to disband the team by and became

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

. They negotiated with Exit, a bar / live house in Shinjuku, Tokyo, to become bouncers at the place during the night and to use the live house space for their training and the amateur MMA shows free of charge during the day. When they decided to change the name of their team for a name that represented "girls that keep on fighting", they met with American clothing

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

Fight Chix and contacted the company for a possible collaboration which was accepted. Yabushita and Takahashi renamed their team to Team Fight Chix. With their partnership, Yabushita and Takahashi are introducing, marketing and distributing Fight Chix products in the Japanese market. Yabushita uses

Kula Shaker Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a num ...

's cover of '' Hush'' as her ring entrance theme in pro-wrestling. In MMA, she uses Visa's ''Fly Away'' song as her entrance theme.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 19-23 , Chan-Mi Jeon , TKO (punches) , All Fighting Championship 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

, South Korea , , - , Loss , align=center, 19-22 , Jade Marie Anderson , Technical Submission (armbar) , Gladiator: Dream, Power and Hope , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19-21 , Jade Marie Anderson , Decision (unanimous) , Jewels 22nd Ring , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ariake Ariake (有明: "daybreak") may refer to: Places in Japan *Ariake, Kagoshima, a former town in Kagoshima Prefecture *Ariake, Kumamoto, a former town in Kumamoto Prefecture *Ariake, Saga, a former town in Saga Prefecture *Ariake, Tokyo, a district w ...

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19-20 ,

, Decision (split) , Jewels 20th Ring , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19-19 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Pancrase: Impressive Tour 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19-18 ,

, TKO (punches) , AFC 5: Judgment Day , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:34 ,

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 19-17 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Valkyrie 06 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19-16 , Mutsumi Kasai , Submission (scarf hold armlock) , Valkyrie 05 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:58 ,

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18-16 , Shayna Baszler , Submission (twister) , Freestyle Cage Fighting 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:50 , Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18-15 , Atsuko Emoto , Submission (armbar) , Jewels 5th Ring , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 , Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17-15 , Emi Fujino , Decision (unanimous) , Demolition 080721 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 16-15 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , FightFORCE: Russia vs. The World , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 16-14 , Hitomi Akano , Submission (heel hook) , Smackgirl World ReMix Tournament 2008 Opening Round , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:16 , Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 16-13 ,

Lana Stefanac Lana Stefanac is an American mixed martial artist, grappler and black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and instructor. Stefanac is a World, Pan American, and US National Brazilian jiu-jitsu Champion in colored belts, she is a two-time black ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Smackgirl 7th anniversary: Starting Over , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 16-12 , Lisa Ellis , Decision (unanimous) , Fatal Femmes Fighting Championship 3: War of the Roses , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Compton Compton may refer to: Places Canada * Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district * Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton * Compton, Que ...

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16-11 , Hiromi Kohata , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl in Summerfest!! , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 15-11 , Ginele Marquez , Decision (unanimous) , Fatal Femmes Fighting Championship 2: The Crystal Brawl , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15-10 , Roxanne Modafferi , Decision (unanimous) , K-GRACE , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15-9 , Jurgita Leitonaite , Submission (armbar) , K-GRACE , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14-9 , Mayumi Aoki , Decision (unanimous) , Smackgirl: The Dance of the Taisho Romance , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Taisho, Osaka, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13-9 , Mizuho Sato , Decision (majority) , Shooto: Battle Mix Tokyo 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Taito, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12-9 , Laura D'Auguste , TKO (corner stoppage) , Ring of Combat 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12-8 , Roxanne Modafferi , Decision (unanimous) , G-Shooto: G-Shooto 05 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12-7 , Amanda Buckner , Submission (guillotine choke) , Smackgirl 2006: Advent of Goddess , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 , Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12-6 , Laura D'Auguste , Decision (split) , Smackgirl 2005: Dynamic!! , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12-5 , Asako Saioka , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl 2005: Dynamic!! , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11-5 , Yong Joo Lee , Decision (unanimous) , WXF: X-Impact World Championships , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 10-5 , Hyun Sung Kim , KO (slam) , Smackgirl: Cool Fighter's Last Stand , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

Numazu, Shizuoka is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 189,486 in 91,986 households, and a population density of 1,014 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Numazu is at the nor ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9-5 ,

, Decision (majority) , G-Shooto: G-Shooto 02 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Aomi is an area in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. Its subdivisions consist of Aomi 1, 2, 3 and 4 ''chome''. Aomi is part of Tokyo Bay Landfill #13 and Tokyo Rinkai Satellite City Center. Many important facilities are located in Aomi, such as the Miraikan ...

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9-4 ,

, DQ (elbows) , Smackgirl: World ReMix 2004 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:39 ,

Shizuoka, Shizuoka is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in both population and area. It has been populated since prehistoric times. the city had an estimated population of 690,881 in 106,087 households, and ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8-4 , Roxanne Modafferi , Decision (unanimous) , Smackgirl: World ReMix 2004 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7-4 , Shannon Hooper , Submission (wristlock) , Smackgirl: World ReMix 2004 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6-4 , Hitomi Akano , Decision (unanimous) , G-Shooto: G-Shooto 01 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Koto, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5-4 , Shioya Yoshimi , Submission (armbar) , All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling: Tag League: The Best , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

Setagaya, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. The ward calls itself Setagaya City in English. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orch ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4-4 , Naoko Sakamoto , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl: Third Season 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

Roppongi is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popular with locals and foreigners alike. It is ...

Minato, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also called Minato City in English. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. The modern Minato ward exhibits th ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-4 , Asako Saioka , Decision (unanimous) , Smackgirl: Smack Legend 2002 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ariake, Tokyo is a district in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. It is best known as the region adjacent to and directly east of Odaiba. Ariake is subdivided into four Japanese addressing system, ''chome'' and comprises part of the Tokyo Bay Landfill No. 10 and Tokyo Rink ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Jd': No Holds Barred , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 , Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-2 ,

, Technical Submission (armbar) , ReMix: Golden Gate 2001 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:10 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3-1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ReMix: World Cup 2000 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chiyoda, Tokyo is a special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English.Profile< ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3-0 , Svetlana Goundarenko , Decision (unanimous) , ReMix: World Cup 2000 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chiyoda, Tokyo is a special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English.Profile< ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Bambi Bertoncello , Submission (armbar) , ReMix: World Cup 2000 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Chiyoda, Tokyo is a special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English.Profile< ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 , Ji Hee Yu , Submission (armbar) , CMA: Octagon Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

Nagoya, Aichi is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Japan ,

Submission grappling

''Legend'':

Kickboxing and Shoot boxing record

''Legend'':

Championships and accomplishments

Judo

*All-Japan individual championships 1993 52 kg winner *Fukuoka international women's judo championships 1994 52 kg third place *World Masters Munich 1995 52 kg fifth place

Professional wrestling

*Jd' junior title holder *TWF World Tag Team title holder (partner Sumie Sakai) *TWF World Tag Team title holder (partner Maru) *AWF World Women title holder *AWF & QOR Unified title holder, JD' double title holder * Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Championship (partner Command Bolshoi) * JWP Tag Team Championship (partner Command Bolshoi) *WWWD World Tag Team Championship (partner

Chikayo Nagashima is a Japanese professional wrestler. She started her career in 1995, working for the Gaea Japan promotion, where she became a one-time AAAW Single Champion and a record five-time AAAW Tag Team Champion. She was also notably one of the four fou ...

)

Mixed martial arts

*Smackgirl Open Weight Champion *Smackgirl Open Weight Queen tournament winner *Smackgirl First Middleweight Queen tournament runner-up *ReMix Open Weight World Tournament 2000 runner-up

References

External links

* *
Profile at Fightergirls.com
at Good Luck Company
Official blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yabushita, Megumi Japanese female mixed martial artists Japanese female kickboxers Japanese female professional wrestlers Japanese female judoka Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing shootboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing shoot wrestling Japanese Muay Thai practitioners Female Muay Thai practitioners 1972 births Living people People from Asahikawa Sportspeople from Hokkaido

Background

Judo career

Professional wrestling career

Mixed martial arts career

Submission grappling career

Kickboxing and Shoot boxing career

Outside sports

Mixed martial arts record

Submission grappling

Kickboxing and Shoot boxing record

Championships and accomplishments

Judo

Professional wrestling

Mixed martial arts

See also

References

External links