is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

female

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, incorp ...

whose nickname is Vale Tudo Queen. Tsuji was a prolific female mixed martial artist in the 2000s. Tsuji is a former

Smackgirl Smackgirl was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion focused solely on female fighters. The promotion also held grappling and amateur events along with its main line of professional MMA cards. After financial difficulties throughout 2008 the pr ...

tournament winner, Smackgirl Lightweight Champion and Valkyrie Featherweight Champion.

MMA 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 strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

ranking system A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal to" the second. In order theory, mathematics, this is known as a Strict weak ordering ...

portal

Fight Matrix Fight Matrix , MMA Rankings, Records, Statistics is an independent, comprehensive, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. According to FightMatrix: "The rankings on thi ...

ranked Tsuji as the #1 pound-for-pound Female Mixed Martial artist in the world in the years 2002, 2004 and 2005. Between 2002 to her retirement from MMA in 2012, she had frequently placed in the Top 5 of women's MMA fighters in

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 bo ...

and strawweight classes.

Early life

Tsuji was born on in

Hirakata, Osaka file:Hirakata Park.jpg, 260px, Hirakata Park is a Cities of Japan, city in northeastern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 397,681 in 183075 households and a population density of 6100 persons per km2. The total ...

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 ...

. She graduated from the prestigious

Chukyo Women's University is a private university in Ōbu, Aichi, Japan. Until the school renamed itself to Shigakkan in 2010, the school was known as Chukyo Women's University. The school was founded in 1905. Despite that the name contained the word "women," the sc ...

; a university notable for its

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

family. During her time there, Tsuji placed third in Women's Freestyle Wrestling (51 kg) in the 1997 Asian Championship.

Mixed martial arts career

Tsuji spent the majority of her career competing in the now-defunct

promotion. She debuted with defunct promotion Ax on in the event ''Ax - Vol. 2: We Want To Shine'' with a victory by

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

(

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 ...

) over the previously undefeated

Ikuma Hoshino is a retired Japanese female mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and judoka. Her real name is . Her nicknames are and . She participated in MMA promotions ReMix, Smackgirl, Shooto and Ax. Background Hoshino was born on in Wakayama Prefecture, ...

, who at the time was the most accomplished female Japanese MMA fighter. This would be Hoshino's only loss in her MMA career. Tsuji debuted in

at ''Smackgirl - Royal Smack 2002'' on , defeating Hiromi Oka by submission due to a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keikogi ...

. Including her debut, Tsuji would go on a

winning streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 4 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. Although sometimes claimed as a ...

of 8 consecutive victories; in the process winning the Smackgirl ''Japan 2002 Cup Middleweight Tournament'' on . In her ninth professional bout, she faced Brazilian fighter Ana Michelle Tavares. Tavares defeated Tsuji with a triangle armbar submission in Tsuji's debut for the

Deep Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

promotion at ''Deep - 11th Impact'' on . In this match, Tsuji injured her left shoulder. This was Tsuji's first defeat in MMA. She avenged this loss years later. After her first loss, Tsuji won her next four fights and then faced Hisae Watanabe at ''Smackgirl - Road to Dynamic!!'' for the first Smackgirl Lightweight Championship on . Tsuji won the title after defeating Watanabe by armbar at 3:51 of the first round. She would go on to successfully defend the title five times until the demise of the Smackgirl promotion. On , Tsuji would get the chance to face Tavares again. At the event ''Smackgirl - Queens' Hottest Summer'', Tsuji was able to avenge her only loss at the time by defeating Tavares via KO at 4:47 of the first round. After defending her title for the last time 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 ...

Seo Hee Ham Seo Hee Ham ( ko, 함서희 ; born ), written Ham Seo-Hee in Korean order, is a South Korean professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. She is currently signed to ONE Championship, where she is ranked #2 in the ONE Championship Women's Ato ...

, Tsuji debuted in Valkyrie at the promotion's inaugural event ''Valkyrie 1'' on , where she defeated

Mei Yamaguchi , formerly known by her ring name , is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Her former nickname comes from the V1 armlock wrestling move. Yamaguchi currently fights as a lightweight in the Jewels promotion. She has a notable ...

by decision. Tsuji became the first Valkyrie Featherweight Champion on by defeating

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

fighter Kate Martinez. Her 14-fight winning streak came to an end on when she rematched Mei Yamaguchi, who this time was able to defeat Tsuji with a rear-naked choke in only 76 seconds. This was just the second time that Tsuji was defeated and the first time that she was defeated by a fellow Japanese fighter. This is considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of women's mixed martial arts. Having recovered from surgery on her knee and shoulder, Tsuji returned to MMA in a ''Jewels vs. Valkyrie'' bout against

Saori Ishioka is a Japanese female mixed martial artist, kickboxer and karateka. She has participated in MMA promotions Smackgirl and Jewels. Her nickname is Shooting Star. Background Ishioka was born on in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. She started judo dur ...

at '' Jewels 15th Ring'' on in

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

. She defeated Ishioka by unanimous decision. Tsuji faced

Ayaka Hamasaki is a Japanese female mixed martial artist, judoka and submission grappler. She is the former Rizin Super Atomweight Champion. She has fought in MMA promotions ''Shooto'', Jewels and Rizin in Japan, and Invicta FC in the United States. Hamasaki ...

in a Jewels lightweight title fight at ''Jewels 19th Ring'' on in Osaka, Japan. She was defeated by submission due to a kimura in the first round. On , Tsuji faced Hyo Kyung Song at ''Deep Osaka Impact 2012''. She defeated Song by technical submission due to an armbar in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 24-3 , Hyo Kyung Song , Technical Submission (armbar) , Deep: Osaka Impact 2012 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 23-3 ,

, Submission (kimura) , Jewels 19th Ring , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 ,

, Japan , For Jewels Lightweight (115 lbs) Queen Championship , - , Win , align=center, 23-2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Jewels 15th Ring , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 22-2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Valkyrie 04 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:16 ,

, Japan , Lost Valkyrie Featherweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 22-1 , Kate Martinez , Submission (armbar) , Valkyrie 02 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

, Japan , Won inaugural Valkyrie Featherweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 21-1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Valkyrie 01 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20-1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Smackgirl - Starting Over , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , Defended Smackgirl Lightweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 19-1 , Ana Michelle Tavares , TKO (punches) , Smackgirl - Queens' Hottest Summer , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:47 ,

, Japan , Non-title bout , - , Win , align=center, 18-1 , Thricia Poovey , TKO (punches) , Smackgirl - The Dance of the Taisho Romance , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 ,

, Japan , Defended Smackgirl Lightweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 17-1 , Tomomi Sunaba , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Smackgirl - Top Girl Battle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:19 ,

, Japan , Defended Smackgirl Lightweight Championship in a "Winner Take All" match (Tsuji received both fight purses). , - , Win , align=center, 16-1 , Cami Hostetler , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Queen's Triumphant Return , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:19 ,

, Japan , Defended Smackgirl Lightweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 15-1 , Miyuki Ariga , Submission (heel hook) , MARS , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14-1 , Maiko Ohkada , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Dynamic!! , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:10 ,

, Japan , Defended Smackgirl Lightweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 13-1 , Hisae Watanabe , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Road to Dynamic!! , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 ,

, Japan , Won Smackgirl Lightweight Championship , - , Win , align=center, 12-1 , Erica Montoya , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Holy Land Triumphal Return , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11-1 , Chiaki Kawabita , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Go West , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:19 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10-1 , Mayumi Hashiba , Submission (kneebar) , Smackgirl - F8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9-1 , Kaliopi Yeitsuidou , Decision (unanimous) , Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8-1 , Ana Michelle Tavares , Submission (triangle armbar) , Deep - 11th Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8-0 , Tomomi Sunaba , Technical Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Third Season 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7-0 ,

Mari Kaneko is a Japanese female karateka and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Kaneko has competed for MMA promotions Ax, Smackgirl, Deep and Jewels. Background Kaneko was born on in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Martial arts training In 1999, Kane ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Smackgirl - Japan Cup 2002 Grand Final , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , Became 2002 Japan Cup Middleweight Tournament Champion , - , Win , align=center, 6-0 , Yumiko Sugimoto , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Japan Cup 2002 Episode 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:13 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5-0 , Eri Takahashi , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Japan Cup 2002 Opening Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4-0 , Noriko Tsunoda , Submission (armbar) , Smackgirl - Dynamic , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3-0 , Izumi Noguchi , Decision (split) , AX - Vol. 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Hiromi Oka , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Smackgirl - Royal Smack 2002 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 ,

, Submission (armbar) , AX - Vol. 2: We Want To Shine , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:37 ,

, Japan ,

Championships and accomplishments

* Bronze in Women's Freestyle Wrestling at 51 kg in the 1997 Asian Championship. * 2002 JAPAN CUP middleweight tournament champion * Inaugural Smackgirl Lightweight Champion (2005) * Inaugural Valkyrie Featherweight Champion (2009) *

**2002 #1 Female Fighter of the Year **2004 #1 Female Fighter of the Year **2005 #1 Female Fighter of the YearMMA Awards
Fight Matrix. Retrieved on 26 January 2016.

References

External links