Miku Matsumoto
Encyclopedia
Miku Matsumoto is a female Japanese mixed martial artist. She retired as the DEEP Women's Lightweight (106-Pound) Champion.
Growing up, Matsumoto studied piano and penmanship and was not interested in sports. She began training in MMA
as a part-time job to kill time and save money after studying overseas, but went on to become one of the most successful female mixed martial artists in the world.
On February 28, 2010 at DEEP: 46th Impact, Matsumoto confirmed weeks of speculation by announcing that she would be retiring from mixed martial arts. She officially retired following an exhibition match with Megumi Fujii
at DEEP: 47th Impact on April 17, 2010.
Matsumoto won nine of her next eleven fights, losing only to Misaki Takimoto on October 24, 2004 and again on December 17, 2005. She was defeated by Carina Damm
in a controversial bout at MARS Attack 1 on July 21, 2006, but avenged the loss in a rematch one month later on August 26.
Matsumoto became the number one contender in DEEP after back-to-back wins over Seo Hee Ham
and Misaki Takimoto in their third meeting.
She captured the DEEP Women's Lightweight Championship by defeating Hisae Watanabe
at DEEP: 31st Impact on August 5, 2007.
On June 28, 2009, Matsumoto avenged the final unavenged loss on her record by defeating Lisa Ward
, who had previously defeated Matsumoto in September 2006 by submitting her with an armlock in the third round. Matsumoto counts the rematch with Ward as the most influential fight of her career.
Matsumoto defeated veteran Japanese striker "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba
at DEEP: 44th Impact on October 10. Both before and after the fight, Matsumoto stated that she would like to challenge Megumi Fujii
in the future.
In a blog entry on March 2, 2010, Matsumoto stated that she had become detached from MMA and no longer had the ability to continue serious training or perform as a professional fighter. She further stated that she had no regrets about her decision to retire and does not plan to remain involved with MMA training or coaching in the near future.
Matsumoto engaged in a five-minute exhibition match with friend and fellow fighter Megumi Fujii
at DEEP: 47th Impact on April 17, 2010. A retirement ceremony was held for Matsumoto following the match.
At the time of her retirement, Matsumoto was the #3-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #2-ranked female flyweight according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.
| Win
| 23-4
| Tomomi Sunaba
| Decision (Unanimous)
| Deep - 44th Impact
| October 10, 2009
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 22-4
| Lisa Ward
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - Toyama Impact
| June 28, 2009
| 3
| 2:53
| Toyama, Japan
| Defended Deep Women's Lightweight Title
|-
| Win
| 21-4
| Nicdali Calanoc
| TKO (Knees To The Body)
| Deep - 41st Impact
| April 16, 2009
| 1
| 0:21
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 20-4
| Hikaru Shinohara
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - Protect Impact 2008
| December 22, 2008
| 1
| 1:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 19-4
| Misaki Takimoto
| TKO (Kicks To The Body)
| Deep - 37th Impact
| August 17, 2008
| 2
| 4:40
| Tokyo, Japan
| Defended Deep Women's Lightweight Title
|-
| Win
| 18-4
| Waenthong Sakrungreong
| Technical Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - Protect Impact 2007
| December 22, 2007
| 1
| 0:43
| Osaka, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 17-4
| Yukiko Seki
| Submission (Kimura)
| Deep - clubDEEP Kanazawa
| December 9, 2007
| 1
| 1:07
| Ishikawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 16-4
| Masako Yoshida
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Sendai
| October 28, 2007
| 1
| 3:23
| Miyagi, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 15-4
| Hisae Watanabe
| Decision (Majority)
| Deep - 31st Impact
| August 5, 2007
| 3
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
| Won Deep Women's Lightweight Title
|-
| Win
| 14-4
| Misaki Takimoto
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Tokyo
| June 16, 2007
| 1
| 4:32
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 13-4
| Seo Hee Ham
| Submission (Triangle Choke)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 6
| May 13, 2007
| 2
| 3:44
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 12-4
| Seri Saito
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 5
| November 19, 2006
| 1
| 3:17
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 11-4
| Lisa Ward
| Submission (Scarf Hold Armlock)
| Smackgirl
- Women Hold Their Ground
| September 15, 2006
| 1
| 3:04
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 11-3
| Carina Damm
| Decision (Unanimous)
| MARS 4 - New Deal
| August 26, 2006
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 10-3
| Carina Damm
| Technical Submission (Armbar)
| MARS - MARS Attack 1
| July 21, 2006
| 2
| 1:17
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 10-2
| Yayoi Okubo
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 4
| June 18, 2006
| 1
| 0:53
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 9-2
| Yuki Furudate
| Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
| Deep - 23rd Impact
| February 5, 2006
| 1
| 2:52
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 8-2
| Misaki Takimoto
| Submission (Armbar)
| G-Shooto 03
| December 17, 2005
| 1
| 3:08
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 8-1
| Kazumi Kaneko
| TKO (Punches)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 3
| October 30, 2005
| 1
| 0:18
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 7-1
| Akiko Inoue
| Decision (Unanimous)
| G-Shooto - Plus 03
| September 16, 2005
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 6-1
| Ikuma Shibata
| Submission (Armbar)
| W-FACE
| July 29, 2005
| 1
| 0:33
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 5-1
| Hikaru Shinohara
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 2
| May 15, 2005
| 1
| 1:44
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 4-1
| Izumi Noguchi
| Decision (Unanimous)
| G-Shooto 02
| March 12, 2005
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 3-1
| Yoko Hattori
| Submission (Armbar)
| HEAT 1
| February 6, 2005
| 1
| 2:38
| Aichi, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 2-1
| Chihiro Takahashi
| Submission (Armbar)
| G-Shooto 01
| November 26, 2004
| 1
| 3:48
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 1-1
| Misaki Takimoto
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 1
| October 24, 2004
| 1
| 4:45
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 1-0
| Eri Ishiyama
| Decision (Unanimous)
| Cage Force - Cross Section 2
| September 4, 2004
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
Growing up, Matsumoto studied piano and penmanship and was not interested in sports. She began training in MMA
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
as a part-time job to kill time and save money after studying overseas, but went on to become one of the most successful female mixed martial artists in the world.
On February 28, 2010 at DEEP: 46th Impact, Matsumoto confirmed weeks of speculation by announcing that she would be retiring from mixed martial arts. She officially retired following an exhibition match with Megumi Fujii
Megumi Fujii
Megumi Fujii is a female Japanese mixed martial artist. She is currently the #3-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #1-ranked female flyweight according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.-Biography:Fujii specializes mainly in submission fighting and is...
at DEEP: 47th Impact on April 17, 2010.
Mixed martial arts career
Matsumoto debuted in mixed martial arts for the Greatest Common Multiple promotion at Cross Section 2 on September 4, 2004. She defeated Eri Ishiyama by Unanimous Decision.Matsumoto won nine of her next eleven fights, losing only to Misaki Takimoto on October 24, 2004 and again on December 17, 2005. She was defeated by Carina Damm
Carina Damm
Carina Paganini Damm Golçalvez is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist.Regarded for her looks as much as for her fighting abilities, Damm was dubbed MMA's "Barbie Girl" by the Brazilian media....
in a controversial bout at MARS Attack 1 on July 21, 2006, but avenged the loss in a rematch one month later on August 26.
Matsumoto became the number one contender in DEEP after back-to-back wins over Seo Hee Ham
Seo Hee Ham
Ham Seo-Hee , often anglicised to Seo-Hee Ham, is a South Korean female mixed martial artist and kickboxer.In Japan, she is occasionally nicknamed Arale-chan, in reference to her similar looks outside of the ring to the character from the manga and anime series Dr...
and Misaki Takimoto in their third meeting.
She captured the DEEP Women's Lightweight Championship by defeating Hisae Watanabe
Hisae Watanabe
is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer.She stands out with her distinctive two-piece leopard-print outfit and matching hair, which was formerly auburn or red but is now blond...
at DEEP: 31st Impact on August 5, 2007.
On June 28, 2009, Matsumoto avenged the final unavenged loss on her record by defeating Lisa Ward
Lisa Ward
Lisa Ward is an American professional female mixed martial artist. She has fought in HOOKnSHOOT, Smackgirl, DEEP and Bellator Fighting Championships....
, who had previously defeated Matsumoto in September 2006 by submitting her with an armlock in the third round. Matsumoto counts the rematch with Ward as the most influential fight of her career.
Matsumoto defeated veteran Japanese striker "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba
Tomomi Sunaba
, better known in Japan by her ring name , is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Sunaba has fought in several kickboxing and MMA promotions....
at DEEP: 44th Impact on October 10. Both before and after the fight, Matsumoto stated that she would like to challenge Megumi Fujii
Megumi Fujii
Megumi Fujii is a female Japanese mixed martial artist. She is currently the #3-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #1-ranked female flyweight according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.-Biography:Fujii specializes mainly in submission fighting and is...
in the future.
Retirement
On February 28, 2010, Matsumoto announced her retirement from mixed martial arts in front of a shocked audience at DEEP: 46th Impact in Tokyo, Japan.In a blog entry on March 2, 2010, Matsumoto stated that she had become detached from MMA and no longer had the ability to continue serious training or perform as a professional fighter. She further stated that she had no regrets about her decision to retire and does not plan to remain involved with MMA training or coaching in the near future.
Matsumoto engaged in a five-minute exhibition match with friend and fellow fighter Megumi Fujii
Megumi Fujii
Megumi Fujii is a female Japanese mixed martial artist. She is currently the #3-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #1-ranked female flyweight according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.-Biography:Fujii specializes mainly in submission fighting and is...
at DEEP: 47th Impact on April 17, 2010. A retirement ceremony was held for Matsumoto following the match.
At the time of her retirement, Matsumoto was the #3-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #2-ranked female flyweight according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.
Mixed martial arts record
|-| Win
| 23-4
| Tomomi Sunaba
Tomomi Sunaba
, better known in Japan by her ring name , is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Sunaba has fought in several kickboxing and MMA promotions....
| Decision (Unanimous)
| Deep - 44th Impact
| October 10, 2009
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 22-4
| Lisa Ward
Lisa Ward
Lisa Ward is an American professional female mixed martial artist. She has fought in HOOKnSHOOT, Smackgirl, DEEP and Bellator Fighting Championships....
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - Toyama Impact
| June 28, 2009
| 3
| 2:53
| Toyama, Japan
| Defended Deep Women's Lightweight Title
|-
| Win
| 21-4
| Nicdali Calanoc
| TKO (Knees To The Body)
| Deep - 41st Impact
| April 16, 2009
| 1
| 0:21
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 20-4
| Hikaru Shinohara
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - Protect Impact 2008
| December 22, 2008
| 1
| 1:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 19-4
| Misaki Takimoto
| TKO (Kicks To The Body)
| Deep - 37th Impact
| August 17, 2008
| 2
| 4:40
| Tokyo, Japan
| Defended Deep Women's Lightweight Title
|-
| Win
| 18-4
| Waenthong Sakrungreong
| Technical Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - Protect Impact 2007
| December 22, 2007
| 1
| 0:43
| Osaka, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 17-4
| Yukiko Seki
| Submission (Kimura)
| Deep - clubDEEP Kanazawa
| December 9, 2007
| 1
| 1:07
| Ishikawa, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 16-4
| Masako Yoshida
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Sendai
| October 28, 2007
| 1
| 3:23
| Miyagi, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 15-4
| Hisae Watanabe
Hisae Watanabe
is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer.She stands out with her distinctive two-piece leopard-print outfit and matching hair, which was formerly auburn or red but is now blond...
| Decision (Majority)
| Deep - 31st Impact
| August 5, 2007
| 3
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
| Won Deep Women's Lightweight Title
|-
| Win
| 14-4
| Misaki Takimoto
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Tokyo
| June 16, 2007
| 1
| 4:32
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 13-4
| Seo Hee Ham
Seo Hee Ham
Ham Seo-Hee , often anglicised to Seo-Hee Ham, is a South Korean female mixed martial artist and kickboxer.In Japan, she is occasionally nicknamed Arale-chan, in reference to her similar looks outside of the ring to the character from the manga and anime series Dr...
| Submission (Triangle Choke)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 6
| May 13, 2007
| 2
| 3:44
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 12-4
| Seri Saito
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 5
| November 19, 2006
| 1
| 3:17
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 11-4
| Lisa Ward
Lisa Ward
Lisa Ward is an American professional female mixed martial artist. She has fought in HOOKnSHOOT, Smackgirl, DEEP and Bellator Fighting Championships....
| Submission (Scarf Hold Armlock)
| Smackgirl
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 promotion was sold to Marverous Japan Co.,Ltd...
- Women Hold Their Ground
| September 15, 2006
| 1
| 3:04
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 11-3
| Carina Damm
Carina Damm
Carina Paganini Damm Golçalvez is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist.Regarded for her looks as much as for her fighting abilities, Damm was dubbed MMA's "Barbie Girl" by the Brazilian media....
| Decision (Unanimous)
| MARS 4 - New Deal
| August 26, 2006
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 10-3
| Carina Damm
Carina Damm
Carina Paganini Damm Golçalvez is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist.Regarded for her looks as much as for her fighting abilities, Damm was dubbed MMA's "Barbie Girl" by the Brazilian media....
| Technical Submission (Armbar)
| MARS - MARS Attack 1
| July 21, 2006
| 2
| 1:17
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 10-2
| Yayoi Okubo
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 4
| June 18, 2006
| 1
| 0:53
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 9-2
| Yuki Furudate
| Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
| Deep - 23rd Impact
| February 5, 2006
| 1
| 2:52
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 8-2
| Misaki Takimoto
| Submission (Armbar)
| G-Shooto 03
| December 17, 2005
| 1
| 3:08
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 8-1
| Kazumi Kaneko
| TKO (Punches)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 3
| October 30, 2005
| 1
| 0:18
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 7-1
| Akiko Inoue
| Decision (Unanimous)
| G-Shooto - Plus 03
| September 16, 2005
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 6-1
| Ikuma Shibata
| Submission (Armbar)
| W-FACE
| July 29, 2005
| 1
| 0:33
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 5-1
| Hikaru Shinohara
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 2
| May 15, 2005
| 1
| 1:44
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 4-1
| Izumi Noguchi
| Decision (Unanimous)
| G-Shooto 02
| March 12, 2005
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 3-1
| Yoko Hattori
| Submission (Armbar)
| HEAT 1
| February 6, 2005
| 1
| 2:38
| Aichi, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 2-1
| Chihiro Takahashi
| Submission (Armbar)
| G-Shooto 01
| November 26, 2004
| 1
| 3:48
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Loss
| 1-1
| Misaki Takimoto
| Submission (Armbar)
| Deep - clubDEEP Toyama: Barbarian Festival 1
| October 24, 2004
| 1
| 4:45
| Toyama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| 1-0
| Eri Ishiyama
| Decision (Unanimous)
| Cage Force - Cross Section 2
| September 4, 2004
| 2
| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|