After being outpointed by Angela Lee on her ONE Championship debut, Mei Yamaguchi returns to the cage in Macau next month. The Japanese atomweight will be taking on Brazilian Istela Nunes in a fight which could well turn out to be a title eliminator.
Yamaguchi (15-9-1) won the Deep-Jewels 105-Pound Grand Prix last year and was rewarded with a shot at the inaugural ONE atomweight title. She went to war with Lee, but after five action-packed rounds, it was the Singaporean who was awarded the decision.
Rumors of a rematch started to circulate immediately with ONE Championship top brass confirming that a second fight between Lee and Yamaguchi was a possibility. However, the Japanese fighter will have to get past a Brazilian newcomer first.
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Nunes (4-0-0-1) will be making her promotional debut, but comes from a Muay Thai background and scored a highlight-reel, head-kick knockout in her last fight. She is nine years younger than Yamaguchi and will have a significant reach advantage.
The Brazilian is a veteran of over 50 Muay Thai fights, but is significantly less experienced than her opponent in MMA terms. She made her debut less than a year ago, while Yamaguchi has been fighting professionally since 2007.
Their fight will be one of nine on the card at ONE: Heroes of the World. The card is set for the Cotai Arena in Macau and will be headlined by an interim flyweight title bout between former champion Adriano Moraes and Andrew Leone.
