Fil-Japanese Junna Tsukii pulls off rousing MMA debut

MANILA, Philippines -- Junna Tsukii had a triumphant debut in mixed martial arts after submitting Ruka Sakamoto in the DEEP Summer Festival 2024 in Odaiba, Japan on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Tsukii, a bemedaled Filipino-Japanese karateka, submitted the also-debuting Sakamoto in the first round of her first-ever MMA match.

After securing a takedown at the 3:54 mark of the first round, Tsukii was able to get on top and complete the full mount.

After Tsukii connected on ground and pound, Sakamoto was forced to go into turtle position.

However, this opened up a rear-naked choke for Tsukii, forcing the 26-year-old to submit.

“I was competing in the world's top karate tournament until January, so there was only so much I could do in the six months of preparation, but I'm very happy to be able to make my debut on such a big stage,” the Southeast Asian Games gold medalist posted on Facebook.

“I'm truly grateful for this wonderful opportunity. As a professional, I will continue to work hard on mixed martial arts so that I can have even more exciting matches with strong fighters, so please continue to support me,” she added.