2017 is coming to a close, but we still have some exciting match ups for you JMMA fans out there. Coming up on November 12th is Pancrase 291. This will be their second to the last show of the year. It will also be the second to the last show at the historical and famous Differ Ariake. Differ Ariake will close it’s doors in December of 2017 to make way for some new buildings right in the middle of the 2020 Olympic Park. In February of 2018, Pancrase will continue to produce excellent JMMA events at the new location known as Studio Coast.
What can we expect from Pancrase 291? The first thing to know is there is the Middle Weight King Of Pancrase Belt up for grabs. You have Rocky Kawamura 18-9-4 (Win-Loss-Draw) defending his title against Yuki Nimura 10-4-0 (Win-Loss-Draw). This is a rematch from the battle that took place last October at Pancrase 281. During that fight, Kawamura was able to score a K.O. in 1:30 Round 2 of 5 against Niimura. But this time Niimura is looking sharper than ever. It will be a tremendous fight. Niimura is currently on a 1 fight winning streak since his defeat of Ikkei Nagamura at Pancrase 288 back in July.
In addition to the main event, you have a good semi-main event on the card as well. The Semi-main event pits 2 excellent and well-rounded fighters against each other. You have Masakatsu Ueda vs Alan “Yoshihiro” Yamaniha. Both fighters have boxing chops and both are killer grapplers. Our prediction for this fight is that it will go to the judges, but you will see some exciting and excellent martial arts. Yamaniha is a former UFC fighter with an MMA record of 14-5-4 (Win-Loss-Draw). He is currently on a one fight winning streak from his last win at Pancrase 281 against Shunichi Shimizu 32-18-11, 1 NC (Win-Loss-Draw).
Ueda is a former Bellator, One FC, and Shooto fighter. He is currently on a 3 fight winning streak with an MMA record of 25-5-2 (Win-Loss-Draw). He has been a force to deal with since his debut in Pancrase 268 back in July of 2015 win against Luis Nogueira 21-7-1 (Win-Loss-Draw). Both Ueda and Yamaniha are experienced fighters and this will be a fight to keep your eye on. A win for either of these fighters could put them in a position to request a title fight.
This is just a preview of a some of the fights on that completely loaded card. It will be an exciting night. If you are in Japan, you can come see it live. If you are anywhere else you can catch the action on UFC Fightpass LIVE! As alwas MMA Japan will have boots on the ground. Follow @mmajpn1 on Twitter for all the live tweets, behind the scenes photos and interviews!
