Video: 12-year-old ‘Momo’ wins MMA debut with rear-naked choke of 24-year-old opponent

At Saturday’s DEEP Jewels 16 event in Tokyo, Japan, 12-year-old “Momo” competed in her first amateur MMA contest. Her opponent was 24-year-old Momoko Yamazaki, who entered the bout with a 2-3 record. The fight was a showcase for Momo, who trains at Hakushinkai Karate with Mizuki Inoue, Naoki Inoue, and other top Japanese MMA fighters.

As this was fought under amateur rules, the bout was scheduled for a pair of three-minute rounds, with fighters forced to wear head gear, shin guards, and thicker gloves. Elbow strikes and any ground strikes are not permitted.

Momo was victorious by rear-naked choke, quickly taking the back before getting the arm underneath the chin for the victory. You can watch the video clips in the tweets below.

So Momo gets the W after her fight received considerable attention (and criticism) from media outlets outside of Japan. She wasn’t even the only young girl on the card, as this 16-year-old picked up a hell of a win by head kick KO.