Megumi Fujii
Fujii in 2007
Born	(1974-04-26)April 26, 1974 (age 51) Ibara, Okayama, Japan
Other names	Mega Megu
Height	5 ft 3 in (160 cm)[1]
Weight	115 lb (52 kg; 8 st 3 lb)
Division	Strawweight[1]
Reach	61 in (155 cm)[1]
Style	Catch wrestling,combat sambo
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	Tokyo, Japan
Team	Abe Ani Combat Club
Rank	Black belt injudo[2] Black belt inBrazilian jiu-jitsu[2]
Years active	2004–2013 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	29
Wins	26
By knockout	1
By submission	19
By decision	6
Losses	3
By decision	3
Other information
Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog
Medal record Representing Japan Women'sSubmission Wrestling ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship 2007 Trenton -60kg 2005 Long Beach -55kg Women'sBrazilian jiu-jitsu Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2006 California -53kg 2004 California -53kg 2003 California -53kg Women'sSambo World Sambo Championships 2003 St. Petersburg -52kg 2002 Panama City -52kg 1999 Gijón -52kg 1998 Kaliningrad -52kg

Megumi Fujii (藤井 恵Fujii Megumi, born April 26, 1974) is a Japanese former professionalmixed martial artist andsubmission wrestler. Fujii is regarded as a pioneer ofwomen's mixed martial arts. She specializes in submission fighting and is known for her quick takedowns andsubmissions. Her most popular move is the Inazumatoe hold submission, dubbed theMegulock.

Fujii startedjudo at the age of three due to her father's influence and continued competing at Shukugawa Gakuin Junior High School andKokushikan University.^[2] She retired from judo after graduating from university with a degree inphysical education, and became interested incombat sambo.^[2]

Fujii was trained in MMA andcatch wrestling byShooto veteranHiroyuki Abe andJosh Barnett, a formerUFC Heavyweight Champion and King ofPancrase.^[2][3] She has trained several other female MMA fighters herself, includingHitomi Akano.^{[citation needed]}

Fujii is a decorated grappler, including being a Japanese national sambo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, four second place finishes in theWorld Sambo Championships, and 2004 and 2006 Pan-American jiu-jitsu champion.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, the first year women competed at theADCC World Championships, Fujii wonbronze in the -60 kg division.^[4][5] She won bronze again at the 2007 ADCC World Championships in the -55 kg division.^[6]

Fujii was also a multi-time contestant on the seasonal Japanese obstacle course television showSasuke (Ninja Warrior), but never made it past the first stage.^{[citation needed]}

Fujii debuted in mixed martial arts on August 5, 2004 and defeated Yumi Matsumoto by submission in 40 seconds. She then went on to defeat formerUFC commentator Erica Montoya atHOOKnSHOOT: "Evolution" in what would be Montoya's final fight.

Further wins over Ana Michelle Tavares, Misaki Takimoto, Keiko "Tama Chan" Tamai and Masako Yoshida established Fujii as one of the top female fighters in the world and she became a staple ofShooto andSmackgirl events.

On November 29, 2006, she faced Australian fighter Serin Murray. Murray claimed before the fight that she studied Fujii tactics and that she would defeat Fujii by KO. However, the Australian fighter left her forward leg exposed inviting Fujii for an attack on it. Fujii went for Murray's legs and won via submission.

She faced Cody Welchin at NFF – The Breakout on March 10, 2007. She won the fight by armbar submission in the first round.^[7]

On August 24, 2007, Fujii defeated highly toutedAmericanLisa Ellis by first-round submission at a BodogFight event inVancouver, British Columbia.^[8]

Fujii defeated Cindy Hales andKorean star Seo Hee Ham to advance to the finals of the 2008Smackgirl World ReMix Grand Prix, but the promotion folded amidst financial troubles before the final round.^[9]

In November 2008, the newly rebranded Smackgirl, now known asJewels, featured Fujii at its debut "First Ring" event. Fujii defeated Tomoko Morii by submission in the first round.

After submitting Won Bun Chu in less than one minute atShooto: "Tradition Final" in May 2009, Fujii returned to Jewels and defeated rising Japanese contenderSaori Ishioka late in the second round.

She defeated veteran striker "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba by first-round armbar atShooto: "Revolutionary Exchanges 3" on November 23, 2009.^[10]

On May 6, 2010, it was announced that Fujii would compete atBellator 22 on June 10.^[11] Bellator later changed the numbering of their events and the June 10 card was renamedBellator 21. Fujii faced Sarah Schneider^[12] and defeated Schneider by TKO in the third round. It marked Fujii's first victory by TKO in her 20-fight career.^[13]

Fujii took part in the Bellator 115-pound women's tournament inSeason Three, which began on August 12, 2010.^[11][14] She was set to faceAngela Magaña in the first round of the tournament atBellator 24,^[15] but Magana withdrew from the tournament on August 8, 2010 after suffering a foot injury.^[16]

Fujii instead faced two-timeAll-AmericanwrestlerCarla Esparza.^[17] She defeated Esparza by armbar submission in the second round.^[18]

Fujii once again facedLisa Ellis in the second round of the Bellator tournament atBellator 31^[19] and won the rematch by armbar submission in the first round.^[20]

With the victory, Fujii became only the second mixed martial artist, male or female, to begin a career with 22 consecutive victories. She facedZoila Gurgel in the finals of the tournament atBellator 34 on October 28, 2010.^[20] Fujii lost the fight via a questionable split decision.^[21][22]

Fujii facedEmi Fujino at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight on December 30, 2010^[23] and defeated Fujino by unanimous decision.^[24][25]

Fujii rematchedMika Nagano atJewels 15th Ring on July 9, 2011.^[26] She defeated Nagano by unanimous decision.^[27]

Fujii faced Karla Benitez atDREAM –Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 on December 31, 2011.^[28] She defeated Benitez by submission due to an armbar in the first round.^[29]

Fujii returned to Bellator to faceJessica Aguilar atBellator 69 on May 18, 2012.^[30] She was defeated by unanimous decision.^[31]

Fujii was rumored to be competing at DREAM 18 on New Year's Eve 2012.^[32] However, she instead facedMei Yamaguchi atVale Tudo Japan 2012 on December 24.^[33] Fujii defeated Yamaguchi by unanimous decision.^[34][35]

On June 22, 2013, Fujii announced that she would retire from MMA after competing one final time.^[36][37] In her retirement bout, she facedJessica Aguilar in a rematch at Vale Tudo Japan 3rd on October 5 in Tokyo.^[38] Fujii was initially defeated by TKO when the doctor stopped the fight after round two due to an eye injury that was caused by two accidental eye pokes.^[39] The result of the fight was later changed to a technical majority decision win for Aguilar.^[40]

Fujii is married to mixed martial artist Shinji Sasaki, and they have a child.^[2]

• List of female mixed martial artists

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMegumi Fujii.

• Megumi Fujii Awakening profile
• Professional MMA record for Megumi Fujii fromSherdog
• Megumi Fujii's official blog(in Japanese)
• Megumi Fujii's myspace

• 1974 births
• Living people
• Japanese female mixed martial artists
• Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
• People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
• Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners
• Japanese catch wrestlers
• Japanese submission wrestlers
• Japanese female judoka
• Japanese sambo practitioners
• People from Ibara, Okayama
• Martial artists from Okayama Prefecture
• Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling
• Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
• Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo
• Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
• 20th-century Japanese women
• 21st-century Japanese women

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from December 2023
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Articles with Japanese-language sources (ja)