Megumi Fuji is one of only two females to ever be placed on the official MiddleEasy Frate Trane List. That should pretty much validate the purpose of this article in itself. Mega Megu will face Mika Nagano in a rematch of their 2007 bout in which Nagano’s carotid artery was squeezed via triangle, earning Fuji her 13th consecutive win. Also on the Jewels 15 card is our bud at MiddleEasy, Roxanne ‘The Happy Warrior’ Modafferi in a battle of nickname supremacy as she faces Hitomi ‘Girlfight Monster’ Akano. We spoke with Roxanne about her upcoming fight, the state of Japan — and how Michael Bay has single-handily ruined our childhood memories with these mundane Transformers movies.
[important title=”How are things in Japan? It seems like there are still a lot of concerns with Fukushima.”] “As you may know, TEPCO is pumping water into the reactor to keep it cool. That is going well. The temperatures have fallen and it’s no longer in danger of blowing up. However, the danger is coming from the contaminated water that comes out as a result. There are tons and tons every day, and it’s accumulating in pools under the building and leaking out into the ground. TEPCO is scrambling to A.) Find storage containers, and B.) Build a processing plant to clean the water so they can recycle it and use it again. Here in Tokyo, we are most affected by ‘power saving plans’ the government is putting into effect. We’re not allowed to have the air conditioning higher than 82 degrees F. Everyone is sweating. Trains are coming less frequently. Residents in the Fukushima area are worried about contagious diseases because of rotting fish and debris that are attracting flies and pests. That’s it in a nutshell.”[/important]
[important title=”You teach English in Japan, what do your pupils and co-workers think of your MMA career?”] “I choose who I tell, and only chat about it if the student seems to be interested in sports. Nobody can believe I’m really a fighter, but martial arts is very respected here, so even students who don’t like it, still respect me and tell me good luck with my upcoming fight. I’ve had a few students who I made friends with who have seen me fight in Japan.”[/important]
[important title=”As a big Transformers fan, who or what forced you to watch ‘Revenge of the Fallen’?”] “Okay, will geek out. I’d been really looking forward to the first Transformers movie, and was a little disappointed. I felt that the battle scenes took place at night, and it was ‘too dark’ to really get a good view of the robots. Were the creators trying to do that to make it look less ‘fake?’ or something? I thought it was only ‘okay.’ I didn’t really care about the stupid love troubles of the main dude- I wanted to see more sweet robot action! I saw the sequel anyway just because it existed, and was even more disappointed. I was kind of bored and fell asleep at the end, so when I woke up, I rewound. The plot was shallow, and again I don’t give a damn about the dude and the girl, and what is up with that Decepticon girl who had human form but had a robot underneath? And the long killer tongue? What is this, The Terminator? No. It’s not. That irritated me.”[/important]
[important title=”2010 was a bit of a mixed year for you, but you finished the year on a 2-1 run of US based shows. Do you plan on fighting more in the US in 2011, or just wherever the opportunity arises?”] “Whenever the opportunity arises! Make me an offer, please! 2010 was an awesome year for me except getting sick for New Years, which was the worst day of my entire life. Even getting slammed on my head by Kaufman had some purpose — I felt like it got the 135 lb belt onto the main Strikeforce show.”[/important]
[important title=”With Cage Warriors opening a female 125 lbs division, do you see more CW fights in your future?”] “I am dying to get back there and fight for Cage Warriors again. They treated me great. The show was so professional, so well-run, with high-calibre fights, and then fans are awesome. I’m going to beat up Ms. Akano to raise my value in the sport again, and then hope to eventually get a title shot and rematch Rosi in Cage Warriors. But first thing’s first.”[/important]
[important title=”You are fighting Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano at Jewels 15 next, which of you has the better nickname?”] “I think Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii beats us both.”[/important]
[important title=”Akano is known particularly for her armbars, are you preparing specifically for that?”] “Not really. She’ll be out before she can get her hands on me. But thanks for the heads up!”[/important]
Roxy wanted to give props to the folks at the AACC, who incidentally are also Akano’s teammates and team ZFC (ZST Fight Club) who she’s been training with once a week. They helped her prepare for when she was supposed to compete at Sengoku: Soul of Fight. Also, Kiuma Kunioku and Abe-san who support her. Tussle, Fightchix, NOGI, designer, webmaster and poet wetdryvac.com and Loretta Hunt for giving her advice about her upcoming autobiography.
