2010 Girls S-Cup participants

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Shootboxing has announced the first round fights for their Girls S-Cup event to be held August 29.  First round matches are:

RENA v. Hisae Watanabe
Zaza Sor Aree v. Kate Martinez
V Hajime v. Samanta van Dole
Ai Takahashi v. Christina Jurjevic

The big stand out here is definitely RENA v. Watanabe.  RENA is the defending Girls S-Cup champion and the clear face of the Shootboxing women's division.  With Shootboxing's emphasis on women's action, that makes RENA, by extension, essentially Japan's top women's kickboxer, while Watanabe is the definite #2.  Shootboxing has been trying to set up this fight for some time, but injuries have delayed it.  Smart move by Shootboxing to go ahead and put this fight in the first round rather than hope it comes to pass in the semi-finals or finals.  The winner of that showdown should be a favorite to win the tournament.

Outside of those two fighters - Kate Martinez is a Gracie Jiu Jitsu protege.  She's a tough fighter, but I'm not sure how she will do with her ground skills taken away.  On the other side of the bracket, V Hajime is the clear favorite.  She definitely has the potential to spoil either RENA or Watanabe's rise to the crown.

Check the full entry for a preview video.