Kieran Joblin will travel to Japan next month to take on former UFC fighter, and former Pancrase champion, Kazuki Tokudome. The fight takes place at Pancrase 288 in Tokyo, Japan on July 2.
Joblin (20-7) scored his shot at the Japanese veteran by submitting Sung Hwa Han at XFC 28: Road to Pancrase in Brisbane, a fight which also earned him the XFC lightweight title. The result made it four consecutive wins for the 28 year-old Christchurch native, who had recently been campaigning for place on the UFC Auckland card.
Tokudome (17-7-1), meanwhile, made four appearances in the UFC back in 2013 and 2014, beating Cristiano Marcello before losing to Norman Parke, Yui Chul Nam and Johnny Case. Following his release from the promotion, the 30 year-old, who is a Judo black belt and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, went on to claim four straight wins before coming unstuck and dropping the Pancrase lightweight title to Takasuke Kume. Most recently, however, Tokudome bounced back claiming a quick-fire 28-second stoppage over Akira Okada in April.
Also on the card, Brisbane’s Claire Fryer will make her promotional debut when she comes up against Japan’s Kanako Murata. Fryer (4-2) is a former Fightworld Cup champion who will be looking to rebound on the night after dropping a unanimous decision to Jennifer Olsim last year.
The Aussie’s 23 year-old opponent, Murata (4-1) will also be eager to get back on track after suffering her first career defeat at the hands of Rin Nakai in Rizin.
