LONG BEACH, Calif. – Sumiko Inaba is looking to compete with the upper echelon of the division after Bellator 286.
Inaba (5-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) remained unbeaten when she grinded out a unanimous decision against Nadine Mandiau on Saturday at Long Beach Arena. It took Inaba only 65 seconds to beat Mandiau (2-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) by TKO when they were amateurs back in October 2018, but this time Mandiau gave her a tough outing.
“I knew she was going to come with the fight,” Inaba told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I don’t complain – more experience in the ring, just getting me more comfortable for higher-ranked opponents, and it was great. …
“Completely new, different ring, bigger crowd, more to the fight week and all the emotions that come with it. So, I took it as a completely new fight. She was a great new opponent, as well. She came with a lot more skill and a lot more fight, and she gave it to me.”
Despite moving to 5-0 as a professional, Inaba finds herself even more motivated, and her next goal is to land a spot in the Bellator women’s flyweight rankings.
“This camp just put a fire underneath my butt to train harder,” Inaba said. “Hopefully get into the rankings and work my way up.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.
