Tag: bout today

Junna Tsukii retires from karate, makes move to MMA

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Filipino karate bet Junna Tsukii.

MANILA, Philippines — Junna Tsukii has kissed her karate career goodbye, embarking on a new journey to the world of mixed martial arts.

The Filipino-Japanese karateka on Wednesday announced that she is calling it quits in karate after a storied 26-year career.

“Thank you for your warm support. I have decided to graduate from an active karate player for 26 years and move on to MMA,” Tsukii wrote. “The stage will change, but I will try my best to make it exciting with all of you, so I would appreciate your continued warm support.”

The 32-year-old Tsukii made history winning the country’s first-ever gold medal in the 2022 World Games. She also won gold in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games but settled for silver last year marred with controversy.

READ: Junna Tsukii wins PH’s first gold in 2022 World Games

She fell in the round of 16 in the 19th Asian Games, yielding to Srey Phea Chonn of Cambodia,  3-2, in the women’s 51kg kumite event.

Tsukii recalled her journey in karate before taking on a new challenge in the MMA stage where she faces Ruka Sakamoto on August 31.

“’You better get married already.’ ‘You’ve worked hard. It’s time to settle down.’ I’ve heard these a lot since turning 30. But my body is much, much stronger than before,” Tsukii said. “I want to put what I learned so desperately while traveling around the world to better use in my life. I want to have more fun with everyone.”

“More than anything, I don’t think it’s right to give up on the challenges of my life just because of my age or what society thinks. Of course, there are many conflicts, but I believe there is a story that only I can write, so I will continue to forge ahead,” she added.



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Amid expectations, Shaina Nitura focused on getting better

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Adamson’s Shaina Nitura.–Photo from SGVIL

MANILA, Philippines — Shaina Nitura ended her high school career with another perfect championship run with Adamson in the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League.

Expectations are higher for Nitura after capping off her high school career with an unbeaten title run with the Baby Lady Falcons in the UAAP Season 86 girls’ volleyball tournament along with an MVP award before moving up to the collegiate ranks.

All eyes are on her, but the blue-chip rookie chooses to focus on helping the Adamson women’s team, which missed the UAAP Final Four last season.

“I’ll just be who I am. I don’t really care much about what others think because the more I stress over that stuff, the more I think about college coming up, and the more I stress, the worse I play. So, I’m just gonna focus on getting better as time goes on.”

READ: Adamson caps dominant stint with Shakey’s Girls volleyball crown

Nitura is grateful to have high school coach JP Yude, who will continue to guide her at the collegiate level with her graduating teammates Mary Grace Del Moral and Felicity Sagaysay.

“I chose to stick with Adamson and our coach. I’m really lucky because having a coach like him is rare. I can’t really put it into words, but all I know is he’s something else. God works through him to guide us and bring out our true potential.”

Yude praised the winning legacy left by Nitura in the high school ranks but he wants his longtime player to keep her feet on the ground as she continues to scratch the surface of her potential. 

“I’m really happy that the Lord gave her that talent, and she’s using it in such a positive way, bringing her teammates along with her with her attitude. Honestly, I’m always encouraging her because her attitude towards the game is something rare.”

“I always remind her that even though she’s achieved that much, she still needs to be humble, she needs to work all the time, not let pride get to her head, she needs to work every time to be a good example to her teammates and to lead them too,” he added.

Yude is elated to have Nitura in time for the Lady Falcons’ rebuild but losing three key players also poses a tough challenge to his high school team.



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“A big loss awaits us in the coming UAAP, but we’ll work hard for it. I know those who will remain will step up even more because their Ate Shai will be leaving,” he said.

PBA Finals: With tiebreaker looming, Meralco tries to dig out more points

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Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during Game 4 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beermen. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Producing the best scoring game of his PBA career with 40 points provided little silver lining for Meralco’s Chris Newsome after San Miguel Beer evened things up at 2-2 in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“It’s great that I scored 40, but the win is definitely more important,” Newsome said after the Game 4 defeat on Wednesday night.

Newsome and the Bolts have another crack at getting a third win, and closer to their first-ever PBA title, in Friday’s pivotal fifth game of the series at Smart Araneta Coliseum. But not only will the Bolts face the pressure of a tied series, they will enter the 7:30 p.m. contest in urgent need of a plan to figure out how to counter the adjustments San Miguel made in getting a 111-101 win two nights earlier.

The scoreline already offers a clue to how the Beermen succeeded in solving the Bolts defensive schemes. For the first time in the series, a team won by scoring at least 100 points.

A grindout, defensive affair has often favored the Bolts throughout their playoff run, and that was the reason Meralco won two of the first three games of the Finals.

But the Beermen finally showed their offensive juggernaut that they have been known for throughout the two-conference season.

June Mar Fajardo’s 28 points epitomized why there are now cracks in the vaunted Meralco defense that centered on making life miserable for the newly crowned Best Player of the Conference, while CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter continued their consistent form in the series.

Balanced offense is key

And then the minutes provided by Vic Manuel and Terrence Romeo, who both played for the first time in the Finals, also proved vital.

“[San Miguel scoring 111 points] is definitely more than what we’re used to giving up,” Newsome said. “We have to go back and play Meralco basketball which is defensive-minded and I think we lost a bit of that [in Game 4].”Balanced offense will also be key for the Bolts as Newsome’s scoring output overshadowed a lack of support from some of the team’s key sources for baskets.

Allein Maliksi and Bong Quinto could only combine for 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting in Game 4. Both had scoring averages of at least 10 in the first three games.

Beermen coach Jorge Gallent wouldn’t mind making that a trend.

“As long as the rest don’t score, we’re fine,” said Gallent, who will also be wary of other Meralco players picking up the slack like Cliff Hodge.



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Aside from being a pest on defense, Hodge has put up 14.8 points a game in the Finals, third on the team behind Newsome and guard Chris Banchero (16.3).