Entering 2022 on a three-fight winning streak to start her career, flyweight Sumiko Inaba was able to duplicate her success with back-to-back wins, and remain undefeated.
When it comes to how she won both her fights in Bellator, they could have been more different, with a first round TKO of Whittany Pyles in April, and a unanimous decision over Nadine Mandiau in October, but Inaba is pleased getting both experiences.
“I thought it was great,” Inaba told MMAWeekly.com of her 2022. “Fighting the way I did worked out awesome. I would love to fight three times a year, but I got what I wanted out of it (with the two wins).
“I didn’t know if (the fight with Mandiau) was going to go the whole 15 minutes, but I was okay with it. It was a great experience against an opponent gave me some more nerves, maybe because it was a rematch, but I think that was more experience that I can put into this next fight.”
Still early in her career, Inaba continues to work hard to become a fighter who can handle things wherever the fight goes.
“I want to be a complete mixed martial artist and I work on that every camp,” said Inaba. “When you train it comes out, so I’ve just been training over and over, and you hope you can perform up to it this time out. I hope I can get another good, well-rounded fight for this next one.”
At Bellator 295 this Saturday in Honolulu, Hawaii, Inaba (5-0) looks to continue her winning ways when she faces Veta Arteaga (7-4) in a preliminary 125-pound bout.
“I know this is a huge one for my career,” Inaba said. “(Arteaga) was a title contender and has a lot of experience as well, so it’s a level up from my last opponent. I know she’s going to come with the fire for this one and we’re ready for it.”
With championship aspirations, Inaba is on the right path towards making that goal a reality as long as she stays her path in 2023.
“It’s not pressure; it’s motivation,” said Inaba. “I love where I’m at. I’m motivated to get to the top. That’s my goal. I just want to keep working to make it to the top and hopefully fight for the belt one day as well.
“I never look past the challenge in front of me, and it’s a great challenge. I feel one fight at a time, keep putting in the hard work, and I know good things will come out of that.”
Sumiko Inaba knows beating Veta Arteaga at Bellator 295 will be ‘huge’ for her career