Mika Nagano

2.1. Childhood and school years

Nagano was born on December 29, 1983, in Gifu, Japan. She began her journey in amateur wrestling at a young age, starting in the fourth grade of elementary school. She continued to pursue wrestling throughout her middle school and high school years. During her high school career, she achieved a notable second-place finish nationally in Japan within her weight class.

2.2. Wrestling career

Nagano's amateur wrestling career was extensive and highly successful. While attending Chukyo Women's University, a renowned institution for wrestling, she became an amateur wrestling champion. In April 2002, she competed in the Japan Queen's Cup, securing fourth place in the 121 lb ^{(55 kg)} division. Notably, Saori Yoshida, who would later become an Olympic medalist, won the same tournament. In 2003, Nagano earned a bronze medal in the 130 lb ^{(59 kg)} class at the All-Japan Student Wrestling Championship. She again placed fourth in the 112 lb ^{(51 kg)} class at the Japan Queen's Cup in 2004. Despite her achievements, she left the university after three years, discontinuing her wrestling career at that time.

2.3. Transition to combat sports

In 2005, Nagano relocated to Tokyo and began a career in modeling, joining a modeling agency and engaging in various talent activities. During this period, she visited S-KEEP for a media assignment, where she became captivated by the world of mixed martial arts. This encounter ultimately led her to join the gym and transition into professional combat sports.

3.1. Debut and early career

Nagano made her initial appearance in mixed martial arts in an exhibition match against Megumi Yabushita at Smackgirl: F 2006 on May 3, 2006. Her professional debut followed on December 26, 2007, at Smackgirl: Starting Over held at Korakuen Hall, where she faced the highly regarded Megumi Fujii. She suffered a loss via submission due to a triangle choke in the first round.

Following this debut, Nagano secured her first professional MMA victory on April 25, 2008, defeating Asami Kodera by split decision at Smackgirl: World ReMix 2008 Second Round, avenging a prior grappling loss to Kodera. After a subsequent decision loss to Saori Ishioka at the inaugural Jewels 1st Ring event on November 16, 2008, Nagano went on a three-fight winning streak, all secured by armbar submission. During this period, she participated in the 2009 Rough Stone Grand Prix for the 119 lb ^{(54 kg)} and under division. She defeated Rina Tomita in the first round on September 13, 2009, at Jewels 5th Ring, and then went on to win the tournament final against Yoko Kagoshima on December 11, 2009, at Jewels 6th Ring, also by armbar submission. This victory marked a significant early achievement in her MMA career.

3.2. Major fights and tournaments

Following her Grand Prix win, Nagano continued to compete actively in the Jewels promotion. She extended her winning streak to five fights, including a unanimous decision victory over Mai Ichii at Jewels 7th Ring on March 19, 2010. However, her streak was broken on May 23, 2010, at Jewels 8th Ring, when she suffered a unanimous decision loss to Norwegian fighter Celine Haga, an unexpected upset given Haga's prior professional record. The loss was particularly disheartening for Nagano, who was visibly emotional before the fight's conclusion.

Nagano quickly sought to avenge this loss, facing Celine Haga again in the opening round of the Jewels Lightweight (115 lb ^{(115 lb)}) Queen Tournament on July 31, 2010, at Jewels 9th Ring. She successfully defeated Haga via armbar submission in the first round, advancing in the tournament. In the semi-finals of the tournament, held on December 17, 2010, at Jewels 11th Ring, Nagano faced Seo Hee Ham. She was defeated by split decision after two rounds, ending her run in the tournament.

Her scheduled fight against Emi Murata at Jewels 12th Ring on March 11, 2011, in Tokyo, Japan, was cancelled due to the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred earlier that day. The fight was rescheduled and took place at Jewels 14th Ring on May 14, 2011, where Nagano defeated Murata by armbar submission in the first round.

On July 9, 2011, at Jewels 15th Ring, Nagano had a highly anticipated rematch with Megumi Fujii, her opponent from her professional debut. She was defeated by unanimous decision. She then faced Mei Yamaguchi at Jewels 17th Ring on December 17, 2011, losing by split decision. Her next bout was against Emi Fujino at Jewels 18th Ring on March 3, 2012, which she lost by unanimous decision.

Nagano returned to winning ways on May 26, 2012, at Jewels 19th Ring in Osaka, Japan, defeating Anna Saito by armbar submission in the first round. On September 22, 2012, at Jewels 21st Ring, she faced Tomo Maesawa, securing a technical submission victory via armbar in the second round. Her first fight outside Japan occurred on October 27, 2012, at Brace For War 17 in Australia, where she faced Alexandra Chambers and was defeated by TKO in the first round.

Nagano had a third encounter with Rina Tomita at Jewels 22nd Ring on December 15, 2012, which was Tomita's retirement match. Nagano defeated Tomita by armbar submission in the first round. She then faced Emi Tomimatsu at Jewels 23rd Ring on March 30, 2013, winning by unanimous decision. On May 25, 2013, at Jewels 24th Ring, Nagano defeated Takumi Umehara by rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Her final victory before her initial retirement came on August 31, 2013, at Deep Jewels 1, where she defeated Akiko Naito by armbar submission in Naito's retirement fight.

3.3. Retirement and comeback

On December 28, 2013, Mika Nagano announced her intention to retire from mixed martial arts the following February. However, on February 6, 2014, she announced her pregnancy, which led to her withdrawal from a planned exhibition match against Saori Ishioka. Her retirement ceremony was held on February 16, 2014, at Deep Jewels 3. It was later reported that she experienced a miscarriage. On April 18, 2015, Nagano gave birth to her first child, a son.

Nagano made a return to combat sports with a grappling exhibition match against Keiyo Okamoto on March 27, 2016, at the DEEP Amami Oshima Tournament. She continued with another grappling match against Natsumi Mukai on June 5, 2016, at Deep Jewels 12. Her official return to professional mixed martial arts took place on August 27, 2016, at Deep Jewels 13, where she defeated Sachiko Fujimori by technical submission via armbar in the third round.

Following her comeback, Nagano continued to compete. On September 24, 2016, she faced Bayarmaa Munkhgerel at MGL-1 Fighting Champion, losing by unanimous decision. On September 16, 2018, she defeated Izumi Noguchi by armbar submission at Deep Jewels 21. She then fought Tanja Hoffmann at Deep Jewels 22 on December 1, 2018, resulting in a majority draw. Her final fight of 2018 was against Miyuu Yamamoto at Rizin 14 on December 31, 2018, where she lost by unanimous decision.

In 2019, Nagano lost to Miki Motono by unanimous decision at Deep Jewels 24 on June 9. She returned to winning ways on May 8, 2022, defeating Kate Oyama by guillotine choke in the second round at Deep Jewels 37. On September 11, 2022, she secured another victory, submitting Tomoko Inoue via armbar in the first round at Deep Jewels 38. Her most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision loss to Arisa Matsuda at Deep Jewels 39 on November 23, 2022.

8.1. Mixed martial arts record

8.2. Grappling record