Mai Sakurai Reveals The Reasons Why She Decided To Leave Marigold

By: Lewis Carlan

At the Oct. 3rd Marigold BATTLE HEARTS 2026 event, Marigold superstar Mai Sakurai delivered a surprising announcement by revealing she will be leaving the promotion to deal with injuries and medical conditions. Sakurai indicated that her last match for Marigold will be at GRAND DESTINY 2026 on Oct. 24th at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

In her final Marigold match, Sakurai will team with Erina Yamanaka & Natsumi Showzuki as they face Chanyota, Diana Strong & Mila Smidt. A press conference was held on Oct. 13th to promote GRAND DESTINY 2026 that was attended by Sakurai as she appeared with Yamanaka & Showzuki.

Photo Credit: DSF Marigold

As reported by Tokyo Sports, Sakurai spoke with the press and disclosed that in addition to treating injuries to her neck and knee, she has been dealing with stress-related issues that have affected her health.

From Mai Sakurai:

“As other wrestlers were leaving, my own role began to shift, and I found myself pushing too hard and trying to overextend. I managed to cheat my way through it until now, but I reached a point where I could no longer balance what was expected of me with what I was capable of doing.”

Sakurai continued to talk to reporters during the press conference and indicated that it is her belief that she accomplished everything she set out to do. Sakurai revealed she won’t be returning to Marigold anytime soon and will take time to think about her future.

From Mai Sakurai:

“I feel that I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do. While I don’t know what the future holds, having made the decision to step away once, I will not be returning to Marigold anytime soon. I’d like to go on trips, visit the ocean, and take time to refresh while thinking about my future. At one point, I even considered entering the traditional workforce, so I hope to find what I truly want to do during this time off.”

Mai Sakurai is the second high profile departure from Marigold in 2026 as Utami Hayashishita left the promotion back in May to rejoin the STARDOM roster.

(H/T goes to meraWRESTLING for the English quote translation)