Miku Aono And Mai Sakurai Get Physical At Marigold First Dream 2026 Press Conference

By: Lewis Carlan

Marigold held a press conference today for their upcoming Marigold First Dream 2026 event which is set for Jan. 3rd 2026 at the Ota Ward General Gymnasium.

The main event for Marigold First Dream 2026 will see Miku Aono defend her Marigold World Championship against Mai Sakurai. This will be Aono’s first defense of the title she won back on Oct. 26th when she defeated Utami Hayashishita at Marigold Grand Destiny.

Aono and Sakurai both attended the press conference with Rossy Ogawa sitting in between them. Ogawa had them sign the world title contract to make the bout official for Jan. 3rd.

After signing the contract, Mai Sakurai spoke first and she gave a lengthy statement. Sakurai indicated that she has the confidence that she won’t lose to anyone when it comes to her feelings for Marigold. Sakurai said if she becomes the world champion, she wants to make Marigold a dazzling and exciting place.

From Mai Sakurai:

“Yes, well, first of all, I have the confidence that I won’t lose to anyone when it comes to my feelings for Marigold. It started four years ago when I first met Ogawa-san; he took me in when I was a nobody. Well, since that time, I have decided that I will absolutely become great and repay my debt to Ogawa-san, I’ve had that decided since that very day. That is why, when Ogawa-san said he was creating this new organization, Marigold, I decided to follow him without hesitation. I wanted to be of help to Ogawa-san, and I thought that in such a place, I would become a stronger and stronger wrestler. And, well, I wanted to become famous. And then, around the time I became a tag team champion, I was actually really struggling, thinking, ‘Is this already my limit?’ ‘Should I aim higher?’ ‘Should I aim for the singles belt?’ and so on. But then, during the year of Marigold’s inauguration… well, Giulia, Nanae Takahashi, Sareee, Utami Hayashishita, and Miku Aono. It is no exaggeration to say that I am who I am today because I fought those people in singles matches in the main event. The people whose names I just mentioned are all people who have held the Red Belt. What I believe a Red Belt champion should be, well, it’s not just about one’s own strength, but being able to bring out, to draw out the best in the opponent; I think that kind of thing is necessary, and I want to become that kind of wrestler. What is the decisive difference between Miku Aono and me? Miku Aono is a very, very good girl, a ‘goody-two-shoes,’ an elite. Yes, she has a very classic, respectable image. But for me to get this far, I crawled up, really crawled up from the bottom, crawled up, and crawled up to get here. That is why my feelings regarding this challenge are truly strong. To be honest, there is always pressure whenever I am allowed to stand in a main event. But I have experienced the main event many times over the past year, and I believe I am here today because I truly overcame that pressure. Because I am that person, I want to prove that if you stay true to your beliefs without bending them, your dreams will definitely come true. And if I become the Red Belt champion, I want to make Marigold a dazzling and exciting place. First of all, Miku Aono was my opponent in my debut match, and last year, or was it this year? This year, and next year, we have the same match in the same venue. Also, we are the same age; we were born in the Year of the Horse, right? Since next year is our zodiac year, I want to have a hot battle in the main event. And I have just one thing I want to ask Miku Aono. You said you would show us a ‘new Miku Aono’ before taking the Red Belt, but I still don’t know what that new Miku Aono is like, so I’m looking forward to seeing that too.”

Photo Credit: Marigold

“I am the 3rd World Champion, Miku Aono. January 3rd of this year, at Ota City General Gymnasium. My year started with my United National belt being snatched away by Mai Sakurai. The fact that I lost to Mai Sakurai, that my belt was taken… as Sakurai mentioned earlier, we were originally in the same organization, and I was even her opponent for her debut match. To lose to someone like that, it was truly, incredibly frustrating. But because I experienced that despair and that frustration, I believe I was able to reach this belt. Sakurai calls me an ‘elite’ or a ‘goody-two-shoes’ who has just walked a straight path, but from my perspective, Sakurai looks like an elite too. I also feel that I have crawled my way up from the depths many times during the hours that Sakurai doesn’t know about. And as for pressure? Speaking of pressure, I’ve had many experiences this year where I’ve felt a lot of pressure. That includes the match with Nanae Takahashi; I moved past that, won the DREAM STAR GP, and made it to this belt. I believe everything is connected. That is why I think losing the belt to Sakurai on January 3rd is also connected to me being here now. If I don’t beat Mai Sakurai, I feel like I won’t be able to move forward to the stage of my ‘new self.’ In order to make this belt shine, I believe beating Mai Sakurai is truly the most important thing for me right now. That is my resolve. Well, I am different from who I was back then. I hold this top belt, and right now, I am standing way above Mai Sakurai.”

Photo Credit: Marigold