[6] Akano made her mixed martial arts debut on November 26, 2004 against veteran Megumi Yabushita.
[9] Akano battled Takayo Hashi for the second time at Smackgirl – Queen's Hottest Summer on September 6, 2007.
[10] Akano rematched Megumi Yabushita in the opening round of the 2008 Smackgirl World ReMix Grand Prix.
[11] Akano advanced to the finals of the ReMix tournament by submitting Hiroko Yamanaka on April 25, 2008,[12] but Smackgirl closed its doors soon after and was later renamed Jewels.
[16] Following the Strikeforce bout, Akano returned to Japan and faced Miki Morifuji at Jewels 4th Ring.
[19] A random drawing was held on the day of the weigh-ins to determine first-round matchups[20] and Akano faced Carina Damm in the opening round of the tournament.
[21] Akano submitted Damm with a triangle armbar in the second round to advance to the tournament final.
[24][25] Akano faced Chisa Yonezawa at Pancrase Impressive Tour 2 on March 13, 2011 in Osaka, Japan.
[27] Akano then faced Roxanne Modafferi in a bout rescheduled for Jewels 15th Ring on July 9, 2011.