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Japanese judo star Ayaka Miura is making her submission grappling debut at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, but she still hopes to rematch reigning women's strawweight queen Xiong Jing Nan down the line.
'Zombie' fought Xiong to a decision, but came up short on the judges' scorecards. The 32-year-old believes she is capable of dethroning the champ, despite it not being her natural weight class. Miura told reporters in her pre-fight interview:
"My natural weight [is at] atomweight. [But] I really want to challenge [for] the belt [against] Xiong Jing Nan again. I will stay at strawweight for now."
Ayaka Miura added:
"It means everything to me. It means everything to me as a lifelong martial artist. So if I can take the belt from Xiong, this is going to be everything. I have to put everything into what I've been doing. This means a lot."
Watch Ayaka Miura's full fight with Xiong Jing Nan below:
Ayaka Miura says competing in submission grappling will only help her MMA game
Miura is scheduled to take on rising star Danielle Kelly at ONE Fight Night 7 in what will serve as her submission grappling debut. The Judoka star believes the match will help her improve her MMA game, telling reporters:
“The meaning of this grappling match for me is because of this fight camp, I am able to focus on my ground game. This is a huge improvement for me in MMA as well. So, for now, I really want to enjoy this grappling match. I just want to take it as something positive.”
The Tribe Tokyo MMA affiliate is 4-3 inside the Circle, with wins over Laura Balin, Samara Santos, Maira Mazar, and Rayane Bastos. All four of her victories have come by way of submission.
Unfortunately, Miura has dropped three of her last four fights. Nevertheless, she has a grand opportunity to pick up a big win in her submission grappling debut.
Make sure to tune in to ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24 to see Ayaka Miura take on grappling sensation Danielle Kelly, live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The entire event will be aired live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
