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ONE Championship submission machine Ayaka 'Zombie' Miura suffered a horrendous shoulder injury against Dayane Cardoso at ONE 156. The third-degree Judo Blackbelt was doing well at implementing her gameplan for the majority of the fight.
'Zombie' never allowed Cardoso any space to strike as she constantly hunted for the takedown, even landing in her signature "kesa gatame" position.
After a failed single-leg takedown attempt on the cage, Miura separated from Cardoso and we immediately saw a nasty-looking bulge on the Japanese fighter's right shoulder.
It's not quite clear where or how the shoulder got dislocated, but it might be from Miura's relentless attempts at throwing Cardoso to the ground. It was unfortunate to lose a fight in this manner, especially since 'Zombie' was arguably winning the bout up until that point.
After the loss, 'Zombie' took to Instagram to address her fans. Translated from Japanese, the post said:
"Sorry. [I] Lost. The injury will heal immediately. I have no time. Crawl up. I will not give up. It will definitely come back. Lots of support. Thank you for your support."
Check out the Instagram post below:
Battered but never truly beaten, Miura showed the heart and courage of a samurai. It's back to the drawing board for this talented ONE Championship strawweight. Here's to hoping she recovers fast and bounces back with a win inside the circle.
Watch the full fight highlights here:
ONE Championship submission machine Ayaka Miura suffers second straight loss at ONE 156
After compiling a 5-1 record in ONE championship and clinching the record for most submissions at strawweight, Ayaka Miura challenged for the title earlier this year. Despite being game and always looking to impose her will, 'Zombie' had no answer to the tactical striking of the champion, Xiong Jing Nan.
Being one of the few remaining "pure" grappling specialists in MMA today, Miura has always been transparent with what she wants to do inside the cage. The grappling savant wants to take them down and submit them with her signature "Ayaka Lock". It's the closest we can get to an MMA equivalent of a "finishing move" ala pro wrestling.
After her second straight loss, however, it might be time for Miura to diversify her game. Opponents are starting to catch up with her grappling-heavy approach and have devised plans to repell it.
It's up to the Japanese fighter to improve her striking skills to complement her grappling in order to create a more holistic and unpredictable style.
