Watch: ONE Championship strawweight Ayaka Miura's deadly scarf-hold submission

ONE Championship strawweight submission artist Ayaka Miura (top) uses the scarf-hold pin to score the most submissions in ONE strawweight history. (Image courtesy of ONE Championship)
ONE Championship strawweight submission artist Ayaka Miura (top) uses the scarf-hold pin to score the most submissions in ONE strawweight history. (Image courtesy of ONE Championship)

You don't want to be trapped underneath ONE Championship strawweight Ayaka Miura's deadly scarf-hold. The Japanese fighter's excellent utilization of this technique has allowed her to hold the record for most submissions in ONE atomweight history.

A "scarf-hold", traditionally called "kesa-gatame" in Japanese, is a pinning hold that is performed from side control. It's done by turning slightly sideways, spreading the legs for stability, and encircling your opponent's head with one arm while holding the other arm close to your chest. It's like using your arm as a "scarf' around your opponent's neck while you pin him on the mat.

It's one of the strongest, most effective pins utilized in grappling to establish control over your opponent. Third-degree judo blackbelt Miura uses the hold to pin her opponents while she isolates their arm for a crushing armlock.

What the Japanese fighter does so well is maintain the pin with unbreakable pressure. Her opponents are helplessly trapped as they watch in horror while their arms get locked in-between Miura's legs.

From there, 'Zombie' cranks hard on the isolated arm, like an Americana keylock using her legs. Her devastating submission has been her weapon of choice inside the ONE Championship Circle, and no one has been able to stop it.

Watch the best highlights of her submission hold here:

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Ayaka Miura challenges Xiong Jing Nan for the belt at ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters

At ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters, Ayaka Miura will look to apply her scarf-hold armlock again. This time, to win gold as she faces dominant ONE Championship strawweight champion 'Panda Bear' Xiong Jing Nan.

MMA has evolved tremendously ever since its birth. Today, one doesn't simply rely on one set of moves or one technique to win fights. The level of skill and expertise has grown and evolved as fighters continually adapt to different styles. Because of this, well-roundedness has become almost a requirement in the sport.

Miura, however, is a rarity as she repeatedly finds success with the same exact submission from the same exact position. It's quite literally a finishing move akin to pro wrestling.

All of her opponents know that it's coming but they never find a way to stop it. It's quite peculiar but still very interesting to witness getting pulled off repeatedly. Let's see if she pulls it off again to capture ONE Championship gold.

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Edited by Dave