“It Means Everything to Me” – Ayaka Miura Reveals Why Strawweight Gold Remains Top Priority in ONE

Ayaka “Zombie” Miura will take a brief detour from her usual MMA exploits next Friday, February 24. For the first time in her ONE Championship tenure, the Japanese athlete will engage in a submission grappling battle. Her much-anticipated matchup with American BJJ phenom Danielle Kelly goes down at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II on Prime Video.

Miura is known to be one of the best ground game specialists in ONE’s women’s strawweight MMA division. And though she is excited about getting the chance to take part in a submission-only contest under the bright lights, “Zombie” revealed that she will probably switch back to the all-encompassing sport once she’s seen off Kelly inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Winning the ONE Strawweight World Title was indispensable for Ayaka Miura

After all, the primary driving force behind her decision to compete is the ONE Strawweight World Title, currently in the ironclad grip of “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.

Speaking at an official ONE Media Day this week, Miura shared, “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. [Winning the belt] means a lot.”

READ MORE – “I Don’t Believe He Thinks He Can Win This Fight” – Fabricio Andrade Not Worried About “Delusional” John Lineker

Miura squared off with Xiong–ONE’s most dominant World Champion, alongside Nong-O Hama–at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS in January last year. The ultra-aggressive Chinese champion forced her to retreat throughout the 25-minute duel and kept her guessing with her high-pressure boxing and impeccable takedown defense.

 Miura won’t give up despite her initial defeat

“Zombie” was clearly second best that night, but she feels she could play the aggressor if she got another shot at the longtime strawweight queen. Looking back at the fight and a possibility of a rematch, the Tribe Tokyo MMA representative said:

“Xiong Jing Nan’s defense and the game plan were perfect and in sync. But I really think that if I can think more during the fight, the result could be different. So if I can fight her once again, I want to see what’s going to happen.”

READ MORE – Danielle Kelly Impressed By Ruotolo Twins, Describes Them As “Freak Athletes”

For now, though, Miura is solely focused on her assignment next Friday. After that, she can pave her path in the talent-packed strawweight division to get a title shot.

ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II on Prime Video will be free to watch for fans in U.S. and Canada with an Amazon Prime membership.