More than two years since her last MMA victory, Japanese submission ace Ayaka “Zombie” Miura is finally back in the win column.
Last Friday, November 3, the former ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Title challenger submitted dangerous knockout artist Meng Bo via scarf-hold Americana at ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video.
Incredibly, it was Miura’s seventh career victory by way of scarf-hold Americana – which has become known as the “Ayaka Lock” – but this one was extra emotional for the veteran star.
Afterward, the 33-year-old spoke about what the result in Bangkok meant to her and why she was so touched:
“I couldn’t win for so long, so I’m really happy that I was able to get the victory today.
“I needed to win this fight, and it’s my 10-year anniversary today since I debuted as a professional fighter. Today is a special day, and today has a lot of meaning.”
(@ayaka_zombie)Now a decade into her career as an elite mixed martial artist, Miura doesn’t take her life – or the legions of fans who support her – for granted.
The Tribe Tokyo MMA representative was hoping to win with something other than her trademark scarf-hold Americana, but above all, she’s happy to be back on track and to remain in the World Title picture.
She said:
“Many people around the world watched my fight. Thank you for watching. Before this matchup, I said to myself I wasn’t going to do the “Ayaka Lock,” but I did it today, and overall, I’m very happy and ready for another fight.”
Miura Says Improved Takedown Game Could Make The Difference In Rematch With Xiong Jing Nan
With a stoppage victory over one of the division’s most dangerous fighters, Ayaka Miura now finds herself in prime position to make another run at reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.
Miura boasts a 100 percent submission rate across her five victories in ONE, but while she has long been considered one of MMA’s top submission specialists, she sees room for improvement in her takedowns.
The third-degree judo black belt explained:
“I think that my style [grappling] will always be the one that I’ll do, and I was able to show who Ayaka Miura is [against Meng]. I still see space to grow in taking down my opponents, and today, I showed who Ayaka Miura is.”
An upgraded takedown game would serve Miura well if she indeed earns a rematch with Xiong.
The two strawweights first battled for the gold in January 2022 at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS, with “The Panda” winning via decision after keeping the fight standing for the vast majority of five action-packed rounds.
For her part, Miura knows that her improved wrestling skills could be a game-changer if they run it back:
“The previous fight with Xiong, I wasn’t able to take her down, so I struggled. I have improved my takedown skills, and now, I have a lot of ways to land my takedowns.
“So if another fight happens against Xiong Jing Nan, I’m confident that I’ll be able to use my ground game.”
