Ayaka Miura accepted a grappling match against the #1 female submission specialist on the ONE Championship roster. She went the distance with Danielle Kelly which was an achievement in itself for the BJJ purple belt.
Kelly is not just a black belt, she is regarded in BJJ circles as one of the best in the world at her weight class. So Miura’s confidence is high but it sounds like she is ready to return to MMA.
The 32 year old took to Instagram to declare that,
I am ready to fight.
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New focus
Miura is coming off back to back losses. She went the distance with Xiong Jing Nan at ONE: ‘Heavy Hitters’ but couldn’t get the Chinese champion to the ground in a forgettable 25 minute fight.
She was then stopped by up and coming Brazilian star Dayane Cardoso at ONE 156. It means Miura is further than ever from getting another shot at Xiong Jing Nan.
But she spent several months focusing exclusively on her ground game in preparation for the bout with Kelly and believes fans will see a significant improvement in her grappling game next time she competes in MMA. Miura already has six submission wins on her record and would like to add a few more.
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Possible opponents
Wondergirl Fairtex and Noelle Grandjean are both coming off wins. The former submitted Zeba Bano on her debut last year while the latter is coming off a first round stoppage win over Lea Bivins.
There is also the possibility that some of the fighter currently competing in the stacked atomweight division will be able to move up in weight. Angela Lee has already showed that she can move seamlessly between the two categories.
Meng Bo will be making her strawweight debut at ONE Fight Night 9 this Saturday. She is taking on Cardoso who will want to cement her status as the #1 contender in the division with another win.
But with Grandjean and Wondergirl both training at the same gyms in Phuket the division is clearly in need of some new blood. Miura wants another run at the title and the 32 year old is hoping she will be back in MMA action again soon.
