‘Win The Belt And Leave Something Behind’ – Ayaka Miura Chases Gold In All-Japan Clash With Chihiro Sawada At ONE SAMURAI 1

For the judo black belt, it is also a chance to carry her country’s ancient warrior tradition onto a global stage.

The Tribe Tokyo MMA affiliate said:

“Bushido is the traditional Japanese spirit. Since I’ve practiced judo for a long time, I’ve been exposed to a lot of that discipline and respect. Martial arts may seem violent, but it’s not just about that. It’s about Bushido, that Japanese spirit, and I hope to share it with the world.

“Through ONE SAMURAI, I hope people see how strong Japanese fighters are and how exciting their fights can be.”

Miura and Sawada share a history, but what awaits them in the ring carries far greater stakes.

The 28-year-old Sawada has built a fearsome reputation on suffocating grappling and an ever-improving striking game, dispatching Macarena Aragon, Itsuki Hirata, and Natalie Salcedo in succession to cement herself among the atomweight elite.

Miura respects what her rival brings, but she has no doubt about who holds the upper hand.

She said:

“We only trained once and haven’t had much interaction since. I think Sawada is a very well-rounded fighter. She has a wrestling base and builds her MMA around that strength, and she’s very strong physically.

“I believe I’m more persistent than her, so even if she comes aggressively at the start, my strength is that I never give up.”

There Is Far More To Miura Than The ‘Ayaka Lock’

Few fighters in mixed martial arts possess a reliable finishing move. Ayaka Miura is a different breed. Once she locks in the kesa-gatame scarf-hold, the outcome is rarely in doubt.

But the Japanese grappler is clear that it is only part of her game. She has assembled a finishing arsenal that runs far deeper, and Chihiro Sawada is about to see all of it.

“Zombie” said:

“My ‘Ayaka Lock’ works on anyone. But I don’t rely only on that. I have many techniques, and I can finish in many ways.

“Of course, I can finish fights with the ‘Ayaka Lock,’ but I’ve also finished with knee bars. I just haven’t shown many of my techniques in fights yet, but I have a wide range of ways to finish.”

Miura has been here before. A ONE World Title pursuit at strawweight fell short, but the hard lessons from that campaign never faded and only sharpened her.

A decisive win over Sawada unlocks the career reinvention she has been chasing. Everything the submission hunter from Saitama has ever worked for comes down to this.

She declared:

“It’s important to win decisively. I’ll win, and I truly believe the next fight will be for the title.

“I’m not naturally athletic, and I’ve never been #1 at anything, so becoming #1 has always been my goal. I started martial arts late, but through ONE Championship, I’ve made it this far. I want to win the belt and leave something behind.”

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