ONE Championship’s Japanese ‘Zombie’ Ayaka Miura wants Xiong Jingnan to beat Michelle Nicolini
- Miura is rooting for Chinese ‘Panda’ to defend strawweight belt at ONE: Empower – because she believes she can beat her
- ‘I think that I would match up pretty well with Xiong,’ says No 4-ranked contender
Ayaka Miura knows who she wants to face when challenging for the ONE Championship strawweight title.
After successfully rebounding from her first loss in the promotion – a third-round TKO by Tiffany Teo in February, 2020 – the Japanese 30-year-old “Zombie” (11-3, one no contest) has her sights firmly set on the only champion her division has ever known.
“I believe [Michelle] Nicolini is second-ranked in the division and to be honest I think Xiong Jingnan will be successful in defending her belt and I kind of want her to as well,” Miura told SCMP MMA.
“I do think I would match up pretty well with Xiong.”
May’s ONE: Dangal card from Singapore saw Miura do what she does best when facing Brazilian Rayane Bastos – submit her opponents with a scarf-hold American.
All four of the Saitama native‘s ONE victories – and seven overall in her career – have ended in the same manner. As the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.