Ayaka Miura delighted at chance to compete at iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok

3rd-degree Judo black belt Ayaka Miura is excited about the opportunity to compete in a high-profile match inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium this month. Miura will do exactly that on February 24 as ONE Championship presents ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video.

Mirua, best known as a mixed martial artist with a respectable record of 11-4, will compete in a submission grappling matchup inside the iconic stadium against submission grappling superstar Danielle Kelly.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Miura revealed that while the venue of her match has changed, the excitement to compete has not diminished:

“I wasn’t expected to fight in Lumpinee Stadium. I am actually excited to fight there.”

ONE Fight Night 7 was originally scheduled for a different date and venue but was later moved to February 24 at the iconic stadium.

Despite her lack of submission grappling matches, Miura poses a real threat the Kelly when the two meet later this month. Miura has earned four wins inside of the Circle, all by way of submission. Not only has the Japanese standout shown her ability to get the job done on the ground time and time again, but she will also go into the bout with a significant size advantage.

Typically competing as a strawweight, she’ll have a size and potential strength advantage against native atomweight Danielle Kelly. Will Ayaka Miura score the biggest upset of her career at ONE Fight Night 7 or will Kelly carry her 2022 momentum into the new year?

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Danielle Kelly on the difference of facing a Judo practitioner like Ayaka Miura

Danielle Kelly has faced some of the best grapplers from around the globe, but her opponent at ONE Fight Night 7 is a completely different monster. Kelly will be taking on Ayaka Miura, who goes into the bout with an extensive Judo background.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Kelly discussed the differences between facing a Judo specialist compared to a wrestler or jiu-jitsu-based opponent:

"From standing, judo has a lot of advantages because mostly jiu-jitsu people, I mean, very rarely do you have a wrestler who is good at jiu-jitsu but like a top jiu-jitsu person. They don't really practice stand-up a lot."

Kelly closed out the biggest year of her submission grappling career in November after earning a submission victory over Sambo world champion Mariia Molchanova at ONE on Prime Video 4

On February 24, she’ll look to add a Japanese Judo standout to her hit list. Fans in North America can catch Danielle Kelly vs. Ayaka Miura live and for free on Amazon Prime Video in U.S. primetime.

Watch her highlight reel below: