Ayaka Miura says career resurgence wouldn’t have been possible without her loyal fans: “Your support means a lot to me”

Third-ranked ONE Championship women's atomweight MMA contender 'Zombie' Ayaka Miura of Japan is coming off a spectacular submission victory over returning Indian star 'The Indian Tigress' Ritu Phogat last week at ONE 171: Qatar.

And she has her fans to thank for all the support.

The 34-year-old Miura turned in a fantastic performance, tapping out Phogat with a kneebar in round one of their scheduled three-round atomweight showdown. She also received a US $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for her efforts.

Speaking to veteran MMA reporter Nick Atkin of Bangkok Post in a post-fight interview, Miura thanked her fans for the love.

'Zombie' said:

"I feel very honored to get my second performance bonus. It is an amazing feeling. To all the fans out there, especially the ones in Japan who stayed up late to watch my fight, thank you so much. Your support means a lot to me."

ONE 171: Qatar was broadcast live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, last Thursday, February 20. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand on ONE Championship's official YouTube channel or on watch.onefc.com.

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Ayaka Miura looking for next shot at ONE Championship gold: "That’d be awesome"

'Zombie' Ayaka Miura believes she has done enough to earn the next crack at the ONE women's atomweight MMA world title with her victory over Ritu Phogat at ONE 171: Qatar last week.

She told Bangkok Post:

"No matter which weight class it may be [atomweight or strawweight], I’m looking forward to a championship title match. I know atomweight is the more active weight class at the moment. So if I get that title match, that’d be awesome."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Ayaka Miura's next fight.