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Third-ranked ONE Championship women's atomweight MMA contender 'Zombie' Ayaka Miura of Japan believes she is closing in on a shot at the ONE women's atomweight MMA world title.
The 34-year-old former strawweight MMA world title challenger is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, and has made ripples across the atomweight division as one of its top fighters.
Her recent victory over 'The Indian Tigress' Ritu Phogat at ONE 171: Qatar last week, which she took via first-round kneebar submission, positioned Miura as a serious contender for the gold.
Speaking to veteran MMA reporter Nick Atkin of Bangkok Post in a post-fight interview, Miura revealed she wouldn't mind facing off against a well-known contender to get her shot at the belt.
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She said:
"Anyone is welcomed. No matter who that might be, I’m always up for it. I just wanna get the title match."
When asked about a potential showdown with no.2-ranked contender Ham Seo Hee of South Korea, Miura responded in the affirmative, laying down the groundwork for a potential atomweight MMA world title eliminator between the two.
ONE 171: Qatar was broadcast live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar last Thursday, Feb. 20. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action via replay on-demand on watch.onefc.com or on the official YouTube channel.
Ayaka Miura willing to face anyone for the belt: "That’d be awesome"
'Zombie' Ayaka Miura is hungry for ONE Championship gold, and she doesn't mind facing anyone in the Circle for a chance at securing the belt.
Right now, reigning queen Stamp Fairtex and interim titleholder Denice Zamboanga are expected to face off to unify the ONE women's atomweight MMA world title sometime later this year.
But once that's settled, Miura says she's got next.
The Japanese fighter stated:
"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."
