“Looking forward to that moment” - Ayaka Miura mulls KO finishes as opposed to her usual submissions

For Ayaka Miura, a finish is a finish. Returning to the Circle at ONE 171: Qatar, Miura scored her seventh career submission victory under the ONE Championship banner, finishing the returning Ritu Phogat with an especially nasty kneebar in less than two and a half minutes.

Though Miura is best known for her Ayaka Lock, 'Zombie' proved that she can get the tap out in a variety of ways. Speaking with the Bangkok Post following her fourth straight win on martial arts' biggest global stage, Miura was asked about potentially gunning for her first knockout inside the Circle:

"I’m always prepared for a knockout, but whenever I finish my fight, there’s no time that I feel better than this. So I’m always looking forward to that moment that will come."

The win moved Ayaka to 8-3 in ONE and solidified her as the third-ranked contender in the loaded atomweight MMA division.

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Despite her success, Ayaka Miura believes there's always room for improvement

With an 88 percent finish rate and a four-fight win streak, Ayaka Miura is one of ONE Championship's most fearsome female fighters. But even with her immense success over the last couple of years, 'Zombie' believes she can be even better. Following her win over Ritu Phogat, Miura said:

"I managed to secure a win tonight but there's always room for improvement. My trainers tell me that all the time. I work on it and stay humble. And looking forward to the next match. Thank you very much."

Though no official announcements have been made, all signs point toward Miura's next opponent being either reigning ONE atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex or the ONE interim atomweight world titleholder Denice Zamboanga—though much of that will depend on when Stamp is ready to return after undergoing knee surgery last year.

If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 171: Qatar replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.