“More than happy to take up a fight” - Ayaka Miura wants quick turnaround at ONE 172 in Saitama after electric display in Qatar

After scoring her fourth straight win at ONE 171: Qatar, Ayaka Miura is more than willing to jump right back into the fire.

'Zombie' landed perhaps the biggest win of her mixed martial arts career inside the Lusail Sports Arena, submitting the returning Ritu Phogat in the opening round of their high-stakes atomweight clash.

Miura earned the win via a nasty kneebar that forced 'The Indian Tigress' to tap out just before the two-and-a-half-minute mark.

With ONE Championship headed back to Miura's home country in March for a massive fight card inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena, 'Zombie' addressed the possibility of her making a quick turnaround to compete at the historic event. Speaking to Bangkok Post, Miura said:

"I don’t know what the future holds, but let’s see how it goes after I’m back at my gym. I’m more than happy to take up a fight if there’s one."

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Who's next for Ayaka Miura following ONE 171: Qatar?

With wins over Meng Bo, Itsuki Hirata, Macarena Aragon, and Ritu Phogat in her last four outings, Ayaka Miura is sitting as the third-ranked contender in the loaded atomweight MMA division.

Surging towards the top of the rankings, there are only two fights that would make sense for 'Zombie' at this point—the first being former ONE world title challenger Ham Seo Hee.

Not only would Miura vs. Ham be a fresh matchup as the two fighters have never gone toe-to-toe inside the Circle, but it would also present both competitors with an opportunity to improve their position in the atomweight title picture.

The other option would be current ONE interim atomweight MMA world champion Denice Zamboanga.

As it stands, Zamboanga still is waiting for ONE strawweight MMA queen Stamp Fairtex to heal up after undergoing knee surgery. Once given the go-ahead, Stamp and Zamboanga are expected to meet in a title unification clash.

However, depending on how long Stamp is expected to remain on the sidelines, perhaps an interim title showdown between Zamboanga and Miura is the fight to make.

What do you think should be next for the streaking Japanese fan favorite?

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