Former ONE strawweight world championship contender Ayaka Miura will be taking herself somewhat out of her comfort zone at ONE Fight Night 7. Competing under ONE’s submission grappling ruleset for the first time, Miura will face the division’s standout, Danielle Kelly, on February 24.
Whilst her opponent has far more experience competing in submission grappling, ‘Zombie’ is no stranger to locking up with her opponents and taking the fight to the floor. All four of her wins inside the circle have come by way of Americana submission, a threat that she sets up by utilizing her Judo background.
In a recent video posted on ONE Championship’s Instagram account, Ayaka Miura showcased her speciality. The caption alongside the video reads:
“"Zombie" goes SLAMMIN' 💥 Judo ace Ayaka Miura faces BJJ star Danielle Kelly in a submission grappling match on February 24 at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video! 💪"
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Whilst Danielle Kelly isn’t a newcomer to facing opponents that have strong backgrounds in mixed martial arts, Miura’s judo background presents a new threat to the 27-year-old.
With her extensive arsenal of throws and submission threats off the back of it, Kelly will need to be incredibly cautious and patient in trying to go after a submission hold of her own.
ONE Fight Night 7 is live and free in North America on Prime Video.
Danielle Kelly wise to Ayaka Miura’s unique grappling style
Danielle Kelly has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare herself for Ayaka Miura’s unique grappling style.
At ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, Kelly will step inside the circle for the third time to face off with the strawweight MMA contender. Though Kelly is no stranger to competing against opponents who have different skills from her, Miura is a different kind of threat thanks to her third-degree black belt in Judo.
Having faced strong MMA grapplers in the past, like Mei Yamaguchi and Carla Esparza, Kelly knows what she needs to work on but acknowledges that Miura’s game will be different to any of her previous opponents.
Ahead of ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24, Danielle Kelly said in her pre-fight interview:
“Yeah, for sure. And from that position, she goes for a Kimura or a head and arm triangle choke. She does it pretty well, and the other girls can't stop it. But I feel like my defense is better, and I feel like I can scramble out a lot of stuff. So it'll be interesting, but I definitely don't want to be in a position to find out.”