There’s no one in mixed martial arts that executes the scarf-hold Americana better than Ayaka “Zombie” Miura. 

At ONE: HEAVY HITTERS this Friday, 14 January, her goal is to force “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan to surrender to that move, which she calls the “Ayaka Lock.” If she manages to pull off that feat, the Japanese fighter will depart from the Singapore Indoor Stadium with the ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title.

“I will go for it if she lets her guard down. There’s a lot that goes into executing the ‘Ayaka Lock.’ I think this time, the match will be different from the past,” the Saitama resident offered.  

“The Panda” may have escaped some submission attempts during her successful title defense against “Unstoppable” Angela Lee last March 2019. But the Tribe Tokyo MMA representative is confident that the Chinese megastar’s title reign will end once she gets good position on the canvas. 

“This is a technique that uses judo holds to control the opponent’s shoulders and bend their elbows in the opposite direction. Since the joint is fixed and bent in the opposite direction, you can’t escape the pain. You have to tap,” the 31-year-old described.  

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“Zombie” may have utmost confidence in finishing her foe, but she still views the Evolve MMA megastar as a dangerous adversary.  

Xiong Jing Nan has good takedown defense according to Ayaka Miura

As part of her preparation, Miura rewatched some of Xiong’s past fights in ONE. She concludes that the world champion possesses good takedown defense and a penchant to make life difficult for grapplers. 

“I don’t think she’s a bad grappler because she was able to deal with Angela Lee when she was held down. She hasn’t shown it much in her fights, but I think she’s actually strong,” the Japanese with an 11-3 MMA record expressed. 

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“She is good defensively [in grappling]. In other words, she has good basic movements. She can do that in a fight. If she could land takedowns, I think she would be perfect.” 

Miura’s grappling skills can cause trouble for the Singapore-based world champion. However, “Zombie” must be wary of Xiong’s punching power if she wants to leave the Circle with the title. 

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Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS.  

Fans in India can watch the show live on Disney+ Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2, beginning with the lead card at 3:30 p.m. India Standard Time (IST) on Friday, 14 January.