Ayaka Miura breathes sigh of relief after ONE Fight Night 16: “I had to win this fight””

At ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video last Friday, November 3, Ayaka Miura found her way back to the winner’s circle.

The former ONE MMA World Title contender authored a rousing victory in a strawweight bout against Meng Bo. There, she submitted the Chinese knockout artist with her signature scarf-hold Americana in the first round.

This triumph allowed Miura to finally catch a break after dropping her last three bouts in ONE Championship.

Her losing skid began in January 2022 when she bowed to ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Champion Xiong Jing Nan by unanimous decision.

Only three months after her defeat to Xiong, Miura suffered another blow when she faced Dayane Cardoso. This time, it was a standing TKO in the second round.

It was a tough loss to digest, and Miura knew she had to make a change. This led her to a submission grappling bout against Danielle Kelly this past February.

However, the outcome was no different, and Miura once again found herself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision.

The clouds of despair finally dispersed when Miura emerged victorious against Meng at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

In fact, the emotion on her face was a reflection of the immense pressure that had been weighing her down.

“I was really happy that I was able to get the victory today. I had to win this fight. After my win, I celebrated with my coach because of how meaningful this day was for me,” she said.

The Japanese submission specialist also expressed her delight at being able to perform the way she desired.

“I was able to show who Ayaka Miura is. I still see opportunities where I can grow and develop my takedowns, but the performance I put on display is Ayaka Miura,” she said.

Ayaka Miura hopes to run it back with Xiong Jing Nan

Ayaka Miura‘s victory over Meng Bo has reignited her hopes and aspirations. She now looks forward to the possibility of a rematch with Xiong Jing Nan.

Miura firmly believes that if given the chance to share the stage once again with Xiong, she can perform at her absolute best.

“I struggled to get takedowns during our fight, so I improved my takedown skills and I now have a lot of different ways to get a takedown,” she said.

“The next time I face Xiong Jing Nan, I’m confident I’ll be able to control her on the ground.”