Chihiro Sawada expects to enter atomweight top five after ONE Fight Night 20 win

Chihiro Sawada firmly believes that her latest triumph has rightfully earned her a spot among the elite.

At ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video last Friday, March 8, she faced #5-ranked atomweight MMA contender Jihin Radzuan in a catchweight contest.

The early stages of the fight seemed to favor Radzuan. But midway through the contest, Sawada showcased her resilience and determination, In fact, she outright turned the tide in her favor.

With a myriad of submission attacks and ground-and-pound, the Japanese standout dragged Radzuan to every corner of the ring.

The relentless assault continued until the final bell, with the 26-year-old picking up a unanimous decision win.

“My victory means a lot to me. I think it’s because my opponent was Jihin herself. Jihin was a ranked athlete and had a lot of experience. She’s very good both in skills and physically. I very much from the bottom of my heart respect her,” Sawada said.

“The fact that she went against me in my debut fight [in U.S. primetime], I’m very grateful for that.”

With this conquest, Sawada’s record now stands at an impressive 7-0.

She feels confident that her performance at ONE Fight Night 20 has left no doubt about her place in the top five.

“I’m confident that I can take her spot in the rankings and that I can be even better than her,” she said.

Chihiro Sawada ready for step-up in competition

Buoyed by her biggest win to date, Chihiro Sawada has set her sights on climbing the ladder and facing other notable names in the division.

“This victory is going to make me a ranked athlete and, of course, from now on I’m going to face nothing but strong opponents. I will keep an attitude as if I were a challenger so that I’m not overconfident,” she said.

“To challenge for the World Title, I think I need to gain more experience. I don’t think I can immediately challenge for the title yet, but I need to steadily improve.”