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Having earned 4 scarf-hold Americana submission victories in just below three years, #4-ranked strawweight contender Ayaka “Zombie” Miura has established herself as the subsequent challenger to divisional queen “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan.
Now, Miura will face the reigning ONE Ladies’s Strawweight World Champion in the primary occasion of ONE: HEAVY HITTERS, which broadcasts dwell from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 14 January.
Apparently, the match pits the strawweight division’s submission queen towards the burden class’ all-time knockout chief, making it a headliner match for the group’s first martial arts spectacle of 2022.
Nevertheless, earlier than the third-degree judo black belt steps into the Circle for the largest battle of her profession, she recaps her journey via blended martial arts – a journey guided by her coach and legend of the Japanese MMA scene, Ryo “Piranha” Chonan.
On the peak of his profession, Chonan was a Japanese Combined Martial Arts Champion who competed within the largest promotions everywhere in the world. He even gained accolades from high media shops like Sports activities Illustrated.
Chonan constructed his profession by being a disciplined martial artist, and it’s a trait that he’s handed on to Miura.
“Self-discipline is necessary for specializing in all the person features of coaching,” she says.
Certainly, it was self-discipline that efficiently guided “Zombie” via her highschool judo membership, it was self-discipline that earned her the respect of established athletes at Tribe Tokyo MMA, and it was self-discipline that made her such a feared grappler.
However typically, self-discipline wavers, as was the case for Miura on 28 Could 2017.
On that day, she was scheduled to face Brazilian Thiane Sauza in Pancrase however did not make weight. Because the media watched – and as her opponent got here in spot on – “Zombie” discovered herself underneath the highlight and in an ungainly place.
“I simply wished to vanish,” she admits. “However the day after the battle, I went with Mr. Chonan and Yuya Wakamatsu to our late group member [Iyori] Akiba’s grave.”
At Akiba’s everlasting resting place, she realized that by not giving one hundred pc, she let down her former teammate who had handed away in a site visitors accident and will not observe his goals.
“I knew I couldn’t present myself like this to [Akiba]. So, from then on, I made a decision to boost extra preventing spirit in me. Issues modified from there,” she says.
Following the go to, the Japanese star felt the urgency and skilled a shift in efficiency whereas underneath the watchful eye of Chonan. In truth, she gained three of her subsequent 4 outings in Pancrase.
Then, in February 2019, Miura dominated in her ONE Championship debut.
At ONE: CALL TO GREATNESS, she submitted former ONE World Title challenger Laura “La Gladiadora” Balin together with her signature transfer, the scarf-hold Americana, in 73 seconds.
Miura went on to make use of the method to attain two extra second-round submission victories – first, towards one other former ONE World Title challenger in Samara “Marituba” Santos after which towards a previously ranked contender in Maira Mazar.
Miura finally succumbed to #1-ranked strawweight contender Tiffany “No Chill” Teo, however she later bounced again with one other scarf-hold Americana of Rayane Bastos.
Now, inside weeks of her largest blended martial arts problem, “Zombie” continues to reward Chonan, the person who she believes is liable for her success not solely in Japan, however outdoors of her residence nation as properly.
“There’s no means I may compete overseas with out him. He’s strict, however he helps me in lots of features. I’m very grateful to him,” Miura says.
“As a coach, he offers us stable assist via all of the robust occasions. As a result of he really is aware of the harshness [of the sport], he needs to be strict with us. And due to that, it offers us self-discipline and willpower.”
Certainly, Chonan is thought for his unwavering sternness within the health club. However he’s equally recognized for his equity and kindness to these round him. That’s the form of coach it takes to construct a World Champion.
It’ll be as much as Miura to do the remaining come 14 January.
Learn extra: Xiong Jing Nan Needs To KO Ayaka Miura, Eyes Atomweight Return
