Ayaka Miura And Ritu Phogat Booked For Atomweight MMA Fight At ONE 171: Qatar
ONE 171: Qatar keeps getting better and better, and a pivotal atomweight MMA contest has just been added to the blockbuster event.
On Thursday, February 20, surging Japanese judoka Ayaka “Zombie” Miura will square off with Indian wrestling sensation Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat in a matchup between two of the division’s most talented grapplers at the picturesque Lusail Sports Arena.
A former ONE World Title challenger at strawweight and a veteran of 10 MMA bouts in ONE, Miura has looked phenomenal since dropping down to atomweight and will enter this contest on a three-fight winning streak.
In January at ONE 165, the 34-year-old made her atomweight debut with a hard-fought decision win over fellow judo black belt Itsuki Hirata.
“Zombie” then returned in November at ONE 169 and secured a first-round “Ayaka Lock” submission against Argentina’s Macarena Aragon – her sixth submission victory in ONE.
Those performances established Miura as the #5-ranked atomweight MMA contender. She’ll look to employ her elite takedown game and ruthless submission skills to further solidify herself as a legitimate World Title threat in the 115-pound division.
But standing across from her will be a tricky stylistic matchup in Phogat.
A former Commonwealth Wrestling Gold Medalist who later transitioned to the all-around sport of MMA, “The Indian Tigress” made her ONE debut back in 2019 with plenty of hype surrounding her.
She quickly became an undeniable force in the atomweight MMA division, beginning her professional career with a 7-1 record and making a spectacular run to the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix Championship Final.
However, Phogat would suffer a submission loss to current ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex in the tournament final before tasting defeat again in her next bout against Singaporean star Tiffany Teo.
The 30-year-old Is undoubtedly hungry to make waves in her highly anticipated return to action – and she could crash the divisional rankings with a victory over Miura.
Fans can look forward to an all-out war when Miura and Phogat lock horns.
While the Japanese athlete possesses crushing strength and arguably the division’s most dangerous submission attack, “The Indian Tigress” is a true world-class takedown artist with terrifying ground-and-pound, making for an intriguing clash between top-flight grappling specialists.
Keep checking onefc.com for all the news and announcements about ONE 171: Qatar on February 20.
