Ayaka Miura Thinks ‘Physical Strength And Judo Skills’ Will Lead To Victory Over BJJ Star Danielle Kelly

Mixed martial arts powerhouse Ayaka Miura is ready to return to her grappling roots – and she plans to put on a show in the process.

On February 24 at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II on Prime Video, “Zombie” will square off against American BJJ phenom Danielle Kelly in an intriguing submission grappling contest live in U.S. primetime.

A veteran of seven MMA bouts inside the Circle, it might seem like Miura will be out of her element against an elite BJJ black belt like Kelly.

But the Japanese superstar is no stranger to high-level grappling. She’s a third-degree judo black belt who’s proven to be a dangerous finisher, with all of her ONE victories coming via submission.

At the same time, Miura is well aware of her opponent’s credentials and is preparing to deal with various types of attacks.

She said:

“Knowing Danielle Kelly is an all-rounder, I must be careful about everything. So I am training. I am training for a lot of defense in this fight camp.”

Even though Kelly is a submission threat in all areas, “Zombie” doesn’t think the American possess any single unstoppable weapon.

Meanwhile, she makes no secret of her own specialty – brutally powerful judo takedowns, crushing top control, and soul-stealing tenacity, all honed through years of competing at the highest levels of MMA.

The 32-year-old said:

“Danielle Kelly doesn’t have any special techniques because all her skill is at a high level, but that means she doesn’t have a specialty. I think my physical strength and the judo skills I use in MMA are better than Danielle’s, and I can show it in this grappling match.”

Moreover, the former ONE Women’s Strawweight MMA World Title challenger specializes in one specific technique, earning each of her ONE submissions from her trademark scarf-hold Americana.

Miura knows her opponent will be expecting this shoulder-snapping attempt, so she might have a few surprises up her sleeves.

The Japanese athlete said:

“Danielle Kelly will watch out for my lock – the one that everyone saw in the past fights. But you know, I’m training other techniques and other finishing techniques, or maybe I will showcase another side of Ayaka. I just want everyone to enjoy this fight.”

Ayaka Miura Aims To Get Back On Track Amid Tough MMA Stretch

Ayaka Miura might be testing the waters of submission grappling, but that doesn’t mean she’s walking away from MMA.

Perhaps Japan’s top female mixed martial artist, “Zombie” now finds herself on a two-fight skid that includes her unsuccessful challenge of longtime strawweight MMA queen Xiong Jing Nan.

With that in mind, Miura sees her submission grappling bout against Kelly as an opportunity to sharpen her already dangerous ground game. She also hopes that squaring off with one of the world’s top black belts will pay dividends when she tries to right the ship in MMA.

Miura added

“This grappling match is important for me because of this fight camp. I am able to focus on my ground game. This will lead to a huge improvement for me in MMA as well. So for now, I really want to enjoy this grappling match. I just want to take it as something positive.”