Atomweight upstart Chihiro Sawada believes her wrestling will make life difficult for divisional queen Stamp Fairtex
Chihiro Sawada has marked herself as one of the top contenders in the atomweight division following her winning streak under the ONE Championship banner. The Japanese competitor came into ONE Fight Night 22 after making her long-awaited return to the promotion back in March where she defeated Jihin Radzuan.
Sawada kept her momentum going on May 3 where she won a clear decision after going three rounds with Noelle Grandjean.
Once again, it was her wrestling that was the story of the fight as she effectively secured takedowns and kept her opponent pinned to the mat for the majority of the fight.
Sawada believes that this skillset makes her a dangerous challenger to the atomweight throne that is currently held by Stamp Fairtex.
The clearest route to victory against an elite striker like the Thai superstar would be to completely negate this skill set by turning it into a grappling match.
In an interview with Nick Atkin of Sportskeeda MMA Sawada revealed she believes her grappling could be the answer to the champion's ruthless stand-up skills. She said:
"My strong point is obviously my wrestling, so if I could show my weapons on the fight, it'll be a good fight."
Watch the full interview below:
Chihiro Sawada could be one win away from getting that opportunity
Any grappling specialist that starts to rack up wins in the atomweight division like Chihiro Sawada is always going to gather interest whilst Stamp Fairtex is still the world champion.
It's very difficult to imagine anyone who is predominantly a striker going head-to-head with the atomweight queen in a striking contest given her status as the former atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion.
Sawada poses a different threat and whilst the overall MMA game of the world champion is always improving, wrestling would still appear to be the area that contenders may look to exploit.
Another big win for Sawada could see her get the title shot and put her grappling to the test on the biggest stage.
North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 22 via the free event replay.