Submission grappling star Bianca Basilio teases MMA move after quick finish of Nanami Ichikawa
ONE submission grappling star and BJJ savant Bianca Basilio may soon don the four-ounce gloves in the world's largest martial arts organization.
The Brazilian grappler made this clear shortly after making quick work of Nanami Ichikawa at ONE Fight Night 22 over the weekend.
Basilio did not mess around as soon as the bell rang, threatening her Japanese foe with a headlock followed by a heavy sprawl. The 28-year-old then transitioned to a lightning-fast back-take and had herself another quick night at the office.
The Almeida Jiu-Jitsu affiliate cinched in a textbook rear-naked choke and had Ichikawa unconscious just 35 seconds into the match.
Basilio, who improved to 2-1 in ONE, talked about possibly avenging her previous setback against Tammi Musumeci in her in-ring interview with Mitch Chilson.
However, it seems she's also weighing her options and could transition to mixed martial arts for her next outing. Bianca Basilio said:
"I want to fight with her again. But also, I'm preparing myself for an MMA debut and I would love to fight in MMA here."
The replay of ONE Fight Night 22 is available free on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Will Bianca Basilio be the next great BJJ athlete to dominate MMA?
Bianca Basilio's suffocating ground game will certainly be a threat to everyone in the promotion's 125-pound female MMA ranks.
If all goes to plan, the decorated BJJ athlete can follow in the footsteps of the legendary Marcus 'Buchecha' Almeida who's currently making a splash in ONE's heavyweight MMA division.
Basilio's fellow ADCC alum Kade Ruotolo is also set to make his MMA debut at ONE 167 next month.
Meanwhile, the dominant women's strawweight MMA world champion Xiong Jing Nan still rules the division with an iron fist. Let's see if Basilio can work her way up and challenge for the gold in her impending transition to mixed martial arts.