Chihiro Sawada hands Natalie Salcedo first loss and demands ONE shot at the world title: “I’m in the position”

Chihiro Sawada controlled every phase of her final battle. The Japanese wrestler handed undefeated American Natalie Salcedo her first professional defeat with a unanimous victory in women’s atomweight MMA.

The former Shooto champion dominated the action on A Fighting Night 39 on Friday, January 23 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. Sharp punches to the left sent the BJJ black belt into the corners during the opening round. Sawada transitioned seamlessly into the clinch, landing punishing knees that set the tone.

Salcedo weathered another early storm in the second round. The 28-year-old Tokyo native continued her striking attack as the American showed resilience in the hunt for entries. But the left jab remained Sawada’s main weapon in round three. She punctuated her performance by pinning Salcedo to the canvas for a final takedown as time expired.

The win increased Sawada’s record to 11-1, while maintaining her position among the division’s elite. More importantly, she moved one step closer to challenging Denice Zamboanga for the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title.

Sawada credited an improved striking for neutralizing Salcedo’s dangerous ground game. The wrestler added daily training sessions with Japanese MMA fighter Izawa Seika at the JPP gym especially for this camp. That extra work paid off against an opponent she knew would be deadly on the mat.

“I think I’m in a position right now to take the title shot,” she said through an interpreter.

Chihiro Sawada rates the performance six out of ten

Chihiro Sawada sees room for improvement despite controlling Natalie Salcedo over three rounds. The Japanese wrestler gave himself a rating of six out of ten after the unanimous victory.

Breaking an opponent’s undefeated streak didn’t cause any special emotions in someone who once had her own winning streak. The business approach reflects a warrior focused on continuous evolution rather than discrete achievements.

Her striking development in recent camps proved crucial against Salcedo’s BJJ black belt credentials. The game plan focused on keeping the fight standing rather than diving into the American’s world on the canvas. Sawada’s wrestling background typically leads to takedowns and scrambles, but she controlled the entire fight by forcing Salcedo to engage in striking exchanges.

The 28-year-old remains open to an interim title fight with Ayaka Miura while champion Denice Zamboanga recovers. A Japan-Japan showdown at an event in Tokyo would generate enormous attention domestically, especially with the right marketing behind it.

“First of all, I feel sympathy and I want Denice to recover as quickly as possible, and for the title contender, of course, I want to do that with Ayaka Miura,” she said. “Thank you very much to all my supporters. Thank you very much to all the ONE Championship fans. I will continue to improve, keep getting better, be an athlete, be a fighter who deserves the title. Keep supporting me. Thank you very much.”