Chihiro Sawada is one of the most dangerous female martial artists. She is also, by her own admission, completely powerless against a 35-kilogram Weimaraner.
The 28-year-old takes on Ayaka “Zombie” Miura in an all-Japanese atomweight MMA showdown at ONE SAMURAI 1 inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on Wednesday, April 29.
Before the AACC athlete returns for the inaugural edition of ONE’s new monthly series in Japan, there is one member of her inner circle who deserves a proper introduction.
His name is Zowie. He is 5 years old, silver-coated, and entirely convinced that wherever Sawada goes, he goes too.
Weimaraners are famously loyal. Zowie, however, has interpreted that breed trait less as a personality characteristic and more as a full-time occupation.
“He’s a big, clingy, lovable dog. He’s very affectionate to the extent that I’m starting to think all male dogs are like that.
“He follows me everywhere, even to the washroom or taking a bath, even when I sleep.”
Zowie has been doing exactly that since before she turned professional. The bathroom visits, the bedside vigils, the gym appearances — all of it has added up to something Sawada did not plan for but would not trade away.
Somewhere between the training sessions and the unsolicited company, her four-legged companion became the reason she keeps going.
“I started to stay with him, except when I’m training, before I became a professional fighter.
“He takes good care of me, and I feel good when I’m with him. That’s why when I train in martial arts, he’s a motivation to me, and that’s why I keep him.”
There is one small wrinkle in the otherwise smooth operation of their relationship. Zowie’s name was not the most carefully researched choice in history.
Sawada picked it because it sounded right for a boy, only to discover she had given her male dog a name that skews distinctly feminine.
Zowie, for his part, has never once acknowledged the issue:
“I didn’t know Zowie was a girl’s name. I feel like it sounds good for him, that’s why I gave him that name.”
Zowie’s commitment to Chihiro Sawada does not end when she steps into the gym. It simply relocates.
The hulking grey shadow has a standing appointment at her training facility — not on the mats, but close enough to watch his owner drill, grapple, and sharpen the skills that have made her one of the atomweight MMA division’s most feared competitors.
“Sometimes I train with him, and sometimes I bring him to my gym. While I’m training in the gym, he stays in the gym, sits down, and watches me train.”
There is, of course, a practical dimension to sharing a life with an animal of Zowie’s size and dedication.
At some point, the big guy does something he should not, and Sawada has to step in. She handles it the same way she handles everything — calmly, directly, and without unnecessary drama.