“I will be ready for that” - Lin Heqin prepared to grapple with Itsuki Hirata if needed

‘MMA Sister’ Lin Heqin isn’t afraid to grapple with judo star Itsuki Hirata. The pair will lock horns at ONE on Prime Video 1 in an atomweight MMA bout which is expected to capture fans’ attention due to their opposing fighting styles.

For instance, Heqin’s sanda fighting style will be the determining factor on whether she can keep this fight on her feet. Her opponent, Japan’s rising star Itsuki Hirata is just starting to mix things up by applying more Muay Thai into her training.

However, according to Heqin, it may not be enough to beat her. Expecting Itsuki to resort to her judo-heavy fighting style, the Wenzhou native said that she’s ready to defend every possible circumstance:

She told MMA Mania:

“Yeah, I believe that she will play her own style, I think. I'm not so impressed with her striking, actually, and I believe with that kind of strong judo style, she will try to push me against the cage and use her wrestling as soon as possible. So I will be ready for that. But I'm more hopeful for a striking game to happen on fight night.”

Catch Lin Heqin's full interview below:

Lin Heqin has been fighting professionally since 2015 and has become a bit of a sensation in China. ‘MMA Sister’ was demolishing opponents with her elite striking and had racked up a 10-fight win streak before joining the ONE banner in 2019.

Her latest victory against Bi Nguyen in a Muay Thai fight last February, for example, showed how well she flourishes under pressure.

Her superiority in the Circle was evident after three full rounds of dominance. With that said, Lin Heqin will make it extremely difficult for Hirata to close the gap. Fans are extremely excited to see how this battle between striker vs grappler will pan out.

---

Lin Heqin wants No. 1 atomweight contender Stamp Fairtex next before world title shot

After Lin Heqin’s masterful performance against Bi Nguyen at ONE: Bad Blood, the Chinese striker feels her time for a world title shot is cutting close.

In the post-fight interview, she went on record to say that she’s ready to fight Angela Lee but she wouldn’t pass out on an opportunity to face the fighter guarding the No.1 contender spot.

Heqin told SCMP MMA:

“Everyone knew, not only I knew that Stamp Fairtex is so strong right now, she’s amazing in stand up fighting but now she’s so good on the ground game too, so I have to say that I believe - if the fight against Stamp Fairtex [happens], it will go the whole way, it will go the distance, so yeah, it will be a decision-win.”

If Heqin beats Itsuki Hirata in dominant fashion, she might be the runner-up for a world title. But it would be interesting to see how well she’ll fare against one of Thailand’s biggest stars before she fights for gold.