(left) Itsuki Hirata and (right) Ham Seo Hee [Credit: ONE Championship]

Itsuki Hirata identifies Ham Seo Hee’s one weakness

‘Android 18’ Itsuki Hirata identified exactly what Ham Seo Hee’s one weakness is and it’s not what you might think.

Hirata is set to square off against South Korean veteran Ham Seo Hee at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video next week, after returning to the win column with a convincing decision-win over Hequin Lin last year.

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Heading into her 7th atomweight bout, Hirata wants nothing more than to prove herself against a No.2 fighter and become a serious contender for the throne. The first thing that Hirata believes she has going for her, is the 13-year age-gap between herself and her adversary.

Speaking to ONE, the 23-year-old star said:

“Her weakness is probably her age. I think I have to win with my stamina due to my youth.”
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The first thing with Itsuki Hirata is that she’s going to make sure the fight evolves on the ground right from the onset. Her unique fighting style primarily consists of judo and wrestling, which allows her to exploit her opponents’ weaknesses on the ground.

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As Hirata mentioned above, it takes a lot of stamina and explosiveness on her part to initiate her grappling, but more so for the person on the bottom who’s scrambling to break free. At the end of the day, if the Korean veteran can’t keep this fight standing, it could potentially be a very short night for her.

ONE Fight Night 8 will be broadcast live and for free in North America via Prime Video on Friday, March 24.


Itsuki Hirata insists she will not stop attacking until she gets the victory

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There’s no denying that Itsuki Hirata is taking her next atomweight bout against Ham Seo Hee very seriously.

Ever since she moved to the US last year, Hirata has been honing her craft with the help of American boxing coaches Ray Longo and Matt Serra. Getting some world-class instruction from the other side of the world seems to have benefited the young athlete in many ways. For one, she’s seen major improvements in her stand-up and her wrestling.

Feeling confident with her training camp, Hirata says she’s ready to push the pace and give it her all come Friday night.

In the same interview, she stipulated:

“I will fight for five minutes and three rounds, and I’ll keep attacking until the very end no matter what the situation is.”
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Edited by
Micah Curtis
 
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