5 reasons Itsuki Hirata is one of the fastest rising female fighters right now

#4. Itsuki Hirata: the submission specialist

Since we're already talking about grappling, it's also worth mentioning how dangerous Itsuki Hirata is on the ground.

The Tokyo-born fighter has utilized all the lessons she got from two-division DEEP world champion and former ONE featherweight world title challenger Kazunori Yokota. She has made her sensei proud, tapping all of her opponents out on her way to winning the Japanese reality show Fighting Agent War.

Itsuki Hirata has never shied away from hunting for locks and punished her first two opponents in ONE with her killer holds. In her debut at ONE: Legendary Quest in June 2019, she scored a first-round submission win over Angelie Sabanal. She then went on to lock up Rika 'Tiny Doll' Ishige in an armbar to pull off a second-round submission win at ONE: Century in October that year.

Since then, her opponents have been wary of her ground game and careful not to give any window of opportunity for 'Android 18' to secure a submission hold.

Itsuki Hirata [Photo courtesy of ONE Championship]

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#3. Itsuki Hirata's soul-crushing right hand

Much has been said of Itsuki Hirata's grappling, but her striking prowess is also no joke. Just ask Rika Ishige, who was at the wrong end of a sharp overhand right from the rising Japanese star.

You could also seek out Crowley, who was repeatedly tagged with punches that forced referee Kemp Cheng to call for the bell.

Or even Miku Nakamura, who found herself in the unenviable position of a ground-and-pound from Itsuki Hirata in the second round of their main event match at Road To ONE: Young Guns last February.

It's a perfect display of Itsuki Hirata's evolution. She has added a stand-up game to her repertoire, which has only made her a more dangerous draw for anyone standing in her way.