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

#2. Itsuki Hirata is out for redemption

What separates the good fighters from the great is their continued desire to be the best. Itsuki Hirata is no exception.

Although she made it past Alyse 'Lil' Savage' Anderson in the quarterfinals of the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix, she would admit that she was not satisfied with her unanimous decision performance at ONE: Empower last September.

Many pundits admitted that Itsuki Hirata's showing against the American was not what they expected, especially for someone that was touted to be among the strongest contenders in the field.

She agreed, saying that she was "frustrated," although she vowed that "Itsuki Hirata will make steady progress."

That could only mean bad news for Phogat and whoever is left in the Grand Prix after the semifinals.

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#1. Itsuki Hirata is the barrier breaker

We always admire fighters who aren't afraid to break stereotypes and gender norms, and Itsuki Hirata is proud to be at the forefront of this.

As one of the top fighters in the women's atomweight division, the 21-year-old Krazy Bee standout has been vocal in her desire to show that female fighters are just as capable as males inside the ONE circle. So much so that she advocates for more female matches to be in the main event slot:

"I personally believe that the tendency of men being the main events will change. I would like to see more women-only events in Asia and around the world," Itsuki Hirata said. "I think even male athletes look at female athletes’ bouts and might think we are amazing, so that is what I would like to achieve."

That's why one can only imagine her glee at being placed as the headliner for the Road To ONE: Young Guns against Nakamura and taking part in ONE Championship's groundbreaking all-female card ONE: Empower.

"We live and fight regardless of gender. So in that respect, I don’t think we have huge differences [from the men]," she said.