Itsuki Hirata bares toughest training camp at Serra BJJ, can’t afford to lose twice

ONE Championship atomweight standout ‘Android 18’ Itsuki Hirata has made the thousand-mile journey from her home country of Japan to the ‘Big Apple’. In New York City, she is currently training at Serra BJJ alongside the fighters of the Serra-Longo Fight Team.

Those close to Hirata have heard from the judoka that she is now in the toughest training camp of her career so far, and has vowed to return to the circle a much-improved fighter. Furthermore, the 22-year-old wants to avoid a losing streak and is fortifying her game to ensure that doesn’t happen.

On Instagram, ONE shared the Japanese judoka drilling hard knees and elbows:

"Those knees and elbows 😖 Catch Itsuki Hirata and Lin Heqin throw down at ONE on Prime Video 1! #ONEonPrimeVideo1 | Aug 26."

'Android 18' will benefit massively from training at the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Founded by Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Matt Serra, the group has developed some incredibly notable fighters, such as Chris Weidman and Aljamain Sterling.

Hirata has an impressive 5-1 record in ONE Championship and will be looking to add another win to her record on August 26 when she competes at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II. This event will be broadcast at US primetime on Amazon Prime Video.

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Itsuki Hirata's ONE Championship run

Itsuki Hirata began training in martial arts at the age of six with dreams of competing in the Olympics. She did well in national competitions in Judo throughout her life, but due to injuries and surgeries, she put her Olympic dreams on hold and switched her training to MMA.

Since making the switch, she has competed in the deep and stacked women's atomweight division in ONE Championship. Impressively, she was on a five-fight win streak before her most recent loss to 'Shadow Cat' Jihin Radzuan.

The Japanese-born MMA fighter will be looking to pick up another win in ONE on August 26 when she faces China's Lin Heqin. 'MMA Sister' has switched between kickboxing and MMA in ONE and has a record of 3-1 in the organization.

Both fighters will be looking to leave their mark and move forward in the competitive atomweight division. Going into this fight, Hirata has a goal in mind.

In an interview with ONE, she said:

"I’ll show that judo is stronger."