"I would like to get that win back" - Alyse Anderson hopes to get a rematch with Itsuki Hirata in the future

Alyse Anderson's debut match in September 2021's ONE: Empower was foiled by Itsuki Hirata. It is a match she would like to get another shot at.

In a recent interview with ONE, Anderson shared what she thought led to her downfall in her first fight:

“I knew that [Hirata] was going to be good with the judo throw. So I did work extensively on keeping my hips and not getting taken down. And obviously, that's where I lost the fight. It's when I did exactly what I was told not to do and separated my hips from hers. And every single time I did that, I just got tossed.”

Anderson admitted that she was a bit nervous in her debut match, so she did not get the start that she wanted. However, she shook off the jitters and proceeded to find her rhythm in the third round:

“Everyone was telling me like, she has a strong overhand right. Once I got hit with it a couple of times and realized that it wasn't going to knock me out, that’s when I started letting my hands go in the third round, you know, it's when I dropped her. And I just know if I would have started that way, I could have avoided clinching and the takedowns altogether. So I made two mistakes but I definitely learned from them.”

'Lil' Savage' believes that another couple of rounds could have made a difference to the outcome of the match. She felt Hirata was gassed by the third round. Anderson revealed that she would want to face the Japanese star again:

“I kind of have an opponent that I assigned, or like I'm focusing on that one right now. But in the future, I would like to get that win back.”

---

Itsuki Hirata is back in action at ONE X

While Alyse Anderson is in fight camp, Itsuki Hirata is also well into her preparations for an upcoming bout at ONE X on March 26.

‘Android 18’ confirmed during the Japanese broadcast of ONE: Bad Blood that she will be in action for the promotion’s 10th-anniversary event.

Hirata’s opponent has not been revealed yet, but there’s a ton of talent in the division who can push her to the limit the way Anderson did in their fight. If she’s looking to enter the top five of the division quickly, there may be just one name she could aim to knock off.

With the division’s queen and the top three contenders all in action in the same event, the two fighters available for Hirata in the top five are Ritu Phogat and Meng Bo. Meng went up to strawweight in her last bout.

That leaves Phogat as a possible opponent for her. 'The Indian Tigress' was Hirata’s scheduled opponent in the semifinals of the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship in October last year, before the Japanese had to pull out due to an injury.

Who do you think is next for Itsuki Hirata?