“There’s a sense of nervousness” - Itsuki Hirata anxious about showing off her skills in ONE return

It’s been five months since we last saw Itsuki Hirata inside the circle. In her most recent appearance, ‘Android 18’ came up short against streaking atomweight contender Jihin Radzuan.

While ‘Shadow Cat’ is moving on to face fan favorite Stamp Fairtex at ONE on Prime Video 2 in September, Hirata plans to get back into the win column against Chinese striker Lin Heqin.

Eager to avoid another loss, Hirata spent time training in the United States with Team Serra, led by former welterweight world champion Matt Serra, and 10th Planet in San Diego, CA.

There, the Japanese MMA star worked relentlessly on improving her striking. Speaking to ONE ahead of her return, ‘Android 18’ shared a level of nervousness that she is feeling heading into the ONE on Prime Video 1 bout with ‘MMA Sister'.

“There’s a sense of nervousness to make up for the last loss rather than to continue to win. In addition, I’m a little bit nervous about how much I can show off the work that I’ve done for this fight.”

As many undefeated fighters have said, a lot can be learned from your first loss. It’s clear that Itsuki Hirata’s first setback came as a hard pill to swallow, but the Japanese prodigy has taken the appropriate action to come back even better when she returns to the circle.

---

Lin Heqin will be ready for a world title opportunity with a win over Itsuki Hirata at ONE on Prime Video 1

With two wins inside the circle, Lin Heqin believes she will be ready for a world title opportunity should she get the win over Itsuki Hirata at ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 26.

With a record of 16-3-1 overall, ‘MMA Sister’ has proven to be a formidable opponent and could very well put herself in position for a title shot with an impressive showing at U.S. primetime.

Speaking to ONE about a potential title opportunity, Heqin said:

“Well, it's not actually my call. It's up to the promotion, but I will definitely call out Angela Lee if I took this victory right in the cage. So whether I'm going to have the chance or not, I will do that.”

Of course, if Heqin is successful in securing a title shot, she’ll have to wait on the sidelines as current atomweight world champion Angela Lee is scheduled to face reigning strawweight world champion Xiong Jing Nan in a highly anticipated trilogy bout at ONE on Prime Video 2 in September.