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At ONE Fight Night 8, Itsuki Hirata feels like she has a point to prove. On March 24, the Japanese prospect will compete in the biggest fight of her career to date when she takes on No.2-ranked atomweight contender Ham Seo Hee.
‘Android 18’ is grateful for the growing support that she has received in recent months as she gears up for this tough test.
The pair were originally scheduled to face off with one another at ONE 163 last year, but the fight was canceled shortly before the event. After failing to make weight and pass her hydration test, Hirata had potentially let a huge opportunity pass her by.
Her opponent refused to take the fight at a catchweight and it seemed like someone else would get the fight. Now that they are set to finally face off with one another, Hirata wants to reward her supporters by delivering a great performance.
In an interview with ONE Championship. The 23-year old rising contender said:
“I've had a lot of people supporting me lately. With the increase in support, I want to be able to repay those people.”
Itsuki Hirata admits not having "much confidence" in her chin against Ham Seo Hee
Itsuki Hirata has been very positive about the improvements that she has made to her overall skill set in recent times. However, she is still not entirely confident in her durability especially against a skilled striker.
At ONE Fight Night 8 on March 24, Itsuki Hirata expects to be in for a tough night on the feet against Ham Seo Hee. Whilst ‘Android 18’ has been putting time in to improve her stand-up skills, she is well aware that her opponent likely holds the edge in this area.
In an interview with ONE Championship, the Japanese prospect said:
“I think despite having a lot of training in striking, I do not have much confidence in my chin or striking. I believe that having the courage to move forward and not back down when I get hit is more important. If I back down, I believe I will receive twice the power of the strike from Ham.”
Following her split-decision loss to Jihin Radzuan at ONE X last year, Hirata has been investing in her striking skills to round out her game after heavily relying on her grappling throughout her career.
After training in the United States at Serra-Longo in New York, Itsuki Hirata returned to competition at ONE on Prime Video 1, scoring a big victory over Lin Heqin to get herself back in the win column at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August.
