“I'm training so hard” - Itsuki Hirata strengthening her chin so she can ‘handle being hit’

Japanese rising star Itsuki Hirata is anticipating an all-out striking war with Lin Heqin, so she’s doing everything she can to handle being hit with powerful shots.

Lin Heqin is no picnic. The Chinese power-hitter is a masterful striker with deep roots in kickboxing and sanda. If Hirata isn’t mentally or physically prepared to take the hits, her judo may be ineffective in this fight.

In an exclusive interview with ONE Championship, the Tokyo native was asked how confident she felt in trading strikes with Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 1 come fight night on August 26th.

Hirata responded by saying:

“I'm training so hard that I can handle being hit by [powerful] shots while I’m working on developing my ground and striking skills every day.”

Itsuki Hirata and Lin Heqin are set to battle out their differences on one of the hottest tickets of the year at ONE on Prime Video 1. In this particular showdown between the two top atomweights, Hirata will try her best to keep control on the ground to exercise her judo and get that early submission.

But unlike her previous matches, ‘Android 18’ will integrate some of that Muay Thai striking she’s been trained to use in her recent fight camp, which will add more dimension to her game plan.

After suffering her only loss against Jihin Radzuan by split decision this past March, Hirata has been focusing on some of the holes in her skillset, which included fortifying her striking and ground game. Fans await in anticipation to see an upgraded version of Itsuki Hirata come Friday August 26.

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Itsuki Hirata talks working with sparring partners who fit the same bill as Lin Heqin

Part of Itsuki Hirata’s training camp this year was spent overseas. She traveled to New York state to train at Serra-Longo Fight Team to help her prepare for one of the biggest comeback fights of her career.

With Lin Heqin having both a height and reach advantage, training in her home country wasn’t cutting it for Hirata. Practicing with new athletes who are bigger than her has given Ituski Hirata the confidence to take on Heqin.

The 22 year-old star explained her reasoning for Combat Press MMA:

“There are many athletes with a long reach, height, and many female athletes. I’m going to compete against non-Japanese athletes, so let’s go train abroad and challenge the people I’ve never experienced."