“I must push myself more” - What Itsuki Hirata realized after suffering first loss against Jihin Radzuan

Itsuki Hirata knew she had to make some changes in her fighting style after suffering the first loss of her career against Jihin Radzuan.

‘Android 18’ had a clean slate of five straight finishes over some of the best atomweights in the division, but the judoka met her match in Malaysian rising star Jihin Radzuan at ONE X last March.

Although it was a razor-close fight, Radzuan won by split decision. Hirata, however, felt the judges were skewed in their verdict. She surprised fans as the Japanese grappler wholeheartedly believed it should’ve been a unanimous decision in favor of Radzuan for her dominating striking and ground control.

After her performance, Hirata went home feeling diffused but eventually the loss motivated her to make some important changes. In an exclusive interview with ONE Championship, the 22 year-old athlete said:

“When I came back to Japan [after the loss], my family told me, ‘It’s not the end,’ even though I had thought it would be the end of the world if I lost. But this loss lifted me up to the view that I must push myself more by going to train in the USA.”

This August at ONE on Prime Video 1, Hirata returns to the circle to compete against Chinese striker Lin Heqin in an atomweight MMA bout. Refusing to repeat past mistakes, she’s been arduously focusing on all areas of striking, especially in Muay Thai with her new striking coach Nestor Marte at Ultimate Gym located in New York.

Itsuki Hirata hopes to stun American fans with an improved striking game against the Chinese veteran Lin Heqin on Friday, August 26.

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Itsuki Hirata’s greatest weapon is her judo which could be the key to Heqin’s future demise

Prior to her lone loss against Jihin Radzuan, Itsuki Hirata was still a scary grappler. All her wins have come through either ground and pound or submissions. She has the ability to wear down her opponents with her relentless pressure and specializes in knee strikes to debilitate them further into submission.

If Itsuki can drag Heqin onto the mat, the fight can easily go her way. However, ‘MMA sister’ will be no picnic as she’s a well-rounded MMA fighter who is also highly skilled on the ground.

Heqin also has the striking and size advantage which allows her to dictate the pace of a fight. But if Hirata can close the range and make this into a dogfight, she could potentially exploit Heqin’s weaknesses and submit her in the first or second round.