Itsuki Hirata trained in the US to prepare herself for absolute war with Lin Heqin

ONE Championship's atomweight rising star Itsuki Hirata is primed and ready for her August 26 clash with China's Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II.

Ever since her upset loss to Jihin Radzuan at ONE X last March, the Japanese MMA sensation has been diligent in making the necessary improvements to her game.

So much so that she went around the US to cross-train in various gyms, honing her MMA game to a new level. Some of the gyms 'Android 18' trained in were legendary MMA trainer Ray Longo's LAW MMA, Matt Serra's Team Serra BJJ, and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu San Diego.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Itsuki Hirata expressed her thoughts on touring the US for her training:

“I went [to the US] because there is a wide range of athletes. There are many athletes with a long reach, height, and many female athletes. I thought, ‘I’m going to compete against non-Japanese athletes, so let’s go train abroad and challenge the people I’ve never experienced.'"

As a professional fighter, it's important to get different looks and insights into the game. If one only trains with the same set of people all the time, growth might not be fully realized.

A good fighter has to have the humility to learn new things from new people, not just from their usual trainers and training partners. Hirata is taking the necessary steps to become better in the game.

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"It’s not the end" - Itsuki Hirata inspired by her loss at ONE X

Back in March at ONE X, Itsuki Hirata suffered her first career loss to Jihin Radzuan. In front of a crowd of thousands in the biggest martial arts event of the year so far, the Japanese MMA sensation failed to deliver.

'Android 18' was heavily favored to win against the underdog, Radzuan. Instead of steamrolling her opponent, Hirata had difficulty imposing her game and was the one being controlled by her foe. Being undefeated prior to the ONE X bout, losing in such a high-profile event could break the spirit of any fighter, but not Hirata.

Hirata returned home to the comforting embrace of her family, who then inspired her to come back stronger. Hirata 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.”

One thing that's big with Japanese culture is their strong sense of family. Itsuki Hirata had the best support system to inspire her to be great, despite adversities in life. Here's to hoping all the hard work pays off once she faces Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II.