"I wasn't too surprised" - Angela Lee on Jihin Radzuan's upset win over Itsuki Hirata at ONE X 

At ONE X last month, Jihin 'Shadow Cat' Radzuan beat the red-hot Itsuki 'Android 18' Hirata in a razor-close upset win.

The then-undefeated Hirata suffered the first loss of her career courtesy of the Malaysian atomweight fighter. With the win, Radzuan put the entire atomweight division on notice, including its champion, 'Unstoppable' Angela Lee.

Lee, who headlined the historic card with an unforgettable comeback win over Stamp Fairtex, was one of the few who wasn't all too surprised at Radzuan beating the favorite Hirata.

Speaking with MMA Mania's Drake Riggs, the dominant atomweight queen was all praise for Radzuan:

"You know what, actually, I wasn't too surprised because Jihin [Ridzuan], she's well-rounded and she's tough as well. So I think that maybe, you know, Itsuki [Hirata] might have been overlooking her. She's just very durable, she's very tough all around. And then you can see how it played out in the fight, you know. She just kept moving forward and got the W. But yeah, it's unfortunate but Itsuki, she's young in her career too, you know. Coming off of an injury or sickness like that. So, you know, she definitely has a lot of time to develop."

The reigning atomweight champion spoke the truth about Itsuki's surprising loss at ONE X. Though a loss is always disappointing, it's also a perfect opportunity to learn. Being white-hot in the press and skyrocketing in fame can sometimes make you feel unbeatable. A loss is always a learning experience that humbles us and makes us focus more on what's important: the fighting.

This loss definitely exposed Hirata's holes in her game and with it, a ton of learning opportunities for the young atomweight.

Watch Angela Lee's full interview here:

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Jihin Radzuan upsets Itsuki Hirata in a razor-close decision win at ONE X

In perhaps the biggest win of her career, Jihin Radzuan put the breaks on the Itsuki Hirata hype train in a hard-fought decision win at ONE X.

Though then-undefeated Hirata was the bigger name coming into the match, Radzuan was not fazed as she kept pushing forward. 'Shadow Cat' made the fight look ugly as she smothered Hirata with constant clinch work and wrestled her against the cage.

Though Hirata had a few good licks in, it wasn't enough to repell the scrappy, forward pressure of Radzuan.

Though the scorecards read a split decision, some felt that the gap was wider, including Hirata herself. Regardless, the fight at ONE X was a good opportunity for both fighters. It was a step closer to seeing gold for Radzuan and a huge learning experience for Hirata.