Ham “Hamzzang” Seo Hee has built a solid reputation as a fighter who knows how to grind her way to victory at the final bell. After all, 18 of her 25 wins have come by decision. Because of this, her upcoming opponent, judoka starlet Itsuki “Android 18” Hirata, believes she will be in for a difficult night at the office when they face off at ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Rodtang on Prime Video this Friday, March 24.
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Hirata has worked diligently to improve her stamina and striking to prepare herself for the worst when their much-anticipated bout unfolds.
Itsuki Hirata’s relocation to the USA proved to be a fruitful move
The Tokyo native said, “I will fight for five minutes and three rounds, and I’ll keep attacking until the very end no matter what the situation is.” Not one to drag a fight to its distance, “Android 18” sees this battle as a step up in competition. And the usually submission-heavy athlete is ready to push herself against the best of the best in the stacked women’s atomweight division.
Hirata slumped to her first career loss last year at the hands of Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan, prompting her to move to the United States in order to develop striking, wrestling, and BJJ.
While that decision proved to be the right one – as she returned to winning ways against “MMA Sister” Lin Heqin last August – Hirata wants to test herself against a more proven contender before she aims for a crack at the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Title.
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Itsuki Hirata wanted more wins before a title shot to prove herself worthy
While #2-ranked divisional contender Ham is just that sort of rival, “Android 18” would prefer to rack up more wins before making moves towards the divisional strap. But should she leave the Circle with a win this Friday, it would earn her plenty of points among the ONE matchmakers – and a potential spot back in the rankings.
Hirata added, “While the title shot is important, there are still many opponents I want to defeat. I want to become a fighter who is deserving of the championship and can make everyone understand that.”
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Catch this interesting atom weight tie unfold at ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Rodtang on Prime Video this Friday, March 24. Fans in the U.S. and Canada can catch the action live for free with an Amazon Prime subscription.