ONE Championship: Japanese Star Itsuki Hirata Takes Inspiration From Indian Wrestler Ritu Phogat’s Win Over Chinese Athlete Lin Heqin

ONE Championship star Itsuki “Android 18” Hirata is fired up to showcase her newly developed skill set when she returns to the Circle this Friday, August 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The judoka sensation is ready to get her career back on track in her upcoming showdown with “MMA Sister” Lin Heqin on the lead card of ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II, which broadcasts live in U.S. primetime via streaming giant Prime Video.

With that in mind, Hirata has been working diligently on developing the skills she believes she’ll need to get past Lin, and as their bout draws near, she is excited to take on such an experienced striker.

“I’ve been hyped to share the Circle with [Lin] because I know this matchup had been almost set up before,” the 22-year-old shared.

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

“Android 18’s” days of assuming her vast grappling knowledge will get her past any opponent ended when her unbeaten MMA run came to a halt against Jihin “Shadow Cat” Radzuan earlier this year.

Without adequate skills to back up her ground game, she slipped to a split-decision loss against the Malaysian star, and this prompted her to widen her MMA skill set.

Itsuki Hirata is strengthening the ground game to get another ONE Championship win

Hirata’s quest brought her to the USA, where she has been training under Matt Serra, Ray Longo, and Nestor Marte in order to develop her stand-up game and all-around MMA arsenal.

Read More – ONE on Prime Video 1: 22-Year-Old Itsuki Hirata Thrilled to Unveil Full Arsenal Against Chinese Rival

Lin has earned three wins at the Singapore-based organization, including her most recent strawweight kickboxing victory against Milagros Lopez.

She is fluid in the stand-up department, and Hirata knows she’ll have to withstand her rival’s firepower when they square off.

That said, “Android 18” also sees some flaws in “MMA Sister’s” game that she hopes to exploit.

“She is an all-around fighter who knows her best distance, techniques, and combinations, and I think she is confident in her striking because she has competed in kickboxing bouts in ONE,” she pointed out.

“However, if you look at her match with [Indian wrestling star] Ritu [Phogat], she was dominated on the ground and lost by points. I think this is the difference between her level of kickboxing and MMA. I know her weakness is her ground skills.”

Read More – Chinese Athlete Lin Heqin Fired Up to Add Another Loss to 22-Year-Old Itsuki Hirata’s Resume at ONE on Prime Video 1