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Japanese atomweight MMA fighter Itsuki Hirata enters her fifth year in ONE Championship in 2024 and she is looking to recalibrate her push after recently hitting a rough patch.
‘Android 18,’ a moniker inspired by the manga series Dragonball Z, made her promotional debut in June 2019 and immediately made a great impression, winning her first four fights in impressive fashion.
One of the victories came at the expense of Thai fighter Rika Ishige in October of the same year at ONE: Century Part 1, where she won by submission (armbar) in the second round over ‘Tiny Doll.’
Itsuki Hirata banked on her power to put the pressure on and eventually get the better of her opponent. She spent the majority of the contest on top of Ishige, who struggled handling the thorough attack of the Japanese star.
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The end came late in the second frame when the Tokyo native got Ishige on her back and seamlessly transitioned to put herself in a position to go for an armbar, from which her opponent had no choice but to tap out at the 4:44 mark.
Ahead of her scheduled return to action at ONE 165: Rodtang vs. Takeru later this month, ONE Championship uploaded a video on Instagram of Itsuki Hirata’s impressive victory over Ishige.
Watch the video below:
Itsuki Hirata seeks to bounce back at ONE 165
Itsuki Hirata is featured in an all-Japanese atomweight MMA clash against Ayaka Miura in her return to action later this month at ONE 165: Rodtang v. Takeru. She is out to bounce back after losing in her previous fight.
‘Android 18’ will take on ‘Zombie’ in an atomweight MMA showdown at the event happening on January 28, which will mark the return of ONE Championship to Japan after nearly five years. It will take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Itsuki Hirata is seeking to rebound after absorbing a loss by unanimous decision at the hands of South Korean Ham Seo Hee back in March. The loss was a continuation of the bumpy ride she has found herself in of late, losing two of her last three fights.
She is now looking to turn things around by coming up with a big win in front of her hometown fans in her upcoming fight. Standing in her way is fellow Japanese fighter Miura, who is coming off an impressive first-round submission victory over Meng Bo of China in November.
The win stopped a three-fight skid for her and, more importantly, infused fresh fuel in her ONE journey moving forward.
ONE 165 is headlined by the flyweight kickboxing superfight between longtime ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Japanese kickboxing superstar and ONE-debuting Takeru Segawa.
