Itsuki Hirata is okay working her way up to world title shot against Angela Lee

Itsuki Hirata hopes to earn a ONE atomweight world title opportunity but has no intentions of rushing things.

‘Android 18’ is set to return this Friday night after successfully making weight for her atomweight showdown with No. 2 ranked contender Ham Seo Hee. The pair were originally set to square off at ONE 163 in November, but Hirata failed to pass weight and hydration, leading to the bout being called off altogether.

Grateful for another opportunity from both ONE Championship and her opponent, Hirata plans to make the most of her high-stakes matchup with ‘Hamzzang’ by earning the biggest win of her career and paving the way to a ONE world title shot. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, ‘Android 18’ shared her desire to compete for the crown, but is more than willing to earn it by staying active inside the Circle:

“I don’t really think about the interim fight or have any specific names on my mind,” Hirata said. “I just want to fight as much as possible, maybe two or three fights this year. That’s what I want.”

Itsuki Hirata is happy to remain patient, but before long, she hopes to share the cage with the promotion’s reigning atomweight queen.

“Definitely, I want to win and I want to get the [women’s atomweight world] title shot against Angela Lee.”

Fans in North America can watch ONE Fight Night 8 live and for free on Prime Video with an active Amazon subscription.

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Ham Seo Hee calls Itsuki Hirata “arrogant and unprofessional” ahead of their ONE Fight Night 8 showdown

Needless to say, there is no love lost between division rivals Ham Seo Hee and Itsuki Hirata. After Hirata failed to make weight for their previously-scheduled contest in November, ‘Hamzzang’ had some harsh words for her opponent.

During her appearance at the ONE Fight Night 8 press event, Ham reiterated her feelings about Hirata, saying:

“I can understand that she failed the weight but what I coudn’t accept was she seemed very arrogant and unprofessional and didn’t have any sense of guilt about her mistakes and just appeared too confident,” Ham said.

‘MMA Sister’ Lin Heqin echoed a similar sentiment after Hirata came in overweight for their August 2022 clash at ONE on Prime Video 1. “You are not worth my respect,” Heqin exclaimed after noting that Hirata made no effort to cut additional weight the night before they were scheduled to weigh in.

To her credit, Itsuki Hirata successfully made weight for Friday’s showdown with Ham Seo Hee and appeared to be genuinely apologetic towards her opponent and the promotion after multiple failed attempts in the past.