Ham Seo Hee explains what caused her to turn down first fight with Itsuki Hirata

Second-ranked women’s atomweight contender Ham Seo Hee shot daggers at Itsuki Hirata at ONE 163 last year after she failed her weight and hydration tests, which ultimately led to their match falling apart.

Almost four months since their supposed encounter, the fierce rivals will give it another go at ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs Williams this Friday, March 24, inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Speaking during the event’s press conference, ‘Hamzzang’ revealed that she initially considered accepting the catchweight bout with the Japanese sensation. However, the manner in which an unapologetic Itsuki carried herself didn’t exactly sit well with the South Korean star.

Ham Seo Hee said ‘Android 18’s seemingly nonchalant approach after failing to meet the requirements of the scales ticked her off:

“I can understand that she failed the weight [and hydration]. What I couldn’t accept, though, was that she seemed very arrogant and not professional. She didn’t have any sense of guilt about her mistakes, and she appeared too confident.”

While Ham Seo Hee now considers the incident water under the bridge, she admitted using it as extra motivation to beat Itsuki in their do-over. The Team Mad standout furthered:

“On this occasion, I don’t know if that will impact my fight but I’ll do my best anyhow on my own terms. I’m looking forward to it.”

Ham Seo Hee, 36, is currently on an eight-fight winning streak, including back-to-back victories over Denice Zamboanga inside the circle.

Itsuki, on the other hand, is coming off a dominant victory over Lin Heqin. The 23-year-old has won six of her first seven matches in the promotion and is looking to break into the division’s top five by upsetting Ham.

ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs Williams on Prime Video will stream live in US primetime and free for all Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.