Ham Seo Hee looks to make a statement against Itsuki Hirata and renew her calls for a world title shot

At ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video, Ham Seo Hee is looking to solidify her position as the next woman in line for a shot at the atomweight world championship.

After signing with ONE Championship, she quickly found herself at the top of the division, positioned for nothing but big fights.

After defeating Denice Zamboanga on her debut via a split decision, she ended any debate over their fight being close by beating her again in a rematch to finally get the credibility she deserved.

At ONE 163 in November, the South Korean was scheduled to face rising prospect Itsuki Hirata but the fight fell apart after Hirata failed to make weight and hydration. With their fight being rescheduled, both women will get another chance to produce the win that they need to push themselves to the front of the queue.

At ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video, Ham Seo Hee will look to make a statement once again and prove her legitimacy as the next world title contender. In an interview with ONE Championship, she said:

“I want to showcase that I’m the next in line for that title shot -- that I’m the best in the division. I only see the World Title shot next.”

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Ham Seo Hee and Itsuki Hirata try again at ONE Fight Night 8 on March 24

Ham Seo Hee versus Itsuki Hirata is a fight with huge stakes for the atomweight division. It is such an important fight for the rankings that after it was canceled ahead of ONE 163 in November, it was rescheduled for ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video.

The fight unfortunately fell apart after Japan’s Hirata missed weight and failed her hydration test. Though she was offered the chance to go on with the match at a catchweight, Ham refused to continue, believing it was unprofessional for Hirata to miss weight with such huge stakes on the line for their match.

Getting their fight re-booked for March 24 makes perfect sense for both women. Whilst it may have caused disappointment the first time around, a win in this match-up is too big of an opportunity for it not to happen.

No.2-ranked atomweight contender Ham Seo Hee would undoubtedly solidify her place as the next in line for a world title shot with a win over an exciting prospect like Hirata.

For the 23-year old Judo specialist, defeating her South Korean opponent would see her climb right up the rankings, considering her opponent has far more experience than her.

By taking away the momentum of Ham Seo Hee’s eight-fight win streak and back-to-back wins inside the circle, Hirata could also emerge from the pack as a strong contender in line for Angela Lee’s ONE women’s atomweight world championship.