Ham Seo Hee says extra time to make Itsuki Hirata fight only benefited her focus

ONE atomweight standout Ham Seo Hee will make her long-awaited return to the circle when ONE Championship returns to Singapore Indoor Stadium in March for ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video.

In the main event of the evening, reigning ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar will unify his title against the promotion’s interim heavyweight titleholder, Anatoly Malykhin.

Before the massive heavyweight headliner goes down, fans will be treated to a potential atomweight title eliminator as ‘Hamzzang’ takes on fast-rising contender Itsuiki Hirata inside the circle.

Ahead of her highly anticipated return, Ham spoke with ONE Championship to discuss her training for the upcoming atomweight clash on March 24:

“I’m not really focusing on anything in particular. I had more time for this fight this time, so I’m focusing more on the details and my [fitness].”

The last time fans saw Ham Seo Hee inside the circle was at the promotion’s 10th-anniversary showcase ONE X in March last year. ‘Hamzzang’ scored her second-straight win over division rival Denice Zamboanga. Undefeated under the ONE Championship banner and sitting in the No. 2 spot in the atomweight rankings, a win for Ham will likely put her in pole position for a ONE world title opportunity against the promotion’s reigning atomweight queen Angela Lee.

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Itsuki Hirata looks forward to the challenge of facing Ham Seo Hee

Itsuki Hirata once looked destined for a ONE world title opportunity as she headed into a bout with Ham Seo Hee scheduled for ONE 163 in November 2022. Unfortunately, Hirata missed weight and hydration ahead of the bout, resulting in the cancelation of the contest and seemingly putting her momentum on hold.

Luckily for Hirata and the fans of the budding Japanese superstar, ONE Championship has decided to give ‘Android 18’ another crack at Ham Seo Hee. Given the weight miss and the significant experience advantage that Ham holds over her opponent, many fans believe it will be a long night for Hirata, but none of that matters to the Serra-Longo Fight Team product:

"I know she’s strong and a veteran in the sport,” Hirata explained at a ONE Championship press event. “I wanted to fight with her while she’s still strong. I guess many people will talk about how I will lose this fight. For me, there’s always a chance to win. I’ve been training really hard, so why not fight with someone who is really strong?"

ONE Fight Night 8 will be broadcast live and free in North America via Amazon Prime.