"I'll attack first" - Itsuki Hirata vows to return to her aggressive self in pivotal showdown with Victoria Souza

Japanese standout Itsuki Hirata says she's determined to capture her next win with an impressive start to defeat multi-faceted striker Victoria Souza at ONE 167.

The atomweight MMA stalwart is tired of not seeing the results she's worked so hard to accomplish. Since the start of her professional debut in 2019, Hirata has amassed a dominant four-fight win streak, defeating girls left-right-and-center via submission, knockout, and decision.

But after experiencing her first loss to 'ShadowCat' Jihin Radzuan in 2022, Hirata hasn't been able to bounce back to the same position that she once held.

Hirata, this time, hopes to be more efficient in her upcoming performance and secure higher ground in her atomweight MMA war against Souza.

Ahead of her match, she told ONE:

"I want to show my strengths and the determination to win no matter what. Instead of waiting, I'll attack first. If I can win that way, I don't have to fight a full 15 minutes."

ONE 167 will air live in US Primetime on June 7, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Itsuki Hirata is confident in her grappling abilities to find a submission against Victoria Souza

One thing that could give Ituski Hirata a boost of confidence is defeating Victoria Souza at her own game this Friday.

The Brazilian rival is a well-rounded MMA athlete, with roots both in kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But Hirata is convinced that Souza's grappling abilities might not be up to par with hers. After bouncing between losses and wins, Hirata has focused on combining her judo with wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Suffice it to say, she feels confident that she can beat Souza at her own game if the fight calls for it.

Expanding further, Hirata told ONE:

"I'm confident I can get a finish, and I want to get a finish. I want to beat a strong grappler with grappling."