“I think if Itsuki beats Ham Seo Hee, we’ll do a title shot vs. Angela Lee” - ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announces Ham-Hirata match

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong certainly stirred up the women’s atomweight division when he announced the matchup between Itsuki Hirata and Ham Seo Hee.

Ham, the No.2-ranked women’s atomweight contender, will take on Hirata at ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong on November 19 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Sityodtong announced the bout during the ONE 163 press conference in Tokyo, which was streamed live via Japanese media outfit ABEMA’s YouTube channel.

In that media appearance, Sityodtong said that a win for Hirata could propel the Japanese star to a world title shot against ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee:

“I would also like to announce today the next matchup is Itsuki Hirata vs. Seo Hee Ham [Ham Seo Hee]. Two of the greatest atomweights on the planet, it’s gonna be a very, very interesting matchup. It’s a legend in Seo Hee Ham vs. the rising star in Itsuki.”

He added:

“I think if Itsuki beats Seo Hee Ham, we’ll do a title shot vs. Angela Lee.”

Ham taking on Hirata, as Sityodtong pointed out, is an interesting generational matchup. ‘Android 18’ is one of the fastest-rising young stars in the organization after going on a ravaging 4-0 start in ONE Championship. She’s also coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over China’s Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 1 this past August.

Ham, meanwhile, is a battle-tested veteran of the sport and won championships in Rizin, Road FC, and Jewels. The South Korean star beat rival Denice Zamboanga twice in a row inside the Circle, the latter of which was a unanimous decision win at ONE X this past March.

Catch the press conference below:

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Chatri Sityodtong announces Aung La-Okami bout

Chatri Sityodtong made sure that ONE 163 would be a showcase of Japan’s martial arts talent. ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto will take on Petchtanong Petchfergus in the show’s closer, but the card is stacked with talent from the East Asian nation.

Another high-profile bout that Chatri Sityodtong announced was a legend vs. legend matchup between Japanese superstar Yushin Okami and Burmese icon Aung La N Sang.

Both Okami and Aung La have been clamoring for the fight, and Chatri Sityodtong said that the bout was one of the easiest matches he and his team had to put up:

“When we decided to put Yushin Okami vs. Aung La N Sang, actually it was very easy because both called each other out, I think this makes for a very interesting fight. I believe it’s gonna end in KO. I believe that Yushin has the better wrestling."