“I will become the champion” - Itsuki Hirata sees herself ruling the atomweight division soon

Itsuki Hirata has her eyes fixed on the prize as she sees herself reigning supreme in the atomweight division.

‘Android 18’ is set to face one of her toughest challenges yet in No.3-ranked contender Ham Seo Hee at ONE 163: Akimoto vs Petchtanong. Getting her wish to potentially take a high-ranking spot in the stacked atomweight division is an opportunity Hirata won’t take for granted.

Eventually, Hirata hopes that her hard work will catapult her to the top. In past interviews, she has said that she would like to be on par with former two-division world champion Stamp Fairtex or be strong enough to fight for gold against the current atomweight queen Angela Lee.

However, Hirata admits there’s much more to improve on before she feels worthy of a world title. When asked by MMA Sucka where she saw herself in five or ten years, the Serra-Longo Fight Team representative said:

“I believe I will become the champion, like Angela Lee.”

Itsuki Hirata has all the makings of a world champion. Before joining ONE championship, the 23-year-old rising star made her professional debut in a popular Japanese reality series called Fighting Agent, where she competed against three other MMA fighters to win the championship. Her stunning debut caught ONE Championship’s attention, and she eventually signed with the promotion in 2019.

Re-watch Itsuki Hirata's explosive ONE debut against Angelia Sabanal below:

---

Itsuki Hirata plans to end South Korean striker Ham Seo Hee on the ground

It’s no secret that Itsuki Hirata is eager to trade punches and wrestle with South Korean striker Ham Seo Hee. Coming off of a striking war against Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 1, the Japanese standout wants to exercise her judo against another high-level striker.

Meanwhile, Ham Seo Hee hasn’t returned to the circle since late March, when she extinguished any claim to a trilogy fight against Denice Zamboanga at ONE X. Despite only having two fights under the promotion, she’s an experienced martial artist and a true menace in the sport. Not known to be a finisher like Hirata, Ham, however, flourishes in taking opponents into deep waters with her.

With judo as her focal point, Hirata wants to exploit her opponent’s weakness to full capacity before Ham does. Revealing her game plan to MMA Sucka, Itsuki Hirata said:

“My opponent is a striker so I will much more focused on wrestling training. That’s the key point.”