Itsuki Hirata contemplates moving up a weight class after past weigh-in woes

Having had her share of difficulties making weight, Japanese phenom Itsuki Hirata is considering moving up a weight class as she continues with her ONE Championship journey.

“Android 18” is currently fighting in the atomweight class and is experiencing great success in it. She, however, admitted that maintaining weight within the limits has become more of a challenge of late, making her ponder her future in the division.

Weigh-in woes late last year hounded Itsuki Hirata, costing her fight against South Korean Ham Seo Hee to be shelved.

But the two are set to finally mix it up at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video on March 24 in Singapore.

Itsuki Hirata recently spoke to SCMP MMA, discussing her weight issues and plans moving forward in relation to it.

“Android 18” said:

“I thought about moving up to strawweight like maybe once, but for this fight I wanted to [fight] in atomweight. Maybe after this fight, I might think about it.”

Watch the interview below:

23-year-old Itsuki Hirata is one of the rising stars in the ONE atomweight division, currently sporting a promotional record of 5-1, with a finishing rate of 60%. She made her ONE debut in June 2019 and was among the featured fighters at the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix.

Waiting for her at ONE Fight Night 8 is Ham Seo Hee, 36, who is coming off back-to-back victories over Filipino fighter Denice Zamboanga. Like Hirata, she, too, was also a World Grand Prix semifinalist.

All ONE Fight Night events are broadcast live and for free to North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.

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Itsuki Hirata is thankful ONE Championship is giving her another chance

Rising Japanese star Itsuki Hirata is grateful to ONE Championship for giving her a chance to redeem herself after she messed up her supposed fight late last year.

“Android 18” missed weight and hydration ahead of ONE 163 back in November, forcing her showdown with the No.2-ranked contender Ham Seo Hee to be shelved.

Itsuki Hirata has owned up to her mistakes since and is now looking to make up for it in her rescheduled showdown with Ham at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 24.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Hirata said she was beyond words when her upcoming fight was offered to her and that she is very grateful to the promotion for giving her another chance.

“When I got an offer for this fight, I was full of appreciation for everything... I really appreciate ONE Championship giving me a chance again.”

Apart from ONE, Hirata also thanked Ham Seo Hee for agreeing to fight her again after what happened in their botched fight previously.