Itsuki Hirata says staying aggressive against Ham Seo Hee is crucial to her strategy

'Android 18' Itsuki Hirata is about to do battle in the biggest fight of her life against 'Hamzzang' Ham Seo Hee on March 24 at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video. For the matchup, the Japanese judoka is focused on forward pressure.

To outlast the more experienced South Korean, the 23-year-old Hirata will need to push forward with determination. In an interview with ONE Championship, she said:

"Having the courage to move forward is crucial. I think that not backing down is the most important thing because no matter how much practice I have, it cannot compare to the experience of the opponent."

Despite her opponent having more experience, Itsuki Hirata believes that Ham's advanced age may be an issue for her. 'Android 18' explained:

“Her weakness is probably her age. I think I have to win with my stamina due to my youth.”

ONE Fight Night 8 will be broadcast live and for free in North America via Prime Video on Friday, March 24 (US primetime).

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Itsuki Hirata looking to show improvements against Ham Seo Hee

At the age of just 23, 'Android 18' Itsuki Hirata is still improving her MMA game. She was nearly an Olympic athlete until an injury pulled her away from judo. Now, she is focused full-time on MMA.

MMA grappling and judo grappling are quite different, and 'Android 18' admits that she still has much to learn. She told ONE:

“I acknowledge that while I come from a strong judo and grappling background, MMA is different from those sports, and I feel like I still have a lot to learn when it comes to MMA grappling.”

For this match, Hirata moved to New York, USA to train at the Serra-Longo fight camp, which is an effective gym to improve her MMA grappling abilities. At ONE Fight Night 8, the Japanese judoka is hoping to show off some of her polished skills against Ham Seo Hee.