Itsuki Hirata thought she ‘lost against herself’ when she failed to make weight

Itsuki Hirata knew she let everyone down when she missed weight in her initial meeting against Ham Seo Hee in 2022. The pair of generational stars were supposed to meet late last year, but the match was scrapped after the Japanese judoka couldn’t make the atomweight limit.

Despite the blunder, Ham and Hirata are set for a do-over at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video this Friday in US primetime at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Itsuki Hirata said that she felt she betrayed herself for not making weight and that it severely bothered her for months on end.

She said:

“It was very stressful for [me]. I trained long and hard but I couldn’t fight. I thought I lost against myself.”

Hirata and Ham Seo Hee will finally settle the score in Singapore in a match that should shake up the division’s rankings.

Ham, who has 25 professional wins under her belt, is ranked no.2 in the women’s atomweight division after going a perfect 2-0 in her first two matches. ‘Hamzzang’ is also a pioneer of women’s mixed martial arts with a career spanning the United States and Japan.

Itsuki Hirata, meanwhile, is considered one of the best grapplers of her era, and her grinding-out style has made her such a dangerous force in the division.

‘Android 18’ has five wins in ONE Championship, including three finishes against Nyrene Crowley, Rika Ishige, and Angelie Sabanal.

ONE Fight Night 8 is ONE Championship’s third Amazon card of the year and will be available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.