“To challenge the toughest opponents” - Itsuki Hirata wants to test herself against atomweight elite

Japanese star Itsuki Hirata wants to elevate her game by testing herself against atomweight’s elite.

Hirata is coming off a great comeback performance against Hin Lequin at ONE on Prime Video 1, and she’s ready to strike again while the iron’s still hot. Feeling like she’s regained momentum after rebounding from her only loss in the promotion, Hirata wants to step up her game and fight the creme de la creme of her division.

In an exclusive interview with ONE Championship, ‘Android 18’ said:

“I would like to fight all of the top five fighters, Stamp Fairtex, Angela Lee. I would like to challenge the toughest opponents. Before that, I need to fight many other fighters.”

Itsuki Hirata returns to the foray for the third time this year in her quest for a spot in the division’s top rankings.

She’s expected to touch gloves with No. 3 atomweight contender Ham Seo Hee on a stacked fight card at ONE 163. As this will be her first experience with a high-level and high-volume striker, there’s a lot of pressure on Hirata to prove why she belongs among the elite.

Meanwhile, Ham Seo Hee has nothing to prove but to earn her shot at the world title. She’s a talented and skilled martial artist who’s been in the fighting business for 15 years.

It’s a surprise to many that she hasn’t fought against Stamp Fairtex or Angela Lee yet since she defeated former top-ranked atomweight Denice Zamboanga twice. However, it will be a good opportunity for her, as well as Hirata, to showcase why they’re deserving of a world title shot in the near future.

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Lin Heqin rants about Itsuki Hirata’s lack of competitive spirit

Lin Heqin had a couple of words to say about Itsuki Hirata’s behavior in the aftermath at ONE on Prime Video 1 last August.

Although she acknowledged losing the fight to Hirata, she blasted the Japanese judoka for disrespecting her during their weigh-ins the day before the match.

Both women failed to make weight the first time. While Hequin struggled to get her weight on point, Itsuki Hirata apparently didn’t make an effort to do the same.

Lin passed the weight and hydration test that night, but Hirata didn't, which resulted in her surrendering 50% earnings to Lin. The Chinese striker posted her discontent on her Instagram page in letter format, which included the following details:

“Although that knock out made you win the fight, you are not worth my respect. I always think a fighter that can’t meet the weight requirements is not a good fighter, let alone you didn’t even try to lose weight. You do not have [the] spirit of competition.”