‘Itsuki Hirata is a young and excellent fighter’ – Ham Seo Hee reflects on brief rivalry with ‘Android 18’

Ahead of her world title showdown at ONE Fight Night 14, Ham Seo Hee looked back at her latest win against Japanese sensation Itsuki Hirata.

‘Hamzzang’ made her ONE Championship debut in September 2021, defeating Denice Zamboanga by split decision. The result was considered somewhat controversial, leading to a rematch six months later, which Ham won again, this time by unanimous decision.

Ham’s two wins against Zamboanga led to a matchup against Hirata. They were initially scheduled to fight in November 2022, but ‘Android 18’ missed weight, leading to ‘Hamzzang’ calling her out for an alleged lack of professionalism.

The atomweight MMA contenders finally met on March 24, with Ham Seo Hee emerging victorious by unanimous decision. During a recent interview with ONE, the South Korean fighter reflected on her brief rivalry with Hirata by saying:

“I think Itsuki Hirata is a young and excellent fighter. There was a problem with our match once because of Itsuki's weigh-in failure, but I didn't focus on that. Instead, I remained committed to my training and worked very hard.”

Ham Seo Hee’s promotional record of 3-0 has led to a massive opportunity in her upcoming fight later this month.

On September 29, Ham will headline ONE Fight Night 14 in an intriguing matchup against Stamp Fairtex for the interim atomweight MMA world title. ‘Hamzzang’ has been unbeatable since joining ONE, but she must be ready for a battle, as Stamp is riding momentum.

In May this year, Stamp competed in her latest fight at ONE Fight Night 10. The Thai superstar made a statement by securing a second-round body-kick knockout against Alyse Anderson, extending her MMA win streak to two.

She also won a kickboxing bout in January against Anna ‘Supergirl’ Jaroonsak.

Stamp Fairtex vs. Ham Seo Hee goes down inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium at ONE Fight Night 14. The female-led event featuring three world title matchups can be seen live and for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.