'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Katlyn 'Blonde Fighter' Chookagian recently appeared on the Japanese YouTube channel ABEMA TV, grappling with ONE atomweight star Itsuki Hirata. The UFC flyweight (125lbs) fighter and former world title challenger had remarkable things to say about the grappling prowess of 'Android 18'.
Itsuki Hirata, after her upset loss to Jihin Radzuan at ONE X, has been constantly honing her MMA skills, which includes training in different gyms in the US.
Trending
Unsurprisingly, the 115-pound fighter from Japan has rolled with a few notable American fighters, including 'Blonde Fighter'. After the grappling spar, Chookagian said to ABEMA TV:
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
“We started from the ground, and in that one scramble, we were coming up to our knees and I kind of tried to get her [Hirata] in a bodylock. And we were on our knees when she went for the throw, and I was like, ‘Oh I wasn’t expecting that.’ Then I was thinking I should have trained with her for my last fight, because my last fight I got judo-throwed. The girl was a judo girl, and it’s hard to find girls that have that background, at least around here. So definitely, I didn’t know that. But even from starting from the ground in jiu-jitsu, we got to one position and I was like ‘Oh, okay I felt it.’ You know.”
Itsuki Hirata is one of the best judo players in MMA today and it shows in this sparring session with Chookagian. Considering the fact that the Japanese star fights at a lower weight class than Chookagian, being able to judo throw the American is no easy feat.
Watch the full video by ABEMA TV here:
Itsuki Hirata is hell-bent on running it back with Jihin Radzuan
After their razor-close fight at ONE X last March, Itsuki Hirata unsupringly wants to rematch Jihin Radzuan inside the Circle. The Japanese judoka is hellbent on making things right and defeating Radzuan, as most people assumed the first time they met.
Speaking to ONE Championship, Hirata admitted that she wasn't her best self that night at ONE X. The young lion is almost obsessed with rematching Radzuan and fixing her mistakes.
'Android 18' was a force to be reckoned with when she first entered ONE Championship, going 4-0 with three wins not seeing the final bell.
Malaysia's Radzuan, however, proved to be a difficult puzzle to solve for the Japanese fighter. In their fight, ‘Shadow Cat’ was able to negate Hirata's grappling and showcased her own MMA game.
Speaking about the ONE X fight, Itsuki Hirata had this to say:
“I definitely want a rematch with Jihin Radzuan, if not now, then somewhere down the road. I feel like I was not able to represent myself well in the first fight and what I’m really capable of. We have to settle our unfinished business, and in the next fight, I will surely win. It cannot end like this. We have to fight again.”
This is indeed an interesting rematch that could happen somewhere down the road. Both young athletes are still about to hit their primes and might be very different fighters already once they lock horns again in the future.
