“It will not be the last one” - Lin Heqin determined to add another loss to Itsuki Hirata’s record

Lin Heqin was taking notes when Itsuki Hirata tasted defeat for the first time in her MMA career at the hands of Jihin Radzuan at ONE X this past March.

Armed with the knowledge from that fight, Lin Heqin is looking forward to exposing the holes in Hirata’s game and add a second consecutive loss to her record in the process.

'MMA Sister' will get a crack at the Japanese rising star at ONE Championship’s monumental debut on Amazon Prime Video. In an interview with the promotion, Lin expressed confidence ahead of her atomweight clash with Hirata at ONE on Prime Video I: Moraes vs. Johnson II on August 26.

Lin Heqin said:

“I saw her weakness in that match. It was her first defeat, but I will show her by my actions that it will not be the last one.”

The 28-year-old Sanda specialist added that she is wary of Hirada’s elite ground game but remains adamant that she will be the one with her hand raised by the end of the fight.

“I know [Hirata] has worked hard for this fight, and she continues to work on her jiu-jitsu skills, but I am not idle. I have worked as hard as anyone, so I am confident for the fight.”

Hirata came out of the gates hot in her ONE career, racking up five straight wins that included four straight impressive finishes. The seemingly invincible prospect hit a major roadblock in her last outing, succumbing to the streaking Radzuan.

Lin, on the other hand, is looking to build some momentum of her own after a statement win over Bi 'Killer Bee' Nguyen in February. She also bested Milagros Lopez in a kickboxing bout last March.

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Lin Heqin is ready for the upper echelon of the division

Styles make fights. Lin Heqin versus Itsuki Hirata features another classic striker versus grappler matchup. ‘MMA Sister’ has been longing for a shot against the best of the division and this will be her biggest challenge yet.

Apart from possessing destructive power on both her hands and feet, Lin’s length and significant reach advantage should cause problems for the Japanese Judoka.

Furthermore, Lin has also worked hard to polish her ground game, which we saw in her previous win against Nguyen. One thing’s for sure, Lin vs. Hirata certainly has fireworks written all over it.