“Hirata has a totally different style” - Lin Heqin excited for clash of styles with Itsuki Hirata

‘MMA Sister’ Lin Heqin is well aware of Itsuki Hirata’s supreme ground game, and she hopes not to get entangled in vulnerable spots on the canvas against her this Friday, August 26.

The 28-year-old is seeking her third promotional MMA win at the expense of the Japanese judoka sensation on the lead card of ONE on Prime Video 1 in Singapore.

Despite the concern, the Chinese fighter admitted that she is thrilled to see how her striking-based style will match up against Hirata’s bread and butter.

In an exclusive interview with ONE, Lin Heqin offered:

“Hirata has a totally different style to me, but I think it will be an excellent match.”

While she will be looking to impose her will in the stand-up department, the Haosheng MMA product seems ready to hang with ‘Android 18’ on the ground. She hasn’t taken any shortcuts throughout her training camp, spending a large amount of time sharpening her grappling prowess.

Though that isn’t her strongest suit, she is confident that it should be enough to draw level with Hirata on the canvas.

“I have worked as hard as anyone, so I am confident for the fight.”

Lin Heqin enters this atomweight battle on the back of a dominant unanimous decision win over Bi Nguyen at ONE: Bad Blood, while her rival hopes to get back on track following a setback against Jihin Radzuan at ONE X.

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Lin Heqin hopes to make steady progress to prepare herself for tougher assignments

A victory for Lin Heqin this Friday should take her closer to a ranked spot in the loaded atomweight division. The five athletes on the chart are Stamp Fairtex (No.1), Ham Seo Hee (No.2), Denice Zamboanga (No.3), Alyona Rassohyna (No.4), and Jihin Radzuan (No.5).

This crop of warriors will be a great test for the Hunan resident, who is looking to make steady progress and impress the ONE matchmakers until she gets a shot at the women’s atomweight world champion.

In the same interview with ONE, she said:

“I think every athlete in the ONE Championship has their own professional skills. So I will take every fight seriously.”