“Her striking is her weakness” - Lin Heqin looking to expose Itsuki Hirata, derail hype train

Lin Heqin believes her superior striking will be enough to overwhelm Itsuki Hirata in their upcoming atomweight clash at ONE on Prime Video 1: Moraes vs. Johnson II on August 26.

A decorated Sanda superstar before transitioning to mixed martial arts, Lin Heqin says Hirata is in for a rude awakening, especially if the fight stays on the feet.

'MMA Sister' told ONE Championship:

“I think Hirata is good at grappling. She is regarded as one of the best grapplers of all the female athletes, but her striking is her weakness, as well as distance control.”

The Chinese superstar, who boasts a 15-3-1 record, added:

“Her jiu-jitsu skills deserve the most praise, but I will let everyone know that I am the most dangerous opponent during the fight.”

Lin has won three of her first four fights in the Circle, including 2 MMA wins. In her latest outing, Lin claimed a unanimous decision win over Milagros Lopez under kickboxing rules.

Hirata, on the other hand, is one of the most interesting prospects to enter the ONE Circle, racking up five straight wins to start off her MMA career. Unfortunately the hype train was derailed by Jihin Radzuan in their last outing, as she suffered a split decision loss - the first of her career.

---

Lin Heqin refuses to be Itsuki Hirata’s stepping stone

Aside from her striking prowess, Lin Heqin will also be banking on her veteran experience against an MMA prodigy like Itsuki Hirata.

The 28-year-old Chinese kickboxing standout has more MMA bouts under her belt and has also dealt with her fair share of grappling specialists in the past.

Lin will look to neutralize Android 18’s elite ground game by keeping the fight standing at all costs. But if the fight goes to the mats, 'MMA Sister' has shown that she can be formidable there as well.

The Sanda practitioner introduced herself to the global audience of ONE Championship with a resounding first-round submission victory, dispatching Filipina fighter Jomary Torres with a triangle choke back in 2019. In her last MMA bout, she dominated Vietnamese-American striker Bi Nguyen with some nasty ground and pound.

Lin has made it clear that she will exploit Hirata’s glaring weakness on the feet. We’ll see if the Japanese star has made the necessary improvements on her striking game. If not, she’ll be in for a long night against a killer like Lin Heqin.