“It’s a complete 3-0 defeat, isn’t it?” – Itsuki Hirata believes Jihin Radzuan should have claimed unanimous decision win

Itsuki Hirata slumped to a first career defeat against Jihin Radzuan at ONE X on Saturday, March 26. Following the bout, though, the Japanese fighter was puzzled by the judges deeming it a split decision.

‘Android 18’ instead believes that her Malaysian rival was deserving of a clear-cut unanimous decision win, and a couple of hours after their fight ended, the Krazy Bee athlete took to Twitter to question the judges’ ruling.

Itsuki Hirata tweeted:

“Why is it 2-1? It's a complete 3-0 defeat, isn't it?”

The ONE star played second fiddle to ‘Shadow Cat’ throughout their 15-minute atomweight contest at the promotion's 10-year anniversary spectacle. The previously unbeaten judoka relied heavily on her judo skills, but it proved to be a dead-end against the Ultimate MMA Academy fighter.

"Android 18" tried to influence the tie on the canvas and against the circle wall – where the match largely took place – but failed to inflict any significant damage on Jihin. The Malaysian star countered everything Hirata threw at her and even caught the Tokyo resident in some tight positions during a couple of their exchanges.

After three rounds of battle, the bout went to the judges' table, and Hirata’s facial expression clearly showed that she knew what was coming. However, credit where it’s due, the 22-year-old star took the loss on the chin.

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What’s next for Itsuki Hirata?

Despite her defeat on Saturday night, 'Android 18' remains one of the most talented athletes in the promotion’s atomweight division. She'll surely gain insight from her performance against Jihin and come back stronger with a more well-rounded arsenal so that she can continue to challenge the best that the stacked weight class has to offer.

If she can become more adventurous when trying to control the tempo of a fight, perhaps she'll be able to trick her rivals into stand-up battles before focusing on leg controls and judo throws.

‘Android 18’ has shown that she possesses a decent skill set in other departments of the all-encompassing sport, and those who dub her a 'one-trick' pony or see her as a one-dimensional fighter because of her judo-heavy approach may find themselves eating their words in the near future.

If she can find the balance between the different aspects of MMA and judo, she could leave the circle with a win in her next outing.