Watch: Itsuki Hirata connects with question mark kick on Jihin Radzuan

Japanese superstar Itsuki Hirata mixed things up in the circle with a question mark kick in the third round to take Malaysian standout Jihin Radzuan out of her game at ONE X.

ONE Championship recently dug through the archives to highlight one of the best female fights that came from the star-studded ONE X card on March 26. The clip shows the Japanese judoka pulling a hail mary attempt to knock ‘Shadow Cat’ out in the last round.

Watch Itsuki ‘Android 18’ Hirata bringing the heat below:

The kick just grazed Jihin on the chin but it was a heroic attempt by the Japanese superstar to end the bout early. Unfortunately, Hirata lost via a narrow split-decision after three rounds of non-stop action.

Leading up to the bout, Hirata was on a five-fight win streak, defeating experienced MMA fighters like Alyse Anderson and Rika Ishige. ‘Android 18’ is a prolific judo specialist with a high finishing rate and was, therefore, the fan favorite coming into the matchup.

Jihin ‘Shadow Cat’ Radzuan was running hot as well, especially after a crucial decision win against one of the best Japanese fighters in the world, Mei Yamaguchi, which gave her a boost of confidence.

Hirata went guns ablazing with takedown attempts. It became evident that her judo-only strategy was quickly becoming ineffective against a well-prepared grappler such as Jihin.

‘Shadow Cat’ stuffed nearly every takedown attempt, extinguishing Hirata’s confidence as the rounds rolled by. In the final round, Hirata threw some intense strikes to add some variety to her game, but it was too late.

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Itsuki Hirata shadow boxes in preparation for her return to the circle

Itsuki Hirata returned to Instagram to show herself shadow boxing in preparation for a return to the circle. She posted a couple of photos of herself working on her timing and footwork on the beautiful shoreline.

Translated from Japanese, the caption said:

"Tend to shadow on the beach”

The image gives off “Rocky” vibes as she shows off her athleticism under the bright sun. Perhaps with a rematch on the horizon against Jihin Radzuan, the 22-year-old judoka is working day and night to avenge her loss.

The Japanese phenom will look to brush off the loss and make heads turn again with a new and improved version of herself in ONE Championship.