What's next for Ham Seo Hee after beating Itsuki Hirata ONE Fight Night 8

It wasn’t the intense blood feud that fans might’ve expected, but Ham Seo Hee’s clinical win over Itsuki Hirata on Friday (March 24) further cemented her place among ONE Championship’s elite.

The women’s mixed martial arts pioneer scored a methodical unanimous decision win over Hirata at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video that effectively sealed the fate of their feud that began in November 2022.

The pair were supposed to face each other at ONE 163, but that match was scrapped after Hirata missed the atomweight limit and Ham declined to fight at catchweight.

Nevertheless, the Singapore Indoor Stadium played host to the culmination of Ham and Itsuki Hirata’s months-long beef with the South Korean star taking the unanimous decision win.

Ham, a veteran of more than 15 years, was far too smart and wily for Hirata. The Japanese star played to her strengths and tried to push for takedowns throughout the match.

Despite her aggression, Hirata’s grappling attempts were oftentimes stuffed when Ham Seo Hee quickly sprawled or sometimes used her kickboxing background to put ‘Android 18’ at bay.

In the end, it was Ham’s better technique that earned her the unanimous decision win.

‘Hamzzang’ is now a perfect 3-0 in ONE Championship and firmly sits at the no.2 spot in the women’s atomweight rankings, although that could change in the coming days.

After chalking up her third straight win inside the Circle, Ham might just be staring at a potential world title opportunity. So that begs the question, what’s next for Ham Seo Hee?

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ONE Championship gold awaits Ham Seo Hee

Ham Seo Hee’s expansive career in both Japan and the United States has made her an influential figure in MMA and her next match inside the Circle might just be for a piece of ONE Championship gold.

A couple of scenarios could play out for Ham, with both assuring her of a shot at a world title.

The first could be her highly anticipated matchup against ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee. That match, though, has uncertainties surrounding it since Lee is yet to clarify when she'll return.

Another path is an interim world title match against either the no.1-ranked women’s atomweight contender Stamp Fairtex or Alyse Anderson. That will depend on who between Stamp and Anderson comes out on top in their match at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 at 1stBank Center in Colorado.

Still, Ham deserves a world title shot in ONE Championship and whichever path leads to it will surely be must-watch television.

ONE Fight Night 10 will be broadcast live and for free to North America via Prime Video.