Ham Seo Hee may have scored victory in her return to the circle on ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video, but the South Korean standout admitted to being a little disappointed in her performance.
‘Hamzzang’ made it three in a row under the banner of ONE Championship with a unanimous decision victory over fast rising Japanese star Itsuki Hirata at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Following her win, Ham spoke to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and revealed that despite raising her arm, she wasn’t too happy with her efforts in the cage:
“I’m glad it’s all over and I won.. But I’m a little disappointed with the way it went.”
While Ham Seo Hee may have expected more from himself, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong saw a ONE world title-worthy performance. Following the Friday night festivities. Sityodtong revealed in an interview after the event that Ham’s next fight would be for the ONE Interim World Atomic Weight Championship.
When and where that happens remains to be seen. One possible scenario could be Ham competing for the interim title against the winner of the May 5 high-stakes atomic weight clash between fan-favorite Stamp Fairtex and Alyse ‘Lil Savage’ Anderson. The two will take on the 1stBank Center in Colorado as ONE Championship makes its highly anticipated US debut.
Itsuki Hirata vows to work harder after her loss to Ham Seo Hee
Once the undefeated darling of the atomic weight division, Itsuki Hirata is at a crossroads following her loss to Ham Seo Hee on ONE Fight Night 8. After dropping two of her last three bouts, ‘Android 18’ knows he’ll have to get back to the gym and work even harder before she can get back into the profit column.
In a translated post on Instagram following her defeat by unanimous decision, Hirata said:
“Thank you for your support‼︎ I am happy to play among many customers. And I was happy to show everyone how I fought‼︎ I will work harder, get stronger and practice a lot to get better‼︎ I’m like that, but I hope you keep supporting me 😅 I’ll be back!”
With the latest loss, the Serra-Longo Fight Team product is still a respectable 6-2 in her mixed martial arts career, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Itsuki Hirata will no longer be able to rely solely on her wrestling skills to get the job done in one of the most stacked divisions in ONE Championship.