Itsuki Hirata is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist.
32 Facts About Itsuki Hirata
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Itsuki Hirata is currently signed to ONE Championship, where she competes in the atomweight division.
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Itsuki Hirata had several surgeries throughout middle school and high school due to injuries she sustained in judo.
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Itsuki Hirata said she stopped thinking about the Olympics due to the amount of time these injuries sidelined her.
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Itsuki Hirata won her first fight by submitting Momoka Yoshiwara at the amateur tournament held during Deep Jewels 21 on September 16,2018.
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Itsuki Hirata then competed in the third season of the AbemaTV reality TV show and MMA competition Fighting Agent War, where she was coached by Hayato Sakurai and won all three of her bouts by submission.
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Itsuki Hirata defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama's fighter Bo Hyun Park in the first round of competition, and Rumina Sato's fighter Mio Tsumura in the second.
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Itsuki Hirata defeated Shinya Aoki's fighter Mizuki Furuse in the finals on December 29,2018, via Americana submission in the first round to earn 3 million yen and a professional contract with ONE Championship.
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Itsuki Hirata won her professional debut at ONE Championship: Legendary Quest on June 15,2019, by submitting Angelie Sabanal with an Americana in the first round.
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At ONE Championship: Century on October 13,2019, Itsuki Hirata submitted Rika Ishige with an armbar at 4:41 of round two.
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Itsuki Hirata was scheduled to face Bi Nguyen at ONE Championship: Warrior's Code on February 7,2020, but Nguyen pulled out of the fight due to an injury and Nyrene Crowley stepped in on short notice.
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Itsuki Hirata found herself in a third round for the first time against Crowley, and won the fight via TKO stoppage at 3:27 of the final round.
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Itsuki Hirata faced Miku Nakamura in the main event of ONE Championship: Road to ONE - Young Guns on February 22,2021.
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Itsuki Hirata earned another TKO stoppage, defeating Nakamura at 2:34 of round 2.
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Itsuki Hirata was then announced as one of eight women taking part in ONE's Atomweight Grand Prix, with the winner earning a shot at the championship.
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Itsuki Hirata was then scheduled to face Ritu Phogat in the grand prix's semifinals at ONE Championship: NextGen on October 29,2021.
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However, Itsuki Hirata pulled out of the grand prix four days before the fight due to a high fever.
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Itsuki Hirata questioned the judging, suggesting Radzuan should have won by unanimous decision instead.
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Itsuki Hirata faced Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 27,2022.
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Itsuki Hirata later stated that she missed weight because she accepted the fight on short notice.
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Itsuki Hirata was scheduled to face Seo Hee Ham at ONE 163 on November 19,2022, with the winner expected to receive a shot at the atomweight championship.
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However, Itsuki Hirata missed weight and failed the hydration test, and the match was scrapped after Ham declined a catchweight bout due to Itsuki Hirata's history of missing weight.
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In January 2023, AbemaTV aired a program on Itsuki Hirata that stated she flew to Japan in November 2022 after abnormalities were detected in her kidneys and liver during a medical checkup for the Ham fight.
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Itsuki Hirata revealed that she had kidney disease in childhood, and that abnormalities were detected in October 2021 before the ONE Atomweight Grand Prix semifinals.
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Itsuki Hirata faced fellow Japanese fighter Ayaka Miura on January 28,2024, at ONE 165.
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Itsuki Hirata lost the fight via technical submission with a guillotine choke at 1:31 of the first round.
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Itsuki Hirata's older brother Naoki is a mixed martial artist and a former Pancrase featherweight title-challenger, who has competed in Deep.
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Itsuki Hirata started training in MMA in summer 2018 under Kazunori Yokota at K-Clann gym in Tokyo.
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Itsuki Hirata left K-Clann in December 2020 and joined Krazy Bee, a Tokyo gym founded by Norifumi Yamamoto.
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Itsuki Hirata then trained at New York-based Serra-Longo Fight Team from mid-2022 to 2023.
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Itsuki Hirata has trained with Shinya Aoki, whom she has called the greatest Japanese mixed martial artist and cited as a role model for being oneself without worrying about the cameras.
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Itsuki Hirata has dated Yamamoto's nephew, Rizin Fighting Federation mixed martial artist Erson Yamamoto, and Deep mixed martial artist Jinnosuke Kashimura.