ONE Championship has announced a high-stakes women’s atomweight MMA rematch for ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17, live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Japan's Itsuki Hirata and Malaysia's Jihin Radzuan will settle their rivalry for a second time, with the vacant ONE Atomweight MMA World Championship adding a significant layer of importance to a contest that has been waiting to happen for years.
The backdrop to this rematch is interesting. Former ONE Atomweight MMA World Champion Denice Zamboanga relinquished the title earlier this year, leaving the division's throne vacant and opening the door for a new champion to emerge. A victory for either Hirata or Radzuan on October 17 would put their name firmly in the mix for the ultimate prize in the atomweight MMA division.
Their first matchup at ONE X in 2022 was a fight that went the full 15-minute distance and produced a razor-close split decision victory for Radzuan, handing Hirata the first loss of her promotional career. Now, more than three years later, both women arrive at this rematch as fundamentally different competitors.
Hirata, 27, is a judoka who carries an 8-5 MMA record and a 7-5 ONE record into the rematch. After the loss to Radzuan in 2022, the Japanese star endured a difficult stretch that tested her resilience.
But she has rediscovered the form that made her so dangerous in her early career, claiming victories over India's Arti Khatri and wrestling superstar Ritu Phogat in her last three outings to rebuild her momentum ahead of the biggest fight of her career on home soil.
Radzuan, 27, made an impressive start to her own ONE journey, winning her first three fights before experiencing mixed results over the years since. The Malaysian carries a 10-6 MMA record and a 9-6 ONE record into the contest.
ONE SAMURAI 4 is headlined by a ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship matchup, where reigning champion Jonathan Haggerty defends his belt against former titleholder Hiroki Akimoto.
Leave a comment
Please login to leave a comment.