‘My True Self Will Come Out’ – Itsuki Hirata On Her Struggles And Comeback At ONE SAMURAI 1

Japanese fan favorite Itsuki “Android 18” Hirata has opened up about stepping away from mixed martial arts, rediscovering her love of fighting, and the mission that awaits her at ONE SAMURAI 1 . The 26-year-old will face Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat in an atomweight MMA clash on Wednesday, April 29, live from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. View this post on Instagram Hirata’s career has been a tale of two halves.

The judoka burst onto the professional MMA scene with an electrifying run, winning six of her first seven matches and establishing herself as one of the most exciting young talents in ONE Championship’s atomweight MMA division. Then came a painful stretch that tested her resolve to its limits, dropping four of her next five contests and pushing her to a breaking point few athletes are willing to admit. She confessed: “There was a time when I stopped training and stepped away from fighting for a while.

Back then, I kept losing, and I just lost confidence and didn’t feel like I could push myself toward a fight. I wasn’t enjoying it at all, and there was a time I didn’t even want to do it. “I think I looked like I was having more fun in my debut fight.

I fought without fear, but after experiencing losses, I started becoming more cautious and a bit more afraid. ” View this post on Instagram The Tokyo native knows the joy that made her special in the early days of her promotional tenure is still inside her, and she is determined to bring it back out in front of her hometown crowd. Hirata recognized that fear and anxiety have held her back from performing at her best, and breaking through that mental wall has become just as important as any physical preparation.