is a Japanese professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. She is currently signed to

ONE Championship ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a Multinational corporation, multinational combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Origi ...

, where she competes in the

atomweight Atomweight (also referred to as light minimumweight, junior strawweight, junior mini-flyweight and pinweight) is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In women's boxing and junior amateur boxing pinweight is, or has been, a weight class for boxe ...

division. Hirata trained in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

throughout childhood before switching to

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

(MMA) upon graduating high school. After winning the third season of the Japanese

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

series and MMA competition ''Fighting Agent War'' in 2018, Hirata earned a contract with ONE and made her professional debut in 2019.

Early life and amateur career

Following in the footsteps of her older brother Naoki, Itsuki Hirata started practicing

at the

Kodokan Judo Institute The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ...

in first grade of elementary school at six years of age. With dreams of competing in the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

, she took third place in a national competition in fifth grade, and later won a prefectural judo championship in high school. Hirata had several surgeries throughout middle school and high school due to injuries she sustained in judo. She said she stopped thinking about the Olympics due to the amount of time these injuries sidelined her. It was during this time that Hirata started watching and became interested in

(MMA), which she thought looked fun and much freer than the "strict" rule-based judo. After graduating, she began training in MMA in summer 2018 under

Kazunori Yokota is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. Yokota fought for the Japanese MMA promotions DEEP and WVR Sengoku. Career and background Yokota has a background in Judo and fights for Team Grabaka with notable training partners such as Akih ...

at K-Clann gym in Tokyo. Hirata won her first fight by submitting Momoka Yoshiwara at the amateur tournament held during Deep Jewels 21 on September 16, 2018. Hirata then competed in the third season of the

AbemaTV is a Japanese streaming service that launched on April 11, 2016, under the name It is majority-owned by CyberAgent, with a 55.2% stake, and TV Asahi, with a 36.8% stake, while the remaining ownership belongs to various other companies, mostly ...

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

show and MMA competition , where she was coached by

Hayato Sakurai (born August 24, 1975) also known as , is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1996, he has formerly competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and participated in the Yarennoka!, ...

and won all three of her bouts by submission. She defeated

Yoshihiro Akiyama , also known as and by his nickname Sexyama, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka who won the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Championships for South Korea and for Japan at the 2002 Asian Games. He is the former K-1 HERO's Light Heavyw ...

's fighter Bo Hyun Park in the first round of competition, and

Rumina Sato (, kanji for given name: 留美奈) is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist, famous for his career in the Shooto organization. In the past he fought mostly in the 155 lb division, but he moved down to the 145 lb division. Mixed mar ...

's fighter Mio Tsumura in the second. Hirata defeated

Shinya Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler competing in ONE Championship's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT Extreme Champion. A professional competit ...

'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

. Formerly known by the nicknames and "Strong Heart Fighter", Hirata officially changed her nickname to "Android 18" in 2021 due to often being told she looks like the character of the same name from the

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...

''.

Professional career

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. At ONE Championship: Century on October 13, 2019, Hirata submitted Rika Ishige with an armbar at 4:41 of round two. 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. After Hirata failed to make the

upper limit of 52 kg, the fight was contested at a

catchweight A catchweight is a term used in combat sports, such as boxing or mixed martial arts, to describe a weight limit that does not adhere to the traditional limits for weight classes. In boxing, a catchweight is negotiated prior to weigh-ins, which are ...

of 53.4 kg. 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. Hirata faced Miku Nakamura in the main event of ONE Championship: Road to ONE - Young Guns on February 22, 2021. She earned another TKO stoppage, defeating Nakamura at 2:34 of round 2. She 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. In her first bout to go the distance, Hirata defeated

Alyse Anderson Alyse Anderson (born January 13, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist and competes in Atomweight division of ONE Championship. She has also competed in the Invicta Fighting Championships. Mixed martial arts career Early career Anderson ...

by unanimous decision at ONE Championship: Empower on September 3, 2021. She was then scheduled to face

Ritu Phogat Ritu Kumari Phogat (born 2 May 1994) is an Indian mixed martial artist who competed in the Atomweight division of ONE Championship. She is also a female wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. Early and ...

in the grand prix's semifinals at ONE Championship: NextGen on October 29, 2021. However, Hirata pulled out of the grand prix four days before the fight due to a high fever. Hirata then suffered her first loss at ONE: X on March 26, 2022, losing to Jihin Radzuan by split decision. Hirata questioned the judging, suggesting Radzuan should have won by unanimous decision instead. In May 2022, Hirata and her brother were some of the first fighters to take part in AbemaTV's , a program documenting young Japanese mixed martial artists that are given the opportunity to train at top-level MMA gyms in North America. Hirata faced Lin Heqin at ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 27, 2022. After Hirata missed weight and failed the hydration test, the match was contested at a catchweight of 54.0 kg and she forfeited 50% of her fight purse to Lin. Hirata won the bout by unanimous decision. She later stated that she missed weight because she accepted the fight on short notice. Hirata was scheduled to face

Seo Hee Ham Ham Seo-hee (; ; born March 8, 1987), anglicised as Seo Hee Ham, is a South Korean professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. She is currently signed to ONE Championship, where she is ranked #3 in the ONE Championship Women's Atomweight r ...

at ONE 163 on November 19, 2022, with the winner expected to receive a shot at the atomweight championship. However, Hirata missed weight and failed the hydration test, and the match was scrapped after Ham declined a catchweight bout due to Hirata's history of missing weight. In January 2023, AbemaTV aired a program on 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. Although no abnormalities were detected in Japan, the doctor told her to take a break due to a

hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of cell signaling, signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physio ...

imbalance and to see if the weight cut had any further adverse affects. Hirata revealed that she had

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

in childhood, and that abnormalities were also detected in October 2021 before the ONE Atomweight Grand Prix semifinals. The match against

was rescheduled for March 25, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 8. Hirata lost the fight via unanimous decision. In April 2023, the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

'' ranked Hirata at number nine on their ONE Championship women's

pound-for-pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, adjusted to compensate for weight class. As fighters in different weight classes do not compete directly, determining the best fighter pound for ...

rankings. Hirata faced fellow Japanese fighter Ayaka Miura on January 28, 2024, at ONE 165. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. Her next match was against Victória Souza at

ONE 167 ''ONE 167: Tawanchai vs. Nattawut 2'' was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on June 8, 2024, at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Background After the hosting events in Bangkok that took place in Lumpinee B ...

on June 8. She lost the fight via technical submission with a guillotine choke at 1:31 of the first round.

Personal life

Hirata's parents both support her martial arts career. Her father, who was strict with her judo in childhood, continued to drive her to and from MMA practice and thought of meals for cutting weight. Her older brother Naoki is also a mixed martial artist and a former

Pancrase is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the An ...

featherweight title-challenger, who has also competed in

Deep Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary ...

. Hirata started training in MMA in summer 2018 under

at K-Clann gym in Tokyo. She left K-Clann in December 2020 and joined Krazy Bee, a Tokyo gym founded by

Norifumi Yamamoto was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to ...

. Hirata then trained at New York-based Serra-Longo Fight Team from mid-2022 to 2023. She has also trained with

, whom she has called the greatest Japanese mixed martial artist and cited as a role model for being oneself without worrying about the cameras. Hirata has dated Yamamoto's nephew,

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (stylised in all caps and also known as Rizin FF) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. ...

mixed martial artist Erson Yamamoto, and Deep mixed martial artist Jinnosuke Kashimura. In 2022, she became the first Japanese fighter to be sponsored by

Monster Energy Monster Energy is a brand of energy drink, energy drinks that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. In 2022, Monster Energy had a 30.1% Market share, share of the American energy drink market, th ...

Championships and accomplishments

*''Fighting Agent War'' **3rd Season winner *

** 2021 Atomweight Grand Prix Semifinalist

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 , Victória Souza , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, Thailand , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 , Ayaka Miura , Decision (unanimous) , ONE 165 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Ham Seo-hee , Decision (unanimous) , ONE Fight Night 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Lin Heqin , Decision (unanimous) , ONE on Prime Video 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Jihin Radzuan , Decision (split) , ONE: X , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ONE: Empower , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Miku Nakamura , TKO (punches) , Road to ONE: Young Guns , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:34 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Nyrene Crowley , TKO (punches) , ONE: Warrior's Code , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rika Ishige , Submission (armbar) , ONE: Century – Part 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:41 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Angelie Sabanal , Submission (americana) , ONE: Legendary Quest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:59 ,

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China , , - Source: , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Mizuki Furuse , Submission (americana) , Fighting Agent War 3rd Season , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Mio Tsumura , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fighting Agent War 3rd Season , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Bo Hyun Park , Submission (armbar) , Fighting Agent War 3rd Season , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:18 , Japan ,

References

External links

Itsuki Hirata at Triggerr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirata, Itsuki 1999 births Living people Japanese female mixed martial artists Atomweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese female judoka Martial artists from Tokyo People from Adachi, Tokyo ONE Championship mixed martial artists Japanese female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners 21st-century Japanese sportswomen