is a Japanese professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. She is currently signed to

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

, 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 (boxing), ...

division. Hirata trained in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, 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 Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

throughout childhood before switching to

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

(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 unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

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 or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, 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 became famous fighting in the Japanese MMA promotion DEEP, and eventually debuted WVR Sengoku, his only fight in a cage was his MMA debut, which was on 19 September 2004 against Keita Nakamu ...

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 Abema (, stylized as ABEMA) is a Japanese live TV streaming website owned by the entertainment company, AbemaTV, Inc. that provides over-the-top media services to customers in Japan. The website primarily acts as an online television network, ...

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show and MMA competition , where she was coached by

Hayato Sakurai also known as , born August 24, 1975, 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!, Dynamit ...

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. A fourth-generation Japanese of ...

'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 Mio Tsumura (born 14 April 1995), popularly known as MIO, is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the atomweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2011, she is a multiple-time Shootboxing tournament winner, having won th ...

in the second. Hirata defeated

Shinya Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler currently competing in ONE Championship's and Rizin Fighting Federation's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT Ex ...

'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 strong female character of the same name from the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) 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 prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

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 serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...

''.

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 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 currently signed to ONE Championship. She is also a female wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. Early and personal life Ritu is ...

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. Her next match was against Lin Heqin at

ONE on Prime Video 1 ONE on Prime Video refers to ONE Championship events broadcast live on Amazon Prime during prime time hours in the United States and Canada. Background The debut event of the series featured the ONE Flyweight World Championship rematch between ...

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 Seo Hee Ham ( ko, 함서희 ; born ), written Ham Seo-Hee in Korean order, is a South Korean professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. She is currently signed to ONE Championship, where she is ranked #2 in the ONE Championship Women's Ato ...

ONE 163 ''ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong'' was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on November 19, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship b ...

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 Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...

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 inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

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

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 a mixed martial artist with

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), C ...

. 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 K ...

. Hirata has dated Yamamoto's nephew,

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the spir ...

mixed martial artist Erson Yamamoto. Hirata has been a part of New York-based Serra-Longo Fight Team since mid-2022. 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. In 2022, Hirata became the first Japanese fighter to be sponsored by

Monster Energy Monster Energy is an energy drink that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. As of March 2019, Monster Energy had a 35% share of the energy drink market, the second highest share after Red Bull ...

Championships and accomplishments

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

** 2021 Atomweight Grand Prix Semifinalist

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Lin Heqin , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Jihin Radzuan , Decision (split) , ONE: X , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kallang, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Alyse Anderson , Decision (unanimous) , ONE Championship: Empower , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kallang, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Miku Nakamura , TKO (punches) , Road to ONE: Young Guns , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:34 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

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

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rika Ishige , Submission (armbar) , ONE Championship: Century , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:41 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Angelie Sabanal , Submission (americana) , ONE Championship: Legendary Quest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:59 ,

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, 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 Mio or MIO may refer to: shortened form of Mioritic Shepherd dog or Mioritic sheepdog; a Romanian mountain dog. Places * Mio, Michigan, a town in the US Music * ''Mío'', 2011 album by David Bustamante * "Mío", 1992 song by Paulina Rubio Bra ...

, 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 Profile by Gifter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirata, Itsuki 1999 births Living people Japanese female mixed martial artists Atomweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Japanese female judoka Sportspeople from Tokyo People from Adachi, Tokyo