LOOK: ONE Women's Star Shares How She Has Been Enjoying Her Time Off

ONE Championship's women's atomweight division has been one of the promotion's bigger attractions thanks to names such as reigning champion Angela Lee, Stamp Fairtex and Ham Seo Hee being the centerpiece.

However, one name that has been consistently making waves on social media is Itsuki Hirata.

The Japanese star has not been announced to fight anytime soon, and while she is waiting for her next opponent, Hirata shared photos of her enjoying her day off from training with a sunny day out on the beach.

Hirata's last foray inside the cage did not turn out in her favor as she took on South Korean striker Ham this past March at ONE Fight Night 8–a match that was originally scheduled to take place at ONE 163 in November 2022 but was rescheduled after Hirata failed the pre-fight testing.

Many mixed martial arts fans had expected it to be a high-octane affair with Hirata's grappling skills going up against Ham's top-tier striking, but the fight was extremely one-sided in favor of the latter.

After a three-round affair that had "Hamzzang" negating every takedown and grappling attempt that the judo practitioner threw at her while landing some big shots of her own, Ham was declared the winner via unanimous decision.

Prior to the Ham fight, "Android 18" came out victorious against China's Lin Heqin at ONE Fight Night 1 in August 2022, which saw her return to the winner's circle after falling victim to Jihin Radzuan at ONE X in March of that year.

Fans had viewed Hirata as the next up-and-coming talent that will rise through the atomweight division in the hopes of her potentially becoming a champion in her own right.

However, that might not be the case in the immediate months as the division is currently in limbo due to ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong's revelation that Lee is not expected to fight again after the tragic passing of her sister, Victoria, this past December.

In response to that situation, ONE Championship will have a bout between Ham, currently rated No. 2, and Stamp, ranked No. 1, to determine the interim atomweight queen while they wait for an official decision from Lee.

Lee has been relatively quiet on social media since the tragedy struck, instead posting photos and videos of her spending some much-needed family time, with little indication of her raring to start training in MMA again.

Only time will tell how the weight class shakes out and whether Hirata can rebuild herself back into a fearsome contender that many saw her to be.