Seo Hee Ham Gets To Settle Unfinished Business With Itsuki Hirata In March

To say that Seo Hee Ham and Itsuki Hirata are meant to slug it out inside the Circle is a massive understatement as both women will finally get a chance to settle their scores with each other next month.

ONE Championship first confirmed the news on Wednesday, February 8, with the grudge match serving as one of the feature attractions on the undercard of ONE Fight Night 8 on March 25 (March 24 in the United States).

Ham and Hirata were originally slated to cross paths at ONE 163 back in November, but the latter missed weight and flunked her hydration test.

Moreover, Ham refused to negotiate for a catchweight contest even though she would receive a portion of Hirata's prize money.

Despite the mishap during the promotion's pre-fight clearance, there remains genuine interest in the matchup as either of the two could be next in line for a shot at Angela Lee's ONE women's atomweight trinket.

Currently, Ham occupies the No. 2 spot in the division. Meanwhile, Hirata is looking to make her way back into the Top Five.

Ham, who holds a win-loss slate of 25-8, has won her last two outings under the ONE Championship banner at the expense of Filipina rival Denice Zamboanga.

In addition, the South Korean hard-hitter is riding high on an eight-bout winning streak that began in 2017.

On the other hand, Hirata is 5-1 in the promotion so far, with her lone loss in that stretch coming at the hands of Jihin Radzuan at ONE X in March 2022.

In her last assignment at ONE Fight Night 1 this past August, Hirata bounced back from her first career defeat by clinching a clear-cut decision victory over China's Lin Heqin.

In many ways, this clash is expected to be a good old-fashioned striker-versus-grappler matchup.

Ham is known for her relentless striking game, while Hirata has been most effective with her takedowns and groundwork throughout her blossoming run in the sport.

However, fight fans could be in for a wild surprise at ONE Fight Night 8 as both women have unveiled new dimensions to their growing skill sets.

Hirata has been working on her striking ever since she joined the Serra-Longo Fight Team in Long Island, New York, whereas Ham flaunted her rare wrestling-heavy offense in her rematch with Zamboanga at ONE X.

With Ham and Hirata putting in an effort to add layers to their overall game, the clash guarantees to be a nip-and-tuck affair.