The card for ONE Fight Night 8 continues to deepen, with a top-tier atomweight contest now added to the star-studded lineup. On Tuesday, ONE Championship announced that second-ranked contender Ham Seo Hee will battle Japanese star Itsuki Hirata at the Friday, Mar. 24 event.
Ham has been on an extraordinary eight-bout win streak since returning to atomweight, which includes two wins over Filipina sensation Denice Zamboanga, and she now turns her attention toward Hirata.
The bout was initially scheduled for ONE 163 last November, but “Android 18” missed weight and hydration. Ham refused to negotiate a catchweight bout, so it was ultimately scrapped.
Hirata will be looking to put that behind her and nab her second consecutive victory at ONE Fight Night 8. The 23-year-old suffered her first professional victory at the hands of Jihin Radzuan at ONE X last March, but she returned five months later and got back in the winner’s column against Chinese star Lin Heqin.
In preparation for her upcoming bout, Hirata has been rounding out her game in the U.S., and she will hope to show her improvements against Ham when they collide. If she can pull off the win, “Android 18” will make a case for a spot in the official ONE athlete rankings, where she’ll join the chase for gold in 2023.
The atomweight bout is another exciting addition to the ONE Fight Night 8 lineup that already features multiple world title battles. Ham vs. Hirata will take place inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium and will, undoubtedly, be one of the must-see bouts on the card.
ONE Fight Night 8 airs live on Friday, Mar. 24, on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers located in the U.S. and Canada.