March’s ONE Fight Night 8 will be the landing spot for an atomweight clash months in the making.
Seo Hee Ham (25-8) had been expected to face Itsuki Hirata (6-1) at ONE 163 back in November. However, a weight miss by Hirata saw the fight fall through, after Ham refused the prospect of a catchweight bout.
Now, the fight is back on, part of the ONE Fight Night 8 card on March 24, 2023. Promotion officials announced the news on Thursday.
South Korea’s Ham has been on a tear since exiting the UFC in 2016, where she was an undersized strawweight. Following back-to-back losses in the octagon and with a record of 1-3 in the promotion overall, Ham returned to ROAD FC, winning the atomweight title there and defending it twice.
Ham then signed with RIZIN Fighting Federation in Japan, picking up another title on New Year’s Eve in 2019. However, with foreign fighters unable to travel to the country during the coronavirus pandemic, Ham jumped to ONE Championship, where she has won her first two bouts.
She remains a perfect 8-0 since exiting the UFC.
Japan’s Itsuki Hirata suffered the first loss of her professional career against Jihin Radzuan last March at ONE X. The youngster found herself on the wrong side of a split decision in the fight. She then returned to the win column against Lin Heqin in August.
Set to take place on March 24, 2023 (Mar. 25 locally) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, ONE Fight Night 8 is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight title unification bout that will see Arjan Bhullar face Anatoly Malykhin. The card airs live on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.
