ONE Samurai 4: Jihin is avenged by Hirata in Tokyo

Malaysian atomweight falls short in bid for 2-0 series lead after unanimous decision loss at Ariake Arena

Malaysia’s Jihin Radzuan lost a unanimous decision to Japan’s Itsuki Hirata at ONE SAMURAI 4 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Saturday. The defeat ended her bid to go 2-0 up in the rivalry and denied her a shot at the vacant atomweight title.

All three judges scored the atomweight MMA bout for Hirata. Radzuan, 28, had won their first meeting by split decision at ONE X in Singapore on 26 March 2022. That win handed Hirata, 27, the first defeat of her career.

Radzuan started the rematch well. The pair traded scrambles from the opening round, and the Malaysian held the edge on the feet. Hirata, a judoka, repeatedly took Radzuan’s back but could not turn those positions into a finish.

The fight turned in Hirata’s favour from the second round on, when she took it to the ground. She landed a succession of knees against the cage that steadily wore Radzuan down. Hirata raised her fist in celebration at the final bell, sure of the result.

It was Radzuan’s second defeat in a row. She lost a split decision to Anastasia Nikolakakos in July, after stopping previously undefeated Gabriela Fujimoto in the third round in February. Her career includes wins over Hirata and Mei Yamaguchi, and she went the distance with former world champion Denice Zamboanga and Stamp Fairtex.

ONE had said before the fight that the winner would move into contention for the vacant ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship.

Credit Photo : ONE