ONE Championship: Chatri blasts ‘unprofessional’ Itsuki Hirata, is ‘not mad’ at Ham Seo-hee for refusing fight
- Fight a big miss from Saturday night’s ONE 163 event, but chairman and CEO Chatri lays blame squarely at Hirata’s feet
- ‘Ham has legitimate complaints. I’m very disappointed in Itsuki. She knew a potential title shot was at stake,’ he says in Singapore
ONE Championship boss Chatri Sityodtong has sided squarely with Ham Seo-hee after she refused to fight Itsuki Hirata on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old Japanese star (7-1) failed multiple hydration tests during Friday’s checks and South Korean veteran Ham (25-8) insisted she would not accept an offer of a catchweight bout.
The fight was a big miss from the main card of Saturday night’s ONE 163 event, but ONE chairman and CEO Chatri laid the blame squarely at Hirata’s feet.
“I’m not mad at Ham,” Chatri told the Post. “She has legitimate complaints. I’m very disappointed in Itsuki. She knew a potential title shot was at stake. I think it’s very unprofessional of Itsuki, given the stakes.
“If you are first time in ONE, or you’re just starting your career, there’s a little bit more understanding because our system is very stringent on hydration to make sure athletes are healthy when they step in the cage.