Advertisement

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

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Itsuki Hirata at the ONE Championship 163 ceremonial weigh-ins. Photos: ONE Championship

ONE Championship boss Chatri Sityodtong has sided squarely with Ham Seo-hee after she refused to fight Itsuki Hirata on Saturday night.

Advertisement

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.

“I hope she feels embarrassed,” wrote Ham in a scathing Instagram post, where she said Hirata was “irresponsible” and lacked “the basics to call herself a mixed martial artist”.

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.

Advertisement