ONE Championship: Itsuki Hirata apologises for hydration test fails, received ‘many bad messages every day’

Japanese atomweight finally breaks her silence on Singapore weight miss, which prompted Ham Seo-hee to refuse fight

‘We are sorry for the inconvenience caused in 2022,’ Hirata says, as she gets set for return with New York training camp

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Ham Seo-hee (right) and Itsuki Hirata face off at the ONE Championship 163 ceremonial weigh-ins. Photos: ONE Championship

Published: 1:39am, 7 Jan 2023Updated: 2:41am, 7 Jan 2023

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Itsuki Hirata has finally broken her silence on her controversial ONE Championship weight miss late last year, and opened up on dealing with the “many bad messages” she received.

The 23-year-old Japanese atomweight (6-1) twice failed to pass hydration and make weight in 2022.

Her second miss, ahead of a fight with No 2-ranked Ham Seo-hee in Singapore in November, brought scorn from ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, who backed the South Korean veteran’s decision to refuse the fight.

Itsuki Hirata poses on the scale at the ONE 163 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Ham and Chatri both questioned Hirata’s professionalism, and she went silent on social media for more than six weeks until the New Year.

“Happy New Year!” Hirata wrote in a post on Instagram to her more than 200,000 followers. “To those who always support us, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused in 2022.