ONE Championship: Itsuki Hirata backs Alyse Anderson to submit Stamp Fairtex at US debut

Itsuki Hirata is backing Alyse Anderson to beat Stamp Fairtex and shake up the ONE Championship atomweight MMA rankings.

Stamp and Anderson will meet at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 in Denver, Colorado – the Singapore-based promotion’s debut on US soil.

Thailand’s Stamp, the No 1-ranked fighter in ONE’s atomweight rankings and arguably the best striker in the weight class, is widely expected to defeat her American rival, who is unranked.

But Japanese star Hirata, who is on cusp of the atomweight rankings herself, thinks Anderson has the skills to pull off the upset.

“I think Anderson can deal with Stamp’s striking, and also she has long reach,” Hirata, 23, told the Post.