ONE Championship: Ham Seo-hee blames Itsuki Hirata for dull fight – ‘one person’s effort is not enough’
- Ham ‘very, very excited’ after earning atomweight MMA title shot with win over Hirata at ONE Fight Night 8 in Singapore
- Fight disappointed fans, as South Korean veteran asks ONE to ‘give me someone who is willing to dance with me’
Ham Seo-hee was understandably excited to learn that her latest ONE Championship victory will earn her a title shot.
The South Korean MMA veteran, 37, was back in action at Saturday’s ONE Fight Night 8 event in Singapore, defeating 23-year-old Japanese contender Itsuki Hirata by unanimous decision in an atomweight clash.
“I’m very excited for that,” Ham told the Post backstage at the Singapore Indoor Stadium after her win. “Hearing that makes me very, very excited.”
It is not clear whom Ham will fight for interim gold, but the most likely candidate is Thai star Stamp Fairtex – though she will need to get by Alyse Anderson at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 in Denver, Colorado, first.
Ham believes Stamp will win that fight, and views the Thai as an exciting opponent.
“My prediction is Stamp [wins],” she said. “In the case that Stamp Fairtex wins, I can already imagine the type of energy that’s going to be in that fight. I can’t wait.”
Ham’s appetite for exciting fights is understandable.
Her first two bouts with ONE – a pair of wins over Filipino contender Denice Zamboanga – were both decisions, and her victory over Hirata was the subject of substantial criticism from fans, many of whom felt it lacked action.
The South Korean understands that criticism but believes the fault lies with her opponent, who did little more than shoot for takedowns and fire off single punches throughout the bout.
“Android 18” Hirata was even shown a yellow card for inactivity by referee Herb Dean, who rarely goes into his pocket.
“I’m happy I’ve won and everything’s over, but I’m a little disappointed in the way it went,” she said of her fight with Hirata, which was originally slated for November, but postponed when her foe missed weight.
“After all the stuff that was said between these first two fights, I was expecting a bit more action,” she added. “One person’s effort is just not enough to make it an entertaining match.
“If ONE is willing to give me someone who will dance with me, I’m sure an exciting result will follow.”
Regardless of whom she fights next, and what kind of fight it turns out to be, Ham is now closer than ever to winning a title in ONE, which some fans have considered inevitable since she signed with the promotion after impressive runs in the UFC, Rizin, and several other reputable organisations.
Yet Ham, for her part, does not want to get ahead of herself.
“We’ve got to fight [for the belt] and we’ve got to win,” she said. “Only then will I know it belongs to me.”
