Itsuki Hirata Ready To Rediscover Her True Self Against Ritu Phogat At ONE SAMURAI 1
There was a point where Itsuki Hirata stopped training altogether. The losses had piled up, the confidence had drained away, and the sport that had defined her life stopped feeling worth it. She walked away. Then she came back.
The 26-year-old Japanese atomweight faces Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat at ONE SAMURAI 1 on Wednesday, April 29, live from Tokyo’s Ariake Arena — and for Hirata, this bout is as much about reclaiming who she is as it is about the result.
“There was a time when I stopped training and stepped away from fighting for a while,” she said. “Back then, I kept losing, and I just lost confidence and didn’t feel like I could push myself toward a fight. I wasn’t enjoying it at all, and there was a time I didn’t even want to do it. I think I looked like I was having more fun in my debut fight. I fought without fear, but after experiencing losses, I started becoming more cautious and a bit more afraid.”
The fear that crept in is the wall she is now trying to break through. Hirata knows what she is capable of when she performs without restraint, and she is honest about what has been holding her back.
“I still want to show more in my fights. And to do that, I have to break through my fear and anxiety and show everything I’ve got, as much as I possibly can,” she said. “But that’s kind of the wall I’m facing right now, so it’s not easy. But once I overcome it, I think my true self will come out more.”
Facing Phogat in front of a hometown crowd at Ariake Arena is a significant test to make that breakthrough against. The Indian wrestler’s takedown ability and physical strength are well-documented, and Hirata has prepared specifically for what Phogat will bring.
“She’s strong in wrestling — her takedowns especially. I think her wrestling is her biggest weapon, plus her physical strength, so I’m definitely cautious about that,” Hirata said. “Her strength is her wrestling, so I want to outperform her in other areas. I think her weakness is outside of wrestling.”
The judo background that Hirata carries into every fight gives her confidence in the grappling exchanges Phogat will seek, and she arrives at Ariake Arena with a clear picture of what she wants.
“I want to finish the fight with my grappling, which is my strength, and get the win so I can move forward to the next one,” she said. “I want to go all out from the start, focus only on winning, and fight hard for five minutes in all three rounds.”
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