ONE Championship weigh-ins, hydration test results: Itsuki Hirata silences her doubters, title fights set
- Both title fights atop ONE Fight Night 8 bill are official after Superlek, Danial Williams, Allycia Rodrigues and Janet Todd make weight
- Hirata puts November’s hydration drama behind her for high stakes atomweight MMA clash with Ham Seo-hee in Singapore
Itsuki Hirata silenced her doubters on Thursday night, passing her pre-fight hydration test and making weight for her Saturday clash with Ham Seo-hee on the first try.
The two atomweights are set to collide at the ONE Championship Fight Night 8 event in Singapore. It is their second attempt at meeting in the Circle after a planned November fight was derailed when Hirata failed to pass three hydration tests, and Ham declined an offer to meet at a catchweight.
But there were no issues this time, as South Korea’s Ham was among the first to pass her tests, and Hirata followed soon after.
Ham was watching on as Hirata submitted her sample and stepped on the scale, and congratulated her Japanese rival backstage at the Parkroyal on Kitchener Road hotel after the fact.
“Thank you very much,” she said, with the two smiling and laughing as they embraced in the hallway.
While Hirata’s recent weight and hydration issues meant that most eyes were on her ahead of Thursday’s testing, the four fighters involved in the two title fights atop the card also made weight – a relief considering the big changes the event has already seen in the last two weeks.
That prompted flyweight kickboxing champion Superlek Kiatmoo9’s title fight with challenger Rodtang Jitmuangnon, ONE’s reigning flyweight Muay Thai champ, to be bumped up to the top of the card.
Superlek had no issues on the scale, with Williams easily coming in under the mark.
Things went similarly smoothly for the new co-main event. Allycia Helen Rodrigues and Janet Todd – ONE’s undisputed and interim atomweight Muay Thai champs – will unify their titles on Saturday.
While several fighters provided some late drama, American Eddie Abasolo was ultimately the only fighter not to pass his checks.
He failed three hydration tests for his planned featherweight Muay Thai fight with Niclas Larsen, and could not produce a fourth sample before the testing window ended.
He will now be given time to hydrate and submit another sample, and provided he passes, he will weigh in. A catchweight will then be proposed to Larsen.
With less than five minutes to go in the official three-hour testing window, Belarusian strawweight Muay Thai fighter Ekaterina Vandaryeva had still not submitted a sample.
But “Barbie” eventually strode up to the scale, and there was no repeat of her weight miss from Bangkok in January, prompting a small dance and celebration.
Her opponent, the United Kingdom’s Iman Barlow, had also left it very late.
The “Pretty Killer” failed her first two tests, and needed the curtain to make weight after finally getting her hydration on point with less than 15 minutes to go before the deadline of 11pm local time.
Get caught up on all Thursday’s weight and hydration check excitement as it happened below.