Jihin Radzuan won the striking exchanges against Itsuki Hirata at ONE SAMURAI 4. She lost the fight on the mat, and the Malaysian is not disputing it.
Hirata earned a unanimous decision in their women's atomweight MMA rematch on Saturday, October 17, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The result reversed their first meeting at ONE X in March 2022, which Jihin won by split decision.
"On the striking side, I think I did a good job. The striking was there. I just should have been more aware of what she wanted to do, and I should have shown more urgency," Jihin said.
"I think I should work more on the grappling part."
The pattern was consistent across all three rounds. Jihin found success with punches and kicks whenever the bout stayed upright, while Hirata secured takedowns and controlled extended stretches from top position.
The Malaysian conceded she struggled to escape those positions quickly enough, a problem she now intends to fix. That allowed the Japanese judoka to dictate the pace despite trailing in the stand-up exchanges.
With one win apiece, the rivalry now has an obvious next chapter. The 28-year-old former Malaysian National Wushu Champion has signaled she is open to it, despite her general reluctance to face the same opponent repeatedly.
"Of course, now it's one-one. Why not? As a fighter, I don't really like to fight the same opponent every single time, but let's do it. Let's do the trilogy," Jihin said.
The wider division adds context. Chihiro Sawada and Anastasia Nikolakakos meet for the vacant ONE Women's Atomweight MMA World Title at ONE SAMURAI 6 on December 2, and Jihin faced Nikolakakos in July.
That leaves the Johor Bahru native needing to rebuild before she can press a title case of her own. She has outlined a clear sequence for doing so.
"I have my eyes on the upcoming belt fight. So I guess while waiting for that, I should be proving myself worthy, and then we're going to look for a belt fight," Jihin said.
The grappling deficit she identified in Tokyo is the obvious starting point. Whether her next opponent is Hirata again or another ranked contender, closing that gap will determine how quickly she can return to title contention.
