"I expected to strike" - Victoria Souza admits she was wary of grappling against judoka Itsuki Hirata

Victoria Souza has always been confident in her skills even against top competition in the stacked atomweight MMA division.

The Brazilian had a difficult introduction to life in ONE Championship but she returned several years after making her debut.

Souza now finds herself coming off the biggest win of her career and a performance that showed her ability to adapt in the moment.

Itsuki Hirata is known for her high-level Judo game which has seen her become incredibly successful at taking opponents down and submitting them.

At ONE 167, in shocking fashion, it was Souza who got the tap in just 91 seconds of the opening round.

After Hirata shot in for a takedown, her opponent was able to capitalize on a guillotine choke that was perfectly timed.

Souza spoke in a recent interview with ONE Championship ahead of her return at ONE 168 about how this was not her intention during training camp.

Given Hirata's threat on the ground, she expected to rely on her striking which ultimately, wasn't needed to get the win:

​

"I really liked my performance in my last fight. I expected to strike for three rounds. My goal against Itsuki was not to go to the ground."

Submissions could be key for Victoria Souza once again

Victoria Souza will now be heading into her next fight in search of two huge back-to-back victories.

After her submission win at the Impact Arena, she will compete on another of the year's biggest cards, ONE 168 on September 6.

The Ball Arena in Denver awaits her as does American standout Alyse Anderson who might be discouraged when shooting for takedowns after what Souza was able to do in her last fight.

Having that submission threat in her back pocket and using it so effectively is sure to give her an advantage in this match-up.

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.

​