Over 5,500 miles from Okayama, Japan, two athletes have cemented themselves as two of the best in their respective sports.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto single-handedly helped them notch their second straight World Series title, as he was the winning pitcher in three of the four games en route to winning World Series MVP against the Toronto Blue Jays. Just over 20 miles away from Dodger Stadium, The Ring and WBO 115-pound champion Mizuki Hiruta is looking to continue to blaze her own path.

Hiruta will look to defend her titles against Gloria Gallardo on UFC Fight Pass on Saturday at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. While Yamamoto, Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki have done their part representing Japan, Hiruta isn’t content just looking up to the trio.

“I admire them, but I cannot just admire them,“ Hiruta told The Ring via translator. “I have to be like them. They showed that we can go there.”

Hiruta (9-0, 2 KOs) said that she plans to wear a Yamamoto jersey to her fight on Saturday.

Hiruta, 29, won the WBO title in 2022 in her fourth pro fight and will be making her sixth defense of the belt. She was recently awarded her Ring title. Gallardo (16-3-3, 7 KOs) of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, represents Hiruta’s fourth title defense this year.

Hiruta, who is trained by Manny Robles, made her U.S. debut in 2025 and her last three fights have taken place in the U.S. The 5-foot-4 southpaw is coming off a unanimous decision victory over the previously undefeated Naomy Cardenas Gomez (9-1, 2 KOs) on August 15 in Santa Ynez, California.

Hiruta's first six fights took place in Japan.

“People here like boxing more than Japanese people,” Hiruta said of the biggest difference she’s noticed between fighting in Japan and the U.S. “They also respect boxers and enjoy boxing itself.”