‘Everything Went According To Plan’ – Phetjeeja Reflects On Dominant Win Over Kana At ONE 172
“The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom has looked nothing short of untouchable in her ONE Championship tenure, and she extended her reign of terror with another sterling performance on March 23 at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.
Competing at Japan’s iconic Saitama Super Arena, the Thai sensation dominated Japanese knockout artist Kana “Krusher Queen” Morimoto en route to a unanimous decision victory to successfully defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title.
The win marked Phetjeeja’s seventh straight victory in ONE and her third consecutive World Title triumph – further cementing her among the striking world’s most dominant titleholders.
Despite the challenger’s concussive punching power and mountain of high-level kickboxing experience, Phetjeeja appeared to be a class above, racking up damage with vicious boxing combinations at close range.
“The Queen” was pleased to leave Japan with her 26 pounds of gold in tow, although she told the assembled media that she still saw room for improvement:
“Everything went according to plan. The plan was to come in and trade with Kana, even though I feel like my weapons were a little too slow, but that’s because it’s been a while since I fought.”
If Phetjeeja was slow at ONE 172, it certainly wasn’t obvious to anyone watching.
Over the course of five fast-paced rounds, she largely silenced the Japanese crowd by consistently landing the harder, cleaner shots, even wobbling Kana with a thunderous right hand late in the fourth frame.
Remarkably, “Krusher Queen” was able to withstand all that punishment to reach the final bell, earning the respect of Phetjeeja.
The atomweight kickboxing queen said:
“I feel like I have to give credit to Kana. Kana is very durable, but I’m glad that I got the victory tonight.”
Phetjeeja would have liked to secure her fifth finish in ONE and earn a coveted performance bonus, but in the end, she was happy to retain her World Title and remain unbeaten in the world’s largest martial arts organization:
“I feel great about this fight today, but I feel like I could have done better. Nonetheless, I have fulfilled my goal to defend my title.”
Phetjeeja Targets Rodrigues’ Muay Thai World Title
After another lopsided win and another successful defense of her ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title, Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom is in search of a new challenge.
While she’s spent her last three fights dominating the planet’s best kickboxers, the vast majority of her incredible 209-6 professional record has come under Muay Thai rules.
With that in mind, she’s setting her sights on two-sport glory – and current ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues:
“My next goal is to get that Muay Thai belt. Allycia, if you’re watching, let’s go. I know that you are very strong, one of the best, so let’s go. Let’s test it out.”
