‘I Missed This Place’ – Phetjeeja Reflects On Team Mehdi Zatout Reunion Ahead Of Muay Thai Return At ONE Fight Night 38
ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja has come home to Team Mehdi Zatout where her journey to glory began.
On Friday, December 5, she returns to her roots in an atomweight Muay Thai clash against Martyna Dominczak at ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu on Prime Video.
The event broadcasts live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Victory would position Phetjeeja as the next challenger for ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, bringing her closer to two-sport supremacy.
Before this fight, the 23-year-old needed to defend her kickboxing throne against Kana “Krusher Queen” Morimoto at ONE 172 this past March in Tokyo.
Phetjeeja delivered a clinical unanimous decision victory – the 209th win of her career – while silencing a passionate Japanese crowd.
“The Queen” reflected on that performance:
“It was the best feeling. It was a huge relief because fighting Japanese opponents are always tough for me. Their style makes it difficult to fight; they are fast. Plus, you don’t know what kind of game plan they’ll bring. So I was really happy to defend my belt.”
That Tokyo trip gave Phetjeeja something more valuable than a World Title defense. It was the chance to reconnect with her former coach, Mehdi Zatout.
Misunderstandings outside the ring had distanced the two, forcing her to leave the Pattaya-based camp in 2024. Phetjeeja briefly moved to Sor Dechapan Gym, but her heart never left Team Mehdi Zatout.
When they reunited in Japan, old wounds began to heal.
The Thai superstar shared:
“When I was fighting in Japan, that’s when I finally got to talk to Mehdi. Before that, we hadn’t talked at all, which left some unfinished business and misunderstandings. When I saw him, it made me miss the time when we took care of each other.
“When I was doing my warm-ups, Mehdi still came over and coached me, just like before. He still cared and gave me advice.”
That moment proved what Phetjeeja had always known. Her former coach held her best interests at heart, even after their disagreements.
She rejoined Team Mehdi Zatout in October, which couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as she chases a second ONE World Title.
Phetjeeja explained:
“The training system at [Team Mehdi Zatout] is what I was used to and what I trained in the most. So I decided to come back here and train fully.
“Honestly, I missed this place. It’s where I started, where we fought together, where we struggled together, and where I became a champion. I feel that way about this place.”
Dominczak Stands Between Phetjeeja And Two-Sport Glory
Phetjeeja is one of the pound-for-pound best female strikers alive, having defeated legends Anissa “C18” Meksen and Janet “JT” Todd to capture and unify kickboxing gold.
Yet for all those accomplishments, a void remains that only a ONE Muay Thai World Title could fill.
The kickboxing queen said:
“My dream is to win the ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship and become a two-sport ONE World Champion. I believe that if I put on a good performance in this fight and get an impressive win, I might get the chance to challenge Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in my very next fight.”
As phenomenal as she’s been in kickboxing, Phetjeeja does her best work in Muay Thai, where she can unleash devastating elbows and crushing clinch work.
Before transitioning to kickboxing, she went 4-0 in Muay Thai at ONE Friday Fights, finishing every opponent.
Now she’s ready to prove she hasn’t missed a beat against the dangerous Martyna Dominczak.
“The Queen” continued:
“This fight is extremely important because it’s my first Muay Thai fight in two years. Many fans are probably waiting to see my performance. I will try my best to defeat Martyna in the best possible form.”
Phetjeeja knows Dominczak poses a serious threat. The Polish contender brings genuine danger, and both fighters want the same reward – a shot at Rodrigues.
On December 5, in the promotion’s final U.S. primetime event of the year, only one will earn it.
She concluded:
“Martyna is a very well-rounded fighter. She can walk forward and retreat. Her strength is her very fast push kick to the face. Her other weapons are also very dangerous because she throws them quite powerfully.
“The fight is definitely going to be exciting. The chance of a finish is very high, because she also wants an impressive win to challenge Allycia, just like me. I think if either of us makes a mistake, it could be a knockout.”
