Vero Meets Kana In Atomweight Kickboxing Clash At The Inner Circle On May 22
Two of the most exciting female strikers on the planet will step into the ring for a three-round war at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 22, and the winner could leave the Thai capital with the next shot at ONE World Title gold.
Former Lethwei Champion Vero “The Kayan Leopard” is scheduled to lock horns with former K-1 Champion Kana “Krusher Queen” Morimoto at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Whoever emerges victorious could become the leading contender for a crack at “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom’s ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title.
After dropping a razor-close split decision in her promotional debut back in February 2025, Vero has only become stronger and more dangerous with every Muay Thai outing.
The 29-year-old Myanmar sensation returned to knock out Junior Fairtex in May 2025 and then she edged out Chinese striker Li “Miracle Girl” Mingrui via split decision six months later. She followed that up with another nail-biting victory, defeating Israel’s Shir Cohen in a closely-contested battle this past February.
Now confidently riding a three-bout winning streak with triumphs over world-class competition, “The Kayan Leopard” is making the switch to kickboxing and looking to earn her biggest victory yet in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
And beating a former ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title challenger would nicely position her for a crack at the coveted gold.
Kana is just as motivated to leave Lumpinee Stadium with her hand raised, however.
The Japanese veteran had a tough start to life in ONE Championship, falling to the legendary Anissa “C18” Meksen in December 2024. But the “Krusher Queen” shook off the loss and quickly returned to action, rattling off a unanimous decision victory over Swedish dynamo Moa “The X-Guard” Carlsson just a month later.
That outstanding performance led to a crack at Phetjeeja’s ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title in March 2025, and while it was a competitive five-round affair, the Thai left the ring with the belt.
Kana has been vocal about getting a World Title rematch against Phetjeeja ever since, but the Japanese veteran knows she needs to build some momentum toward that dream opportunity.
The 33-year-old got the ball rolling by spoiling former three-sport queen Stamp Fairtex’s return last November, outworking her en route to a unanimous decision victory.
If Kana can add Vero’s name to her list of victims and dazzle in the Thai capital on May 22, then she would be one step closer to her dream rematch.
Stay locked to onefc.com for more news about The Inner Circle on May 22.
