"It'll be a really good fight" - Janet Todd on Lara Fernandez title bout at ONE 159

Janet Todd is returning to Muay Thai and she’s dead-set on putting on an absolute banger against Lara Fernandez.

The two strikers will duke it out for the ONE interim women’s atomweight Muay Thai world championship at ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash on July 22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post’s Tom Taylor, Todd said she’s expecting a firefight against Fernandez, whom she’s initially assessed heading into their match.

The ONE women’s atomweight kickboxing world champion pointed out Fernandez’s natural Muay Thai base as something to look forward to in their match.

Janet Todd said:

“She has a very good traditional Muay Thai style. I’ve seen her fight in IFMA [International Federation of Muay Thai Associations], which is the same sort of tournament I’ve done before. I’ve seen her fight some very top-level fighters too outside of tournaments, I think she has very quick kicks, and she’s very good at responding with kicks. Like I said she has a nice traditional Muay Thai style where she mixes in her elbows and her strikes, I think it’ll be a really good fight.”

While Todd and Fernandez both climbed the heights in the professional ranks, the two are also accomplished fighters in the amateur circuit.

Todd holds one gold and two bronze medals in IFMA, as well as another bronze in the World Games. Fernandez, meanwhile, has two bronze medals in IFMA. She also owns titles from WBC Muay Thai and ISKA in her professional career.

Catch the interview below:

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Janet Todd wants double champ status

While she’s reigning atop her division in kickboxing, Janet Todd originally started her ONE Championship career in Muay Thai. Her debut, however, didn’t go as planned, losing to Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex.

Since that setback, Todd has racked up six straight wins, with three finishes littered in the streak.

Todd said that she wants to get another belt in the organization and add the ONE interim women’s Muay Thai world title to her already stacked cabinet.

“I think it just kinda let into the Muay Thai area because I did get the [kickboxing] title so I wanted to kind of move into the Muay Thai area again. Muay Thai was actually the first area that I entered into, I don’t know if you know but I tried to fight for the Muay Thai title as my first fight in ONE Championship and lost that fight to Stamp. So I started my quest towards the kickboxing one and now that I obtained that I try to come back to my Muay Thai roots a little bit.”

Todd added that she hasn’t forgotten about her responsibilities as champion and she’ll always defend the ONE women’s atomweight kickboxing title, which she won from Stamp in February 2020.

“There’s still plans to defend the kickboxing title, it’s not something that I’ve forgotten or don’t wanna defend it’s definitely gonna happen.”