Opportunity is the lifeblood for many young athletes in the world of combat sports. For rising ONE Championship superstar Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom, she got the chance of a lifetime earlier this month when she fought kickboxing legend Janet Todd in the main event of ONE Fight Night 20 for the status of undisputed atomweight kickboxing world champion.
She entered the bout with an unblemished record through five fights, with her last bout being a star-making performance against another icon of the sport in the form of Anissa Meksen, which took place at ONE Friday Fights 46 in December last year.
Early in the bout, Todd's veteran experience allowed her to land some heavy shots of her own, particularly with her lead left hook and sharp knees in close quarters. Though the longtime divisional queen attempted to impose her fight style on the interim champ, the rising Thai fighter had other plans.
The Muay Thai specialist from Thailand landed a big knockdown late in round five off a blazing fast combo. 'JT' was able to shrug it off and reach the final bell, though Phetjeeja was declared the winner via unanimous decision.
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Relive their thrilling clash below:
Phetjeeja outlines her future plans following Janet Todd win
At 22 years old, there is a whole lot more Phetjeeja can accomplish in her combat sports career. With dominance over the atomweight kickboxing division under her belt, she is setting her sights on another accolade.
The Thai megastar shared in an interview with ONE Championship that she wants to become a two-sport world champion, with a return to Muay Thai being her next goal.
A collision course with reigning atomweight Muay Thai world titleholder Allycia Hellen Rodrigues will surely draw a ton of interest following the Brazilian's own stellar defense against Cristina Morales at the same event.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can relive the entire ONE Fight Night 20 card that went down inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for free.