“I gave it my all to win” - Kana has no regrets after close decision loss to atomweight kickboxing queen Phetjeeja

Kana Morimoto was left devastated after the judges' scorecards were read in the aftermath of her five-round war with Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom at ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang over the weekend. After 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, the reigning atomweight kickboxing world champion retained her 26 pounds of gold inside Saitama Super Arena via unanimous decision.

While absolutely gutted that her world title bid went for naught, Kana accepted that verdict and made peace with it, knowing she gave everything she had inside that ring.

'Krusher Queen' took to Instagram to share her thoughts in a lengthy post, an excerpt from which read:

"A world where results are everything. There are no strange losses. Just the result. Even if I was told I couldn't win, I gave it my all to win, and I wanted to win, get the belt, and express my gratitude."

Kana also thanked her coach and teammates for pushing her to the limits in training and bringing out the best in her. She added:

"I was able to take on the challenge in the best condition during the best preparation period of my career, and it's all thanks to Omiyaji-san, who helps me grow every day."

What went wrong for Kana at ONE 172?

Kana knew her speed was her biggest advantage against Phetjeeja, and she pushed the tempo of this match in the early goings.

'Krusher Queen' was even able to catch 'The Queen' off guard with a couple of spinning back fists.

However, her accuracy took a hit in the championship rounds after she couldn't sustain the same pace. The atomweight kickboxing world champion patiently chopped away at the challenger's legs and body, which paid dividends as the fight wore on.

Kana put up a valiant fight, but Phetjeeja's combinations connected more, causing more significant damage.

Watch the replay of ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang via watch.onefc.com.