“I have to give credit” - Phetjeeja admits Japanese star Kana was much tougher than she anticipated

ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion Phetjeeja admitted to having a tougher time than she expected against veteran Japanese fighter Kana Morimoto in their title clash last weekend in Japan.

'The Queen' successfully defended her world title against 'Krusher Queen' but not after being taken to the limit at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena.

The two top atomweight fighters went back-and-forth in their five-round, 15-minute championship battle. In the end, it was the Thai standout that got the judges' nod.

During the in-ring interview following her victory with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson, Phetjeeja shared her thoughts on the hard-earned victory over Kana, saying:

"But now, I feel like I have to give credit to Kana. Kana is very durable as well. But I’m glad I got the victory tonight."

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Phetjeeja initially thought Kana did not have the endurance to keep in step with her

Phetjeeja's surprise stemmed from her initial belief that Kana did not have it in her to keep in step for the full route.

She shared this in an interview with ONE Championship in the lead-up of their title clash, saying:

“And another thing is, I’m not sure she has the gas for five rounds. Because last year when I watched her fight, she seemed to run out of gas at the end of the second round.”

The win at ONE 172 was the first successful defense of Phetjeeja of the atomweight kickboxing gold after unifying the division's belts with a decision win over former divisional queen and now-retired Janet Todd in March last year.

It was also her seventh straight victory since making her ONE Championship debut two years ago.

Kana, meanwhile, slumped to her second defeat in three matches so far in ONE.

The replay of ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang is available at watch.onefc.com.