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Japanese kickboxing icon Kana Morimoto is feeling a bit anxious about making her ONE Championship debut, but there's no place she'd rather be.
On September 6, it was announced that Morimoto had signed a blockbuster deal with the former K-1 flyweight world champion. Thus far, ONE has not announced when we'll see her step inside the Circle for the very first time, but during a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Morimoto admitted to feeling both nervous and excited to compete on martial arts' biggest global stage.
“It was the ring I wanted to fight in so I feel fresh and excited. I’m nervous, but I’m looking forward to it."
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For nearly a decade, Kana Morimoto has dominated the kickboxing scene in her native Japan. As an amateur, she won back-to-back K1 tournaments before going pro and claiming the promotion's flyweight title. She successfully defended the belt three times and was crowned Beyond Kickboxing's Female Fighter of the Year in 2022.
Morimoto brings with her a 22-4 record, with 11 victories coming by way of knockout.
Kana Morimoto ready to test herself against the best in the world
As Morimoto, 32, enters what she describes as the "final stages" of her illustrious career, the former KRUSH women's flyweight champion believes ONE Championship is the perfect place to truly test her skills against the best fighters in the world.
"I'm in the final stages of my career and I believe ONE is the stage where the best in the world gather."
She added:
"My ultimate goal in ONE is to become a champion. I think ONE's atomweight division is the best in the world, and I want to compete in the upper ranks there."
Kana Morimoto joins fellow K-1 stars Takeru Segawa and Masaaki Noiri, who recently signed with and made their promotional debuts.
Are you excited to see Morimoto make her promotional debut? More importantly, who do you want to see her face when she steps inside the Circle for the first time?
