“I’m not sure she has the gas for five rounds” - Phetjeeja questions Kana’s conditioning ahead of ONE 172 title clash

ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion Phetjeeja is set to defend her world title later this month in Japan against challenger Kana Morimoto. She is confident of making a successful defense as she believes the veteran fighter does not have what it takes to put up a sustained fight against her.

The two fighters are featured at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena. It is one of five world title fights on offer at the marquee event, which will mark the return of ONE Championship to the "Land of the Rising Sun" for the second straight year.

Speaking with the promotion in line with her scheduled title defense, 'The Queen' shared her take on 'Krusher Queen' and what the latter has to offer come fight night.

23-year-old Phetjeeja said:

“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.”

At ONE 172, Phetjeeja will make her first defense of the world title after unifying the atomweight kickboxing belts in March last year with a decision victory over former divisional queen and now-retired Janet Todd. The Thai superstar will also try to keep her unblemished record in ONE, which current stands at 6-0, intact.

Her opponent, Kana, 32, the former K-1 champion, for her part, is out to make it back-to-back wins after winning her first match in ONE last January.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will be available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

---

Phetjeeja vows an explosive performance at ONE 172

Phetjjeeja will be making her defense of the atomweight kickboxing world title at ONE 172 and is looking to make it stand out by coming up with an explosive performance.

She shared this in her brief face-off with the challenger, Kana Morimoto, following the latter's victory last January. The reigning atomweight queen told ONE commentator Mitch Chilson in an interview inside the ring:

"To put it frankly, I think it's going to be very explosive. On that day, whoever stands in the ring will be the victor of the fight."

Phetjeeja made her ONE Championship debut in March 2023 in the promotion's Friday Fights series, eventually securing a contact to be part of the main roster, where she continues to impress and dominate.