“She has more experience” – Wondergirl says MMA rounds vs Dayane Cardoso won’t be a walk in the park

The special rules fight Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon pioneered in March 2022 at ONE X will have a version in 2024, as Nat ‘Wondergirl’ Jaroonsak faces Dayane Cardoso on February 16 at ONE Fight Night 19.

Wondergirl and Cardoso will bring excitement to the packed crowd inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for their four-round alternate ruleset of Muay Thai and MMA.

Ahead of their matchup, the 25-year-old Thai star told the South China Morning Post that she anticipates an interesting match with the 27-year-old Cardoso. The two-time Thailand Muay Thai champion said:

“Yes, it’s a challenge. She has more experience in MMA fights than me, obviously, and that will make it hard for me in the MMA rounds, I feel, but this is still a good fight, you know.”

The upcoming contest is not new to Wondergirl because she was previously featured in another special rules fight with reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion Xiong Jing Nan in September 2023 at ONE Fight Night 14.

That contest with ‘The Panda’ was an all-striking affair of punches, and it resulted in a third-round knockout loss, which is why Wondergirl is keen on getting the victory this time around.

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Wondergirl looks to maximize the Muay Thai rounds to beat Cardoso

If there's a lesson that Wondergirl got from Rodtang’s defeat to Johnson during the first version of the fight, it's to maximize the Muay Thai rounds and make sure to inflict the most damage.

That way, the Jaroonsak Muay Thai and Southside MMA representative could avoid the MMA rounds and dodge the threat of grappling because Cardoso has far superior experience there and is expected to exploit it as the fight wears on.

ONE Fight Night 19 is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.