“She has speed and good footwork” - Phetjeeja dissects Kana’s strengths ahead of kickboxing world title tiff at ONE 172

Despite having more than 200 career wins to her credit, Phetjeeja has never competed outside of Thailand.

That all changes this Sunday, March 23 when 'The Queen' puts her ONE atomweight kickboxing world championship on the line against against former four-time K-1 titleholder Kana Morimoto inside the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

At ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang, Phetjeeja will put her 26 pounds of gold on the line for the first time since defeating Janet Todd for the undisputed atomweight belt last year.

Appearing at the ONE 172 press conference, revealed that this will be her first fight outside The Land of Smiles, leaving her very excited and just a tad nervous.

'The Queen' also lauded Kana's many strengths ahead of their highly anticipated clash.

"I am very excited for this title match," Phetjeeja said. "This is my first ever match that I'm gonna have in an overseas country, outside of my country, but I actually was kind of nervous meeting Kana in person today. I was very much interested in her because she's very strong, and she has speed and good footwork, and she got lots of good punches."

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Phetjeeja faces her toughest test against one of Japan's greatest female strikers

So far, Phetjeeja is a perfect 6-0 under the ONE Championship banner. That run includes four highlight-reel knockouts in the art of eight limbs—two in the opening round—and back-to-back title wins in kickboxing clashes against Anissa Meksen and the aforementioned Janet Todd.

However, 'The Queen' has never faced a fighter quite as dangerous as Kana—particularly in eight-ounce gloves.

A native of Tokyo, Kana captured titles in both Krush and K-1, earning 22 career wins, with 11 of them coming by way of knockout. At ONE Friday Fights 95 in January, she put on another impressive performance, defeating Moa Carlsson via unanimous decision, earning her an opportunity to challenge Phetjeeja at one of the biggest fight cards in ONE Championship history.

Who comes out on top when two of the best atomweight strikers in the world collide on martial arts' biggest global stage?

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.