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Former K-1 queen Kana Morimoto is confident that she'll be the one to hand Phetjeeja her first loss inside the Circle.
Emanating from the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Kana's home country of Japan, the two warriors will battle it out as Phetjeeja puts her ONE atomweight kickboxing world championship on the line at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on Sunday, March 23.
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It will be Phetjeeja's first official defense after trading in her interim title for undisputed gold against Janet Todd at ONE Fight Night 20 last year.
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But if things go Kana's way, Phetjeeja's first title defense will be her last.
"This is a huge opportunity, and I will win the ONE Championship belt in Japan," Kana said in an interview with ONE Championship. "I truly believe I am the only one in the world who can beat Phetjeeja, so I have to win."
As a four-time K-1 champion, Kana has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best strikers in the world. However, she's never fought an opponent with as much experience as 'The Queen.'
Kana says Phetjeeja is the 'perfect' fighter
When Phetjeeja steps back onto martial arts' biggest global stage at ONE 172, it will be just her third fight in the world of kickboxing.
Still, 'The Queen' has an incredible 208 career wins to her credit with 68 of those victories coming by way of KO/TKO.
That includes a perfect 6-0 record under the ONE banner with W's over Lara Fernandez, Celest Hansen, Anissa Meksen, and the aforementioned Janet Todd.
Recognizing just how dangerous Phetjeeja is, Kana knows that she'll have to be better than she's ever been if she hopes to bring the 26 pounds of gold back to Japan.
"I know Phetjeeja is very strong. She’s a perfect athlete capable of high-level of Muay Thai, kickboxing, and boxing. She’s perfect."
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 catch the card live via pay-per-view.
