ONE Championship celebrated International Women’s Day last Friday, March 8, with a nine-fight, all-women card of ONE Fight Night 20.
The headlining fight saw a unification bout for the ages as reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion Janet Todd faced rising star and interim world titleholder Phetjeeja.
Entering the contest, ‘The Queen’ was riding a five-fight winning streak that featured four TKOs plus a strong unanimous decision victory over the legendary Anissa Meksen.
Against ‘JT’, however, many were expecting that Phetjeeja would have a tough time as Todd is also an iconic figure in the history of women’s Muay Thai and kickboxing, with a pro career that has seen her on the winning side a total of 39 times.
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Both women went back and forth for the better part of five rounds until Phetjeeja landed the fight-changing blow late in round five after Todd’s failed attempt at a head kick opened the window for the Thai megastar to land a leg kick counter plus a stiff right-hand to the face, sending Todd crashing to the mat.
That sequence would ultimately give Phetjeeja both the victory and the undisputed ONE atomweight kickboxing world championship, while Todd stayed true to her word and retired inside the ring.
What lies ahead for Phetjeeja?
Now that she has cemented herself atop the division, fans may be wondering what is next for the Team Mehdi Zatout standout.
Prior to the career-defining performance against the American star, Phetjeeja shared that she has her eyes on becoming a two-sport world champion, hinting that she plans to return to Muay Thai very soon.
That would be an interesting matchup as a world championship clash between Phetjeeja and atomweight Muay Thai world champ Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, who defended her ONE world title at ONE Fight Night 20, would be nothing but fireworks.