“The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom had a lot of weight on her shoulders heading into her ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title contest with arguably the best female pound-for-pound striker on the planet, Anissa “C18” Meksen, at ONE Friday Fights 46: Tawanchai vs. Superbon on December 22.
But the 21-year-old Thai phenom didn’t have any issue with the immense pressure, as she impressed the global fan base with a performance for the ages.
Over the course of five rounds, Phetjeeja did enough to earn a unanimous decision victory and leave the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, with 26 pounds of gold.
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Phetjeeja did not have it easy though, as she was compelled to fight at the French-Algerian superstar’s furious pace in the opening rounds.
Meksen was in beast mode from the very beginning, drawing a reaction from “The Queen” every time the pair traded shots in range.
This continued into the second frame, but the Thai’s increased output soon forced “C18” to drop her guard – and Phetjeeja took control by attacking straight down the pipe.
Oftentimes, offense proved to be the best defense. And Phetjeeja lived up to that statement with simple yet effective punch-kick combinations, which allowed her to rack up more damage heading into the championship rounds.
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“The Queen” would increase her intensity in the fourth and fifth stanzas, and though Meksen tried to sneak in some massive hook shots and big rights in an effort to slow her down, the Thai phenom remained sharp.
Phetjeeja primarily operated behind her trademark right hand, read every attack with textbook precision, and outworked the French-Algerian dynamo until the final bell of their five-round World Title affair.
In the end, all three judges gave the nod to Phetjeeja, awarding her the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Championship and capping off a perfect year in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
That signature win moved her professional record to 207-6, bumped her ONE Championship slate to 5-0, and lined up a unification bout with divisional queen Janet Todd next year.
