- George Chung
- Mar 11, 2024
- 2 min read
Phetjeeja Lekjaoporongtom has been known as "The Queen." After ONE Fight Night 20 on Friday, March 8, that moniker is more than just a nickname.
Phetjeeja battled Janet Todd for five hard rounds and came away with her hand raised to become the undisputed ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion. It was made even more special by being the American's final match under the bright lights.
"It's such an honor to fight Janet Todd in her retirement fight. I'm very happy that I was part of her last fight so she can remember me, and I can remember her. It's a historic moment for both of us." Phetjeeja said after the event.
"The Queen" has been virtually untouchable since arriving in ONE. Her knockouts on ONE Friday Fights earned her global notoriety and eventually led to the interim title bout against Anissa Meksen.
Those experiences helped prepare her for the main event contest against Todd, but Phetjeeja still had to calm her nerves before stepping through the ropes to unify the gold.
"Of course, there was a lot of pressure for me because she [Janet Todd] was also the champion. I just kept telling myself not to think about the fight and not to stress out as much and to just go with the flow," Phetjeeja recalled.
The Thai star must be considered one of the best pound-for-pound strikers on the planet. Her string of victories against the elite cannot be ignored. Those wins will also open new opportunities for her in 2024.
At the top of the list for the 22-year-old is the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship.
"The art of eight limbs" is Phetjeeja's bread and butter, and with all of her wins tallying up, she stands as one of the biggest threats to Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
"I think there's a high chance of us facing each other soon. Champion versus champion. I think it's more likely that I'll go for the Muay Thai belt," the undisputed atomweight queen predicted.
Even with the gold over her shoulder and eyes on the next challenge, Phetjeeja believes her ONE Fight Night 20 performance had an even bigger meaning.
The match, held on International Women's Day, was a shining example to women around the world of what they can achieve.
"I'm happy about my victory, but more importantly, I feel like it's rare to see women showing others that we can choose any path, and it's important to show that we can choose any career that we love, and it doesn't have to be anything traditional anymore. I loved seeing the confidence of the women coming out and being inspired by us," Phetjeeja said.
