ONE Championship: Phetjeeja ruins Janet Todd’s retirement party, ends veteran’s career in defeat
- Thailand’s Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom wins atomweight kickboxing unification bout
- In other matchups, Martyna Kierczyńska suffers knockdown in strawweight clash with Ekaterina Vandaryeva
Janet Todd’s final fight was not the sunset ending she might have scripted for herself, but then with an atomweight kickboxing belt on the line opponent Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom was never going to take it easy.
In the end, the Thai fighter had too much for the her 39-year-old rival, outpointing the American in their unification bout at ONE Fight Night 20 on Saturday.
The five-round contest headlined the event, which in tribute to International Women’s Day, featured an all-female line-up.
And while Todd is at the end of her career, there was no sign of the regular title holder slowing down during the opening exchanges against a fighter some 17 years her junior.
Interim champion Phetjeeja immediately seized the centre of the ring but Todd was able to fight effectively off the back foot, landing the occasional left hook.
And at the start of the second, the American looked to score with straight knees while her opponent connected with some solid right body kicks.
Phetjeeja was nothing if not unpredictable, and tried to sneak a left high kick through her opponent’s guard, but Todd’s hands were high. The Thai picked up the pace in the third and started to drive the regular champion back.
This time it was Phetjeeja’s turn to land a step in knee and she beckoned the backtracking Todd towards her, looking to intensify the action. The Thai’s superior work rate was starting to tell at this stage as she landed a knee and followed it up with a left hook of her own.
Phetjeeja continued to come forwards in the fourth but walked into a left hook. A one-two combination from Todd was blocked before the Thai landed a left hook to the body and a right hand to the head.
Going into the final round Todd probably needed knockdowns to win but it was Phetjeeja who had the final flourish. With less than a minute remaining in the fight she easily evaded a high kick and then tagged the off balance American with a right hand.
There was no power behind the punch, but it clearly knocked Todd down and she was given a 10 count. It put the seal on a dominant decision win for Phetjeeja with all three judges scoring the fight for the Thai fighter.
The 22-year-old becomes the undisputed atomweight kickboxing champion and looks set to be a force in the division for many years to come.
“I felt a little bit of pressure because I knew I was facing a talented fighter, but now I feel very relieved,” Phetjeeja said. “The plan was simple, to not back down and use my left kick and next I want that Muay Thai belt.”
An emotional Todd laid her gloves down inside the ring which has become traditional for retiring fighters.
“I just want to say thank you to all the friends and fans that supported me, I got to learn so much about myself and what I’m capable of,” she said. “I hope I can inspire others to do the same.”
Inspiration was a recurring theme, and in the co-main event Allycia Rodrigues’ two-year-old son was ringside to watch her beat Cristina Morales in an atomweight Muay Thai title fight.
The pair went toe-to-toe, but it was Rodrigues, defending her belt for just the second time, who prevailed after making a slow start but coming on strong in the last three rounds.
Earlier in the event, Jackie Buntan put a halt to Martine Michieletto’s 15-fight winning streak. The Filipina-American was able to land solid punches throughout the three-round catchweight Muay Thai contest to take a decision win.
There was something of an upset in the strawweight division. Touted Polish prospect Martyna Kierczyńska suffered a second round knockdown and ended up dropping a decision to Ekaterina Vandaryeva in their Muay Thai match.
