ONE Championship 159: Janet Todd scrapes by Lara Fernandez to become two-sport champion
- American atomweight kickboxing champ defeats Spaniard to win interim Muay Thai gold on Friday in Singapore, adding to her crowded trophy case
- Two-sport champ can now look forward to showdowns with Brazilian champ Allycia Hellen Rodrigues and French-Algerian star Anissa Meksen
Janet Todd is now a two-sport title-holder in ONE Championship, but she had to work hard to achieve that goal.
The 36-year-old American has held ONE’s atomweight kickboxing title since 2020, when she defeated Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex by decision to win the belt.
And in the co-main event of Friday’s ONE 159 event in Singapore, she picked up a title in a second sport, defeating Spain’s Lara Fernandez by unanimous decision to win the promotion’s interim atomweight Muay Thai belt.
“I didn’t think I was going to cry again,” an emotional Todd told commentator Mitch Chilson post-fight, bringing her coaches into the frame to share in the moment. “This is a dream come true. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity.”
Most expected Todd to have her way with Fernandez, who was competing in ONE for the first time.
Yet the Spanish talent put forth an excellent performance, chopping away at Todd’s legs with kicks and battering her head with jabs and sweeping hooks at range.
It was an excellent contest, and it probably would have gone down as the best of the night had strawweight kickboxers Zhang Peimian and Aslanbek Zikreev not stolen the show with a ludicrous firefight earlier on the main card.
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“Lara was a great competitor,” Todd said, giving her opponent props after they posed for a photo together in the cage. “I appreciate her challenging me like this. She caused me to level up in this fight.
“I’m speechless right now.”
From here, Todd has options abound. Fans are screaming for a fight between the new two-sport champion and Algerian-French juggernaut Anissa Meksen – be it with Todd’s kickboxing title or interim Muay Thai belt on the line.
She could also unify her newly-won prize with the undisputed belt held by Brazil’s Allycia Helen Rodrigues, who has been out of action since giving birth to her first child last year.
“It’s up to ONE Championship,” she said.
Meksen, for her part, seemed to be watching Todd’s fight closely, and chimed in on the result post-fight.
“I fought everyone and never choose an opponent,” she wrote in an Instagram post that included a photo of the world titles she has collected outside ONE. “That’s a real champion.”
