Anissa Meksen will finally have her shot at ONE Championship gold. The long road to a title shot will come to its end in Bangkok, Thailand, at ONE Friday Fights 46. On Friday, December 22, Meksen will square off against “The Queen” Phetjeeja for the ONE Interim Atomweight Kickboxing World Title.
Meksen has collected gold in nearly every place she has been. However, a title tilt in ONE has been hard to grab. She has repeatedly called for a meeting with atomweight queen Janet Todd, but it has yet to come to fruition. She can force that hand by ascending to the top of the division at ONE Friday Fights 46.
“I’m very happy to have the title shot against a strong opponent. Even if I haven’t fought for more than one year, I train every day because I love what I do. And I feel very strong. I do a lot of sparring to push myself every time, and I feel so good now. I can’t wait to be at the event,” Meksen told ONE.
Meksen debuted in ONE in 2021 with a dominant knockout win over Cristina Morales. She followed that up with wins over Marie Ruumet and Dangkongfah Banchamek. All the while, she watched the title from afar. After more than a year away, “C18” is ready to claim what she believes is rightfully hers.
“I waited for the World Title shot for more than three years. That’s why it’s a lot of sacrifice for me. It’s like a dream, you know, because this is the belt missing from my collection. That’s why I pushed myself a lot for the training camp, and I trained like crazy, you know? It’s my dream, simply. She’s strong, of course, and I’m strong too. And we make a big, big fight, for sure.”
Phetjeeja has been on a tear herself. The Thai star has finished all her bouts in ONE by TKO, but for this outing, she will have to wear the larger kickboxing gloves. The French talents believes that detail will play a significant role in the outcome as the 21-year-old comes into her domain but still expects to give fans an exciting battle.
“She’s very strong and has good leg kicks. This makes the first fight in kickboxing [for Phetjeeja], so it’s different rules, and it’s my discipline, my sport. I respect her because she has good skills and she is a strong opponent, but she never faced a girl like me. That’s why it will be a war.”
ONE Friday Fights 46 airs live on Friday, December 22. The event will be broadcast on global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com for $39.99. The action gets underway at 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST.
