“Finish the opponent” - Japanese superstar Kana wants to establish herself first in ONE Championship before taking on Phetjeeja
Kana Morimoto isn't rushing to take her shot at ONE Championship gold.
The Japanese kickboxing superstar recently signed with ONE Championship with the goal of challenging Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom for the ONE atomweight kickboxing world title.
Kana, however, doesn't want to rush into things and would rather establish her brand on the world's biggest martial arts stage.
In an interview with Nick Atkin on YouTube, Kana said:
"So the best scenario is whoever ONE Championship puts in front of me, I have to finish the opponent, and within a year I want to fight Phetjeeja.”
Kana is one of the best kickboxers of her generation and won gold at Krush and K-1, the two organizations she fought in before signing with ONE Championship in September.
The 32-year-old is a former Krush women's flyweight, K-1 women's flyweight, and K-1 women's flyweight world grand prix champion. Kana also holds an impressive 22-4 professional record, with 11 knockouts under her resume.
Although she has no plans of facing Phetjeeja just yet, Kana has a laundry list of potential opponents in ONE Championship to steadily build her brand within the promotion.
It would be intriguing to see Kana rise up the ranks in ONE Championship and set up a potential world title barnburner against Phetjeeja.
Watch Kana's entire interview below:
Kana says her goal is to capture ONE Championship gold to bolster her already stellar legacy
Kana has wreaked havoc in every promotion she suited for, and she believes her stint in ONE Championship would push her name to astronomical heights.
The former Krush and K-1 champion is ready to put on a show on the global stage and establish her presence as one of the most formidable fighters of her generation.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Kana lauded ONE Championship's atomweight division but promised to clean out the weight class on her way to face Phetjeeja in an absolute dream match.
"My ultimate goal in ONE is to become a champion. I think ONE's atomweight division is the best in the world, and I want to compete in the upper ranks there."