‘I Believe I Can Finish Her’ – Kana Eager To Make Statement In ONE Debut Against Anissa Meksen
Kana “Krusher Queen” Morimoto will soon make her hotly anticipated ONE debut against a fellow kickboxing icon, and she’s leaving no stone unturned in her preparations.
On December 20 in Asia primetime, the 32-year-old knockout artist will square off with legendary French-Algerian veteran Anissa “C18” Meksen in an atomweight kickboxing bout at ONE Friday Fights 92: Sitthichai vs. Shadow.
That three-round clash will go down in front of a packed house at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Even though Kana will be making her promotional debut, she said it’s Meksen who will be feeling the heat in this pivotal matchup. After a long and storied career, “C18” is entering the contest following back-to-back ONE World Title defeats.
With that in mind, Kana told onefc.com that she expects her opponent to be fighting with her back against the wall:
“I’m training assuming I’ll face Anissa at her best. Given where she is in her career, she’s in a high-pressure situation, so I think she’ll desperately fight for the win. Given that, I’m preparing to face the strongest version of Anissa.”
For her part, “Krusher Queen” is a four-time K-1 Champion renowned for the shocking power she carries in her punches and kicks.
Now honing her skills in Thailand at Superbon Training Camp, she has carefully studied Meksen’s style and believes she’s identified a winning game plan:
“I’ve finally started to see clear paths to victory against Anissa, and these patterns are coming together in training, so I feel the preparation is going well.”
As always, Kana will be gunning for the finish.
With highlight-reel knockouts in each of her last four victories, the Japanese superstar is confident she can be the first woman in more than nine years to stop Meksen.
She added:
“I’ve prepared weapons that can drop her with either punches or kicks. If they land cleanly, I believe I can finish her. While there are things we won’t know until fight day, I’m well prepared.”
Kana Drawing From Experience Of Thai Trainers
Well aware of the massive opportunity and serious challenge ahead of her, Kana Morimoto has sought out new coaches and partners at Bangkok’s Superbon Training Camp.
She’s still working with Japanese trainers, as well, but said her Thai team has helped round out her already elite kickboxing game:
“I’ll have my usual corner team from Japan plus the Thai trainers. We’re sharing information about sparring situations and movement patterns. The strategy part remains unchanged from before, but now with added knowledge from the Thai trainers.”
Beyond adding new wrinkles to her style, “Krusher Queen” said that her Thai trainers are helping her prepare specifically for ONE’s global kickboxing rule set and judging, which places a great deal of emphasis on damage inflicted.
She explained:
“The Thai trainers are really specialized in ONE and are familiar with watching ONE fights and understanding their rule criteria, so that adds another positive element.”
