‘I Want To End My Career At The Top’ – Janet Todd Hopes To Retire With The Kickboxing Belt At ONE Fight Night 20
Janet “JT” Todd aims to finish her incredible competitive striking career with a bang in the main event of ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video.
The American star confirmed her plan to retire after facing “The Queen” Phetjeeja in their ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title unification contest this Friday, and she’s determined to go out with her hand raised and her head held high.
To make that happen, Todd needs to be zoned in on the task at hand, and she’s not taking her eyes off the ball until the undisputed belt is firmly in her hands.
The 38-year-old spoke to onefc.com ahead of her matchup with the interim titleholder in U.S. primetime:
“All I’m focused on is the fight. So to me, it’s very easy to compartmentalize because I’m not thinking about retirement. The focus is the fight first and foremost and being able to display my skills there.
“I want to end my career at the top. Be the first woman in our atomweight division to defend the World Title successfully and show age is nothing but a number.”
If Todd wins and maintains her seat atop the throne, there could be a temptation to keep chasing the highs of victory at the elite level.
However, the reigning atomweight kickboxing queen is adamant that’s not an option.
She’s already tasted World Title success in both kickboxing and Muay Thai, and at this stage of her life, she wants to pursue other things that will bring her joy.
“JT explained:
“I’ve made my decision. And when I make my decision, I stick to it.
“ONE Championship has given me such a great opportunity to achieve something that I never thought I could achieve before. I’ve got to do so many things in such a short period of time and experience so much and meet so many lifelong friends, but I’m ready to move on to the next chapter after this fight.
“The other aspect of what I want in my life is to start a family, and I’m getting older. I want that part of my life as well.”
Janet Todd Promises All-Action Final Fight
The final assignment for Janet Todd is an incredibly tough one, as she will face Thai phenom “The Queen” Phetjeeja with the undisputed ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title on the line.
“The Queen” burst onto the scene in the ONE Friday Fights event series last year, knocking out four straight opponents.
Then in her U.S. primetime debut in December, the 22-year-old dynamo defeated all-time great Anissa “C18” Meksen to claim the interim atomweight kickboxing belt.
Todd recognizes that Phetjeeja is a dangerous opponent, but she also sees some potential gaps to exploit this Friday:
“She’s very heavy-handed, very boxing-oriented. So, I’m not surprised how well she did in the fight with Anissa. I think she had a really good game plan against her.
“She’s definitely well-rounded. I think her strengths are her boxing and her head movement, and she showcased that in every one of her ONE Championship fights.
“Her weakness, without giving away too much of my game plan, is with the way she throws her punches. She kind of puts her weight behind it and leaves certain parts of herself exposed.”
Phetjeeja is mostly known for his intense pressure and concussive power, but Todd has faced elite opponents with that style in the past and come out on top.
You can’t earn a pair of ONE World Titles without being ready for anything, and although every foe offers up different dilemmas, “JT” is looking forward to dealing with them.
Confident ahead of her curtain call in Bangkok, Todd added:
“Phetjeeja is aggressive, forward-moving, and I’ve dealt with fighters like that. It’s going to be action-packed because of it. It’s gonna be a good fight, and it’s not gonna be an easy fight. I’m ready for that forward pressure, and I’ve been working on different skills against it.
“I’m ready to just see what comes out and have fun – with my hand raised at the end and the belt over my shoulder.”
