The card is set to feature women's fights across four combat sports: MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling; watch live MMA One Championship on Sky Sports Arena on Saturday March 9 from 1am
Friday 8 March 2024 16:48, UK
Following an exciting spectacle in Qatar, ONE Championship returns to Sky Sports with an all-female line-up to celebrate Women's History Month.
ONE Championship has long been a driving force for women's martial arts, and ONE Fight Night 20 will be no exception. It will feature Janet Todd vs Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom as well as nine other bouts, showcasing the leading women of the combat sports world.
The event will fall on International Women's Day in the United States on March 8 (but it will be broadcast live on Sky Sports at 1 am on March 9).
The stacked card will feature women's fights from top to bottom spread across four combat sports: MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling.
Thirteen countries will be represented when the 18 combatants converge in Bangkok, showcasing some of the best female athletes from across the globe.
Here's two huge world title matches at the top of the bill to look out for:
ONE Women's Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Janet Todd will make the final walk of her storied career on Saturday.
Todd has been a ONE Championship staple since 2019. Her reign over the women's atomweight kickboxing division began the following year, and along the way, she obtained the ONE Interim Women's Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship in July 2022.
The 38-year-old has announced that professional fight number 52 will be her last, and she plans to ride off into the sunset with her 26-pound gold belt adorning her shoulder.
But to do that, she'll have to stop the rampaging 22-year-old phenom, 'The Queen' Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom - and on paper, this is the most dangerous adversary the American will have ever faced in her career.
Phetjeeja, who owns a mind-blowing 207-6 professional record and even defeated a plethora of boys in her adolescence, has been absolutely dominant in the world's largest martial arts organization. In 2023 alone, she defeated all five of her opponents and knocked out four.
In Todd's absence, the Thai star claimed the ONE Interim Women's Atomweight Kickboxing World Title with a unanimous decision win over Anissa Meksen - who was widely considered the best pound-for-pound striker on the planet for years - last December.
Now, "The Queen" is looking to spoil Todd's retirement party and claim win number 208 to kick off her own reign as the undisputed women's atomweight kickboxing queen.
For the first time in ONE Championship history, two mum-fighters will battle it out for World Title gold.
Reigning ONE Women's Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues returned to defend her title against Todd in 2023, her first fight since the birth of her son, Josue.
Now, after failing to grab a second belt in a heavier weight class, the Brazilian striker drops back down to her natural division to defend the atomweight gold once more.
Her upcoming opponent, Cristina Morales, also balances the role of mum to two boys alongside her fighting career.
The dangerous Spaniard grabbed her World Title shot with a stunning one-round demolition of Thailand's Anna 'Supergirl' Jaroonsak last November.
Now, she'll look to become the latest mum-champ when she faces off with Rodrigues. But just as importantly, she wants to win the 26 pounds of gold to show both her sons and girls around the globe that anything is possible with hard work.
Watch live MMA One Championship on Sky Sports Arena on Saturday March 9 from 1am
Anthony Joshua's heavyweight showdown with Francis Ngannou takes place on Friday March 8, live on Sky Sports Box Office with the main event expected around 11pm. Book Joshua v Ngannou now!
