Anissa Meksen returns to action tomorrow night. It might not be the title fight the French star has been calling for but she will have an opportunity to prove she can be a contender in Muay Thai as well as kickboxing.
Meksen is taking on Marie Ruumet in an atomweight Muay Thai fight. If she is unhappy about missing out on the kickboxing title shot she had hoped for the former Glory champion isn’t letting it show,
“I’m just happy to fight. Whoever the opponent is, I don’t care. I just want to fight. I’m happy to fight.”
Anissa Meksen hops into it 🔝
Will she edge out Marie Ruumet on 22 April? 👀@AnissaMeksen #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/njsEaZjjEd
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 17, 2022
Experienced fighter
Before signing with ONE Championship she was a star with Glory. Meksen won the promotion’s super bantamweight title twice and successfully defended it three times between 2018 and 2019.
She is no stranger to success in Muay Thai either. Meksen has held the WPMF bantamweight title and the WBC bantamweight title.
She thinks experience will be a major advantage for her in this contest. Ruumet is based in Bangkok but Meksen has been fighting in Thailand since 2013,
“(She) doesn’t have a lot of experience, and she’s never fought a girl like me. I’m experienced, a world champion,” she said.
Anissa Meksen SPEEDS THROUGH combos ⚡️ Did you catch every strike? 👀 @AnissaMeksen #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/1LoeF0tVIY
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 24, 2022
Not worried
Meksen is better known for her exploits inside the kickboxing ring and has not fought in Muay Thai since 2017. But she has been preparing for this fight in Phuket which has given her an opportunity to familiarize herself with the ruleset,
“I’ve been working on my clinch a lot. I’ve been working on my elbows. So no, I don’t care that this fight is under Muay Thai rules. I’m not worried about that.”
A win would potentially put Meksen in pole position for a shot at the atomweight Muay Thai title. It is the property of Allycia Hellen Rodrigues but she has been inactive for nearly two years and gave birth to her first child during this period.
@ONEChampionship let’s go 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5yKUAeuhaF
— Anissa Meksen (@AnissaMeksen) October 30, 2021
Sights set
Meksen isn’t even thinking about challenging for the Muay Thai belt though. She still has her sights firmly set on the kickboxing strap which is currently the property of Janet Todd,
“Since I signed with ONE Championship, my goal has been clear. I want to take the belt in kickboxing, so I want to face Janet Todd. I want this fight as soon as possible,” she said.
She has been very vocal about wanting to fight Todd. The American has made a point of ignoring Meksen who doesn’t sound very impressed,
“She wants to face me, but she doesn’t respond when I speak about her. She wants to face me; I want to face her. So let’s make this fight as soon as possible.”
Will Anissa Meksen capture ONE Super Series gold this year? 😱 @AnissaMeksen #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/DUdEpjDqAO
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) January 17, 2022
First round
While winning fights is generally a surefire way to secure a title shot doing so in style can definitely fast track the process. Meksen finished Cristina Morales in the first round on her ONE Championship debut.
She plans to do exactly the same thing tomorrow night,
“My goal is to finish the fight in the first round. When I see her open up, I will touch her.”
