Anissa Meksen walks into her debut performance in ONE Championship
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ver since signing with ONE Championship, kickboxing phenom Anissa “C18” Meksen has made it her mission to reach the peak of ONE women’s kickboxing atomweight division. But on April 22 she will take a breather from kickboxing to battle Marie “Snow Leopard” Ruumet in an atomweight Muay Thai rules match on the lead card of ONE: Eersel vs Sadikovic.
Despite not facing her opponent of choice, Meksen is thrilled to be able to face another fighter with world-caliber skills so she could in turn show the world her level of striking in Singapore Indoor Stadium.
“I’m happy to fight, whoever the opponent is, I don’t care,” said Meksen. “I just want to fight, and I’m happy to be able to fight under Muay Thai rules with the small gloves; I think it will be good for me.”
Her eagerness to try out the smaller gloves may spell bad news for her opponent, as Meksen has a record of 101-5 with 33 knockouts in her storied combat career. The French-Algerian fighter has also collected seven kickboxing and Muay Thai world titles, all of which were won with the standard boxing gloves. And now fans can witness all her skills and power with a smaller glove.
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Although her impressive record and incredible techniques are not something to overlook, “C18” shouldn’t look down on her opponent. The 22-year-old Estonian fighter showed her mettle when she dominated Little Tiger and earned a decision victory [who, when, more information if possible].
While Meksen admits that the young fighter’s knees and elbows are something she won’t overlook, she believes that her veteran savvy will be a determining factor in who will bring home the win this time.
“[Ruumet] doesn’t have a lot of experience, and she hasn’t fought a girl like me who is an experienced World Champion,” Meksen said. “My striking is simply better than hers, I have better skills in punches and kicks, and I’m very confident.”
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Although her impressive record and incredible techniques are not something to overlook, “C18” shouldn’t look down on her opponent. The 22-year-old Estonian fighter showed her mettle when she dominated Little Tiger and earned a decision victory [who, when, more information if possible].
While Meksen admits that the young fighter’s knees and elbows are something she won’t overlook, she believes that her veteran savvy will be a determining factor in who will bring home the win this time.
“[Ruumet] doesn’t have a lot of experience, and she hasn’t fought a girl like me who is an experienced World Champion,” Meksen said. “My striking is simply better than hers, I have better skills in punches and kicks, and I’m very confident.”
Despite not having a Muay Thai fight in four years, Meksen is confident that she won’t be slowed down. The 33-year old plans on being aggressive in her switch to “the art of eight limbs” and has adjusted her training accordingly.
“I’ve been working on my clinch and my elbows, so I’m not worried that this fight is under Muay Thai rules,” Meksen explained.
“My goal is to finish her in the first round; when I see her open up, I will touch her.”
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This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship