Long before Phetjeeja became one of the most feared strikers on the planet, she was a 6-year-old girl stepping into the ring against boys because there was simply no one else to fight.
That early fire is now burning brighter than ever as the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion targets two-sport glory against Brazilian Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at The Inner Circle on June 19, streaming live on live.onefc.com.
The 24-year-old Thai superstar, who trains out of Team Mehdi Zatout, carries a breathtaking 210-6 striking record and a perfect 8-0 ONE slate into the biggest fight of her career. But the numbers only tell part of the story. The foundation of that extraordinary record was laid in circumstances that most fighters could never imagine.
"I started fighting when I was 6 years old. I fought male fighters from my very first fight because there were no female fighters in my weight range. So, I started off fighting boys," she said.
Her father introduced her to Muay Thai, and from that very first bout, which earned her just 400 Thai Baht, nearly US$13, the sport became her life.
By around the age of 10, she had already amassed 100 fights, 70 of which had come against male opponents. The experience she gathered in those early years shaped her into the complete fighter she is today.
"I kept winning. I fought male fighters in the provinces based on weight comparison. Sometimes, I fought twice in one day against male fighters. One fight would be during the day, and another would be at night," she explained.
The relentless competitive schedule of her youth paid dividends in abundance.
Phetjeeja became a WMC Muay Thai World Champion at just 14, announcing to the world that the girl who once pocketed 400 Baht for her debut was destined for far greater things.
One of her most memorable rivalries from those formative years has since followed her all the way to the ONE Championship stage.
"I fought Songchainoi three times. I beat him twice, and he beat me once. Then I joined ONE Championship. I saw him there too, and I was really excited. It felt like a reunion with a childhood friend," she added.
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