ONE Championship Sign Japanese Kickboxing Megastar Kana Morimoto

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Another Japanese striking sensation has joined the elite kickboxing ranks of ONE Championship following a decade of domination in the sport around the world, and her name is Kana Morimoto.

Known to the world as KANA, the 32-year-old made her mark in Japan. But now that she's in the world's largest martial arts organization, she plans to test her striking acumen against the very best the globe has to offer.

KANA's resume speaks for itself. The Japanese jouster entered the professional ranks in 2015 following a highly successive tenure as an amateur. And given her skill set, it didn't take long for her to begin carving out a name for herself, winning the Krush Flyweight Title twice.

After showing her skills on the regional scene, KANA took her talents to Japan's most famous striking organization, K-1, where the accolades continued to pour in. Then in 2019, the phenom toppled all comers in the K-1 Women's Flyweight Tournament Championship, claiming the crown along the way.

That included a victory over current ONE star Cristina Morales before notching three successful defenses of the belt to cement herself as one of the greatest female strikers in the world.

KANA's relationship with K-1 came to a close in December 2023, leaving her on the hunt for pastures new, and the only suitable place for a woman of her talents is in ONE Championship.

Boasting a professional kickboxing record of 22-4, the decorated striker from Japan made it clear that she wants to compete in ONE Championship, headhunting a showdown with French-Algerian superstar Anissa Meksen.

Nothing has been set in stone for that matchup, but now that the ink has dried on her contract, a contest with Meksen and many more elite female athletes is certainly up for discussion.

She's the next biggest star to come out of Japan following Takeru Segawa's debut in ONE this past January at ONE 165, where he went to war across five grueling rounds with dual ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.

KANA is preparing to face off with the very best she can get her hands on. In the meantime, she continues to sharpen her iron alongside former ONE World Champions in Superbon and Petchtanong Petchfergus so she can stamp her authority when she officially debuts.