Vero, Kana booked for atomweight battle at The Inner Circle on May 22

Former Lethwei Champion Vero “The Kayan Leopard” and former K-1 Champion Kana “Krusher Queen” Morimoto will collide in an atomweight kickboxing showdown. It happens at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 22, live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The winner could leave the Thai capital as the leading contender for Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom’s ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title.

Vero, 29, arrives riding a three-fight winning streak built against world-class opposition. She dropped a razor-close split decision in her promotional debut in February 2025. Then the Myanmar sensation bounced back with a knockout of Junior Fairtex, a split decision over Li Mingrui, and a hard-fought victory over Shir Cohen in February. She now makes her kickboxing debut in ONE on the back of that momentum. She looks to add a former title challenger to a resume that has already announced her as one of the division’s most dangerous fighters.

Kana Morimoto looks to force Phetjeeja rematch after The Inner Circle

Kana knows exactly what a win here means. The 33-year-old Team Aftermath fighter has been chasing a rematch with Phetjeeja since their competitive five-round title fight at ONE 172 in March 2025. She backed up that performance with her most commanding showing yet. She scored a unanimous decision over former three-sport queen Stamp Fairtex at ONE 173 in November.

A statement victory over Vero on May 22 would make her case for that rematch impossible to ignore. Both women enter this bout with significant momentum and a world title shot within reach. This makes for one of the more consequential non-title fights on the ONE calendar this spring.