Lara Fernandez Gunning For Impressive Debut Vs Atomweight Muay Thai Great

ONE 159 will be co-headlined by the interim women’s atomweight Muay Thai title fight between promotion mainstay Janet Todd and the debuting Lara Fernandez.

A heavily-decorated Muay Thai fighter in her own right, Fernandez put out a goal for herself once she begins another chapter in her young career when she steps into the Circle.

“I will put on a show, and then I will become [the fans’] favorite fighter. It will be a very beautiful and technical fight. I hope I can take that belt home,” she said.

Fernandez won the bronze medal twice in her amateur career when she fought at the 2021 and 2022 International Federation of Muaythai Associations World Championships in the 54-kilogram category.

Since joining the professional ranks, the Spaniard won the International Sport Kickboxing Association Super Featherweight Oriental Rules title in November 2019 and the World Boxing Council Muay Thai flyweight title in March 2020.

Fernandez, 25, said that joining the Singapore-based combat sports outfit is going to further develop her skills.

“To be part of ONE means a lot to me. Now I know I will face the best fighters in the world. That’s like a dream come true. That’s what every fighter wants to do in this career. That’s what I like the most about ONE–I get to fight against the best athletes,” she noted.

Her opponent is not going to be a pushover though as Todd vied for the ONE women’s atomweight Muay Thai title once before in her career and will look to win it this time around by defeating the debutante.

Having fought against the likes of former two-sport champion Stamp Fairtex, Ekaterina Vandaryeva and Anne Line Hogstad during her ONE tenure, Todd--the reigning ONE kickboxing women's atomweight champion--is as formidable an opponent as they come.

Fernandez mentioned that Todd’s wealth of experience dwarfs her own, but she is confident that she can hold her own against the veteran.

“I was ready to fight when I [originally] received the news, so I just had to keep the pace and improve. I kept working in some areas, and [I’m] still doing so. I can tell the difference now–I feel so great,” she declared.

With Fernandez eager to prove her worth to ONE Super Series loyalists, mixed martial arts fans will also be treated to an epic clash in the main event with Vitaly Bigdash challenging for the middleweight title around the waist of two-division champion Reinier de Ridder at ONE 159 on July 22.