Legendary Striker Anissa Meksen To Battle Myanmar Sensation Vero At ONE Fight Night 37

ONE Championship has announced a blockbuster atomweight kickboxing showdown between striking legend Anissa “C18” Meksen and Myanmar sensation Vero “The Kayan Leopard” for ONE Fight Night 37: Kryklia vs. Agdeve, which goes down live in U.S. primetime on Friday, November 7, from Bangkok, Thailand.

The high-stakes encounter pits one of the sport’s all-time greats against a surging contender who is looking to make her mark in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Meksen enters this contest as one of the most accomplished strikers in combat sports history. The 37-year-old French-Algerian veteran owns a staggering 104-7 record, and she is a seven-time Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion.

Since making her promotional debut in September 2021 with a spectacular knockout of Spanish sensation Cristina Morales, “C18” has established herself as a force in multiple weight classes. 

The kickboxing G.O.A.T. followed that explosive introduction with unanimous decision victories over Estonia’s Marie Ruumet and Thailand’s Dangkongfah Banchamek in 2022, showcasing the technical brilliance that has made her one of the top women’s pound-for-pound strikers on the planet.

However, Meksen’s pursuit of ONE World Title gold has faced recent setbacks. The French-Algerian saw her winning streak get snapped by “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom, who beat her via unanimous decision to claim the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title in December 2023.

Undeterred, Meksen moved up a weight class, but she fell to Filipino-American phenom Jackie Buntan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Title last November.

The French-Algerian bounced back in impressive fashion just one month later, returning to the atomweight kickboxing ranks to defeat Japanese striker Kana Morimoto at ONE Friday Fights 92. That victory reignited her championship aspirations and positioned her for another potential ONE World Title shot.

Standing in her way is the 29-year-old Vero, who has quickly emerged as one of Myanmar’s most promising striking exports. “The Kayan Leopard” brings a solid 28-4 record into the battle, and she has shown tremendous resilience in her early promotional appearances.

Vero made her highly anticipated promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 97 earlier this year, suffering a hard-fought split-decision loss to Chile’s “Miss Scarface” Francisca Vera in an atomweight Muay Thai tilt.

Instead of letting that defeat consume her, the Myanmar native returned nearly three months later with a renewed focus. “The Kayan Leopard” impressed, as she secured a second-round TKO victory over Thailand’s Junior Fairtex at ONE Friday Fights 107 and snapped her rival’s seven-bout winning streak.

That performance demonstrated exactly why Vero has generated such excitement among striking enthusiasts. Her combination of technical skill, power, and determination makes her a dangerous opponent for anyone in the atomweight division.

For Meksen, victory over a budding star like Vero at ONE Fight Night 37 could lead to a crack at Phetjeeja’s ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Championship and redemption in the weight class where she first made her mark.

As for the Myanmar native, beating an all-time great would instantly establish her as a legitimate contender in one of the organization’s most competitive divisions.

Stay tuned to onefc.com for more news about ONE Fight Night 37.