Janet Todd Hopes To Inspire Next Generation Of Women In Martial Arts

Janet Todd has been on a mission to become the undisputed Muay Thai queen since arriving in ONE Championship. She will get that chance at ONE Fight Night 8 on Friday, March 24. But on her road to the top, the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing and Interim Muay Thai World Champion has been inspired by those who came before her.

And Todd wants to pay it forward.

“I hope people can see what I do and say, ‘Yeah, I can do that.’ Or even say, ‘Yeah, I could do that better. I could be the next champion and help the sport grow.’ Because compared to the men, there’s not as many women competing. ONE Championship is a great platform, but I hope the sport continues to grow through some of these major promotions like ONE Championship. And, yeah, I hope people get inspired to compete. If I can do it, you can do it,” Todd told ONE.

As women’s martial arts has exploded over the last decade, much work remains to be done. Todd is happy to be a part of the growth of the sport and believes ONE is doing its part to elevate martial arts as a whole through its global platforms.

Exposure to martial arts is critical. That is why the American striking star is happy that ONE is pushing kickboxing and Muay Thai on its biggest platforms, making it accessible to those who may become interested in putting on the gloves for the first time.

“I think ONE Championship, making the fights more accessible to people through watching it on YouTube or watching it on Amazon Prime, is helping grow the interest in the sport. I’m sure after people watch it, maybe not everyone’s like me, but they might want to start and see what it’s like,” said “JT.”

“And maybe that’ll help the sport grow, too. So I think ONE Championship is making that more accessible to people by putting it on platforms where we can watch all these fights for free.”

But it is not just about growing the sport from a competitive angle. Todd knows through her own experiences that martial arts has an impact on life itself. That, perhaps more than anything, is what the Southern California native wants women to take away from martial arts.

“I think what martial arts, at least, has done for me, is giving me confidence that I can take on challenges that I thought I couldn’t and find a way to get it done. And it’s not just in martial arts, but outside, in my work and everything else in life,” said Todd.

“I don’t let failures get me down, I just know I just have to try again, find a different way to do it. And it’s given me the confidence to be able to get back up and try again and be able to discover more of what I’m capable of, which has been really rewarding. So I hope that people who start martial arts gain that kind of experience too.”

ONE Fight Night 8 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Friday, March 24. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.

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