ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues may be defending her throne this weekend, but she’ll have the fire of a challenger as she seeks redemption for her last outing. This Friday, March 8, the Brazilian striker puts her World Title on the line.
She will go to war against Cristina Morales in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 20 inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Rodrigues made a successful return to action following the birth of her first child when she unified the belts in her division against then-interim queen Janet Todd last March.
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is coming to win
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Six months later, she stepped in on short notice to challenge ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell in an attempt to become a two-weight titleholder at ONE Fight Night 14. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old couldn’t assert her dominance on the Swedish phenom and suffered a TKO loss as a result. Ahead of her upcoming bout, Rodrigues reflected on what went wrong that evening in an interview with ONE. “What happened is that I let the adrenaline take over me. I’m always very nervous in all my fights. I still can’t quite control it. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it has happened a few times. The fight itself didn’t bother me, but I feel like I lost to myself,” she said.
Her matchup with Morales at ONE Fight Night 20 will be significant for both fighters and ONE Championship, as it will be the first time two mothers have faced each other in the promotion. That, coupled with the fact the special all-female card will fall on International Women’s Day, could serve as a distraction, but Rodrigues is staying focused.
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Looking for a KO
Her opponent is dangerous, after all, and she is coming off an impressive first-round knockout win against Anna “Supergirl” Jaroonsak last November. The defending atomweight Muay Thai queen knows what she has to do, and she plans to leave no one in doubt about who the best in the division is on Friday night.
Also Read: Janet Todd Ready to “Move On” After Phetjeeja Fight at ONE Fight Night 20 Will Be Her Last
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“I’m going in search of the knockout. I’m going to show everything I couldn’t show in the last fight. You can expect the best from me,” Rodrigues said. All the action from ONE Fight Night 20 will be broadcast live and for free to 190 countries around the world, including Prime Video for fans across North America.
