Allycia Hellen Rodrigues has a knack for shocking the world, and she aims to do it again in her third outing in ONE Championship.
The Brazilian striker is scheduled to challenge teenage phenom Smilla Sundell for the ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Friday, September 29. Their bout serves as one of three World Championship battles set to go down when ONE returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Fully Intends To Leave ONE Fight Night 14 With Two World Titles
Rodrigues, the reigning atomweight Muay Thai queen, stepped in on relatively short notice following Jackie Buntan’s withdrawal. And while it may not be a long-planned fight, it would be foolish to assume that the Phuket Fight Club representative isn’t ready to take advantage of her chance to claim a second crown. “I’m moving up in the division because I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. I want to make history. I want to be a champion of two divisions,” she told ONE Championship in a recent interview.
“I am very happy with this opportunity. I think Sundell is a good fighter, a very young girl who has also been conquering her space in the scene. I have a lot of respect for her, but I’ll be very prepared to take her belt home.” Rodrigues made her debut in the world’s largest martial arts organization at August 2020’s ONE: A New Breed, where she took out Thai megastar Stamp Fairtex to claim the ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title.
She took time off to become a mother after that fateful night but looked mighty impressive in her return this past March at ONE Fight Night 8. Rodrigues clearly hadn’t missed a beat while away, as she unified the division’s top prize against interim titleholder and reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing queen Janet Todd.
Being an underdog is a motivation for Allycia Rodrigues
The 25-year-old star will look to make it three-for-three against ONE World Champions when she faces Sundell later this month, and she is fully motivated–by supporters and critics alike – to gain another milestone in her career.
“Having two belts is one of my dreams, and I intend to make it happen. I want to make history, I want to challenge myself more and more, and I know I can do it,” Rodrigues said. “But my biggest motivation is seeing that a lot of people are not believing in me, and I’m going to show them all that nothing is impossible when you work hard. I grabbed this opportunity with all my might, and I’m going to show it in the fight.”
