Becoming a two-division ONE world champion is no easy feat, but that is the task at hand for atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham. The Brazilian will move up to challenge ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai champion Smilla Sundell on Friday, Sep. 29, and she’s ready to put a stamp on another division.
“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,” Rodrigues told ONE.
“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 exploded onto ONE Championship’s global stage in 2020 when she debuted with a World Title-winning performance against Stamp Fairtex.
She took some time off directly after winning the coveted crown in order to start a family, but she returned to unify the belts against interim titleholder Janet Todd earlier this year.
However, those two outstanding victories will not make her the favorite in her upcoming matchup, and the underdog status has given Rodrigues renewed motivation ahead of her strawweight Muay Thai world title tilt.
“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,” the Brazilian stated.
“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.”
Defeating Sundell won’t be an easy task. “The Hurricane” has shown excellent Fight IQ and has used her imposing physical size to dominate every opponent she has come against in ONE.
Rodrigues recognizes the challenges ahead, though, and she is still confident that see has spotted flaws in the teen phenoms game.
“She likes to be aggressive and put pressure on her opponents, always moving forward. However, I also like to play this forward game. She also knows how to use her height advantage to box and use her knees, and I know this is what causes her opponents a lot of trouble. She plays her game really well. I like her fighting style, but I don’t worry about her size,” Rodrigues said.
“I’m excited for this fight, and I know it’s going to be a war because of our styles.”
With their equaled aggression, the Brazilian sees opportunities to impose her own damaging offense on the reigning strawweight queen. Although she expects a five-round war, she still plans to seek the knockout in order to make history.
“I believe that I am smarter and more accurate and that I am also more complete in Muay Thai. But, due to Sundell’s height, I know it will be difficult to knock her out. So knocking her out won’t be easy, but it won’t be impossible, either,” Rodrigues said.
“I’m definitely going into the fight with the intention of knocking her out. I’m really looking forward to the fight, and I believe it will be one of the best fights of the event.”
ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video is live on Friday, Sep. 29, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.