Allycia Hellen Rodrigues had a shot at becoming a two-division ONE world champion against strawweight Muay Thai queen Smilla Sundell last September, but she failed in her challenge despite a valiant effort.
At ONE Fight Night 20: Todd vs. Phetjeeja on Friday, Mar. 8, the Brazilian striking star will return to her natural weight to defend the ONE atomweight Muay Thai championship against Cristina Morales, and she’s looking to to cement her reign in style when she takes to the ring.
“I always focus on my fights. But whenever I defend my belt, that focus is doubled. This time, I’m not going to let anything get in my way. Nothing at all. I can’t wait to fight and show who I really am,” Rodrigues told ONE.
“I believe it will be a good striking fight. She’s coming off a big win, so I’m looking forward to our showdown.”
It’ll be an exciting clash of styles when Rodrigues sqaures off with Morales. The Spanish star has her roots in kickboxing, but she has dangerous techniques to be aware of.
But the defending champion is confident with her own Muay Thai skills, and she fears no atomweight after experiencing strawweight titleholder Sundell in her last outing.
“I don’t think our styles are comparable. [Morales] comes from kickboxing, and I’ve trained Muay Thai my whole life. But I realized that she likes striking, and so do I. So, it will be a great fight,” Rodrigues said.
“She has good combinations of punches and knees, which is how she managed to win her last fight.”
“But, honestly, I’ve faced the best on the circuit in several different styles. And after the last fight I had in a higher division against a girl twice my size, I can’t see any danger in anyone else.”
Rodrigues has put her last loss behind her, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t reflected on her performance in preparation for Friday’s matchup.
After reviewing her bout with Sundell, the Phuket Fight Club standout noticed she let her emotions take over, which is something that has been addressed this time.
“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,” Rodrigues admitted.
The atomweight Muay Thai world title tilt will make for a thrilling co-main event at ONE’s historic all-female card, and it will stand as the first time two mothers have competed against each other in ONE Championship.
But Rodrigues isn’t getting lost in the significance, as she knows exactly what she wants to do on the night.
“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.
ONE Fight Night 20 airs live and free on Prime Video on Friday, Mar. 8. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST.