ONE women’s atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues of Brazil will broaden her horizons soon.
But before embarking on a new journey, the mom-champ will first put her title on the line against ONE women’s atomweight kickboxing world champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
The superfight of epic proportions will headline The Inner Circle 19 on Friday.
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Rodrigues is arriving as one of the most dominant champions in the atomweight division’s history.
Five successful defenses, two US$50,000 performance bonuses and a reputation as one of the hardest finishers in women’s combat sports define a Muay Thai reign that has set a formidable standard.
The Phuket Fight Club affiliate has often teased about her desire to test her striking skills in mixed martial arts.
In her pre-event interview with the promotion, Rodrigues revealed that she’ll be transitioning to MMA after this match with Phetjeeja:
“After this fight, my focus will return to MMA. I believe my next fight will be my MMA debut. I’m very excited for this new journey as well.”
The atomweight Muay Thai champ continued:
“I’ll go back to MMA training, and I hope to make my debut by the end of the year. I’m not in a hurry to fight the best right away. I want to gain experience with each fight until I feel ready.”
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues reveals her biggest advantage over Phetjeeja
While Phetjeeja has an astonishing 210 career victories, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues remains unfazed.
After all, she believes she can dictate the fight in her favor, especially in the clinch.
“We know she is very good at boxing,” Rodrigues told ONE. “I’ve been training boxing for quite some time as well, and I’ve been improving and gaining a lot of confidence in my hands. In my last two fights, I got good finishes, but I feel much more complete than her in Muay Thai, especially in the clinch game.”
Fans can watch her in action live by purchasing The Inner Circle at live.onefc.com.
Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
