Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Beats Janet Todd, Unifies ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues proved there’s no such thing as ring rust.
After spending nearly three years away from the global stage to enjoy motherhood, the Brazilian striker returned in spectacular fashion at ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Williams this past Friday, March 24.
Rodrigues had a slow start in her ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title unification bout with Janet Todd, but she turned up the heat in the later rounds, earned a clear-cut unanimous decision, and became the undisputed queen of the division.
Todd walked into the Singapore Indoor Stadium looking loose and confident, and it quickly showed in the opening stanza. The Boxing Works representative delivered chopping kicks to the body and legs to slow down the tentative Brazilian.
The 37-year-old American picked up from where she left off in the second frame, as she continued throwing her fierce kicks. Rodrigues, meanwhile, looked to establish her rhythm via boxing. But soon, the bout completely turned in the Phuket Fight Club product’s favor.
Rodrigues started the third with a stiffening jab to the face of the interim titleholder. With her jab now finding a home, she landed follow-up elbows and a left hook, which opened up a gash just above Todd’s eye.
And to begin the fourth round, the Brazilian connected with a brilliantly placed head kick. The 24-year-old followed it up with a three-punch combo and ended the sequence with a left hook that sent Todd into reverse gear. Rodrigues would continue to march forward with strikes upon strikes.
Both women came out of their corners with intent at the start of the fifth and final stanza. Rodrigues knew she had to continue outstriking Todd, while the latter needed to find a path around the Brazilian’s tempo.
After some brief exchanges, both women entered the clinch. Rodrigues connected with more short elbows, while Todd dug deep and responded with some knees.
The Phuket Fight Club superstar continued to have the edge in the striking department, and while “JT” threw a few more kicks, the Brazilian would clinch up with her rival once more and throw her down as time expired.
After five hard-fought rounds, all three judges scored the co-main event showdown in favor of Rodrigues, who became the undisputed ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion and moved her record to 32-6.
Following the win, she shared the spotlight with all the ‘supermoms’ in her post-bout interview with Mitch Chilson.
She said:
“Of course, my son gave me motivation. But I’m [also] doing this for all the women who have the same situation as me. It shows that you can come back, you can bounce back, and still become a champion.”
