‘No Words To Describe My Happiness’ – Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Thrilled To Defend World Title In Front Of Family
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues delivered a stunning performance to retain her ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title in U.S. primetime this past Friday, March 8.
The Brazilian star met Cristina Morales in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 20: Todd vs. Phetjeeja on Prime Video and had to overcome some early pressure to keep her gold at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Morales came out swinging and looked to make an early impact in ONE’s first mom vs. mom World Title battle, but the defending queen built momentum throughout the clash to secure a unanimous decision win.
As well as notching her second World Title defense, Rodrigues was proud to showcase her skills on the all-female card on International Women’s Day.
Afterward, she reflected on the victory and her growing status as a role model:
“I’m very happy and honored to be here tonight, representing women and mothers on this all-female card. It’s a deep honor for me to show our strength and our willpower. I’m very honored to be able to inspire them.”
ONE Fight Night 20’s focus on strong, empowered women was not lost on Rodrigues, as she proved that it’s possible to juggle being a mother and a professional martial artist.
The victory was made even sweeter by having her son, Josue, in the audience watching live for the first time, as well as her mom, who’s been a crucial part of her successful return to competition.
Thrilled to share this moment with them, the Phuket Fight Club representative said:
“I’m extremely happy with this victory because I had my son with me and because it was my mom’s birthday on March 2. We didn’t get the chance to celebrate it because I was in camp preparing for the fight, so this was also a way to celebrate my mom’s birthday.
“I’m very happy. I have no words to describe my happiness at this moment.”
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Looks Ahead To Future Challenges
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues picked up her third ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title win against Cristina Morales, solidifying her top spot and keeping a clean slate of 3-0 in the division.
However, the humble Brazilian believes there are always adjustments to be made in order to stay ahead of the chasing pack.
With serious contenders hoping to fight for the belt, she won’t rest on her laurels:
“I have to believe in myself and trust myself. Of course, it’s very gratifying to be where I’m at. I don’t think I’m the best, but I’m surely one of the best. I’m going to continue doing my best to keep improving and giving it my all during fights.”
For now, there are two specific names on her radar – one old foe and one surging star.
Freshly minted undisputed ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom wants to go after two-sport gold soon, while current ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex is somebody she’d like to face again under striking rules.
Rodrigues said:
“I’m expecting to fight against Phetjeeja or Stamp if she comes back to Muay Thai.”
There was also a curveball from the striking specialist, who revealed she’d love to challenge Stamp in mixed martial arts at some point in the future.
The Brazilian added of her future goals:
“I’d like to face Stamp in MMA. I’m anxious to make my MMA debut. I think it’ll be a great opportunity.”
