Reigning ONE Muay Thai Champ Feeling Knockout Win Coming In Unification Bout

ONE atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is set to make her return under ONE Championship after a long layoff, and she is as confident as ever as she faces interim champ Janet Todd on Saturday, February 25 at ONE Fight Night 8.

Fans had not seen Rodrigues step into the ring for quite some time since she got pregnant with her first child, but it does not mean that she has missed a step.

"I was at the peak of my career and had just won the belt, but we were also facing a pandemic right at the time. So, I believe that everything that has happened in my life has been at the right time," Rodrigues said about her return to training after motherhood came calling.

"After I returned to Thailand, the restart was a bit difficult, but today there's nothing in training that I can't do. I didn't need to change anything, I just needed to give it time and respect my body."

Rodrigues pushed then-atomweight Muay Thai champion Stamp Fairtex over the edge in her promotional debut in August 2020 to claim the gold, but after motherhood came calling, ONE Championship needed someone to represent the division in the meantime.

It soon came to fruition as Todd successfully gained interim champion status after a five-round war of attrition with Spanish prospect Lara Fernandez in July of last year.

The impending collision course between Rodrigues and Todd was initially set for December 2 at ONE Fight Night 5, but it was postponed a few days before the event after Todd tested positive for COVID-19.

For Rodrigues, the bout being pushed back was a blessing in disguise of sorts as she works her way back to fighting shape.

"I certainly had more time to work on some things and improve others that I already felt comfortable doing. Anxiety is part of it, right? It's been a long time since my last fight, so the desire to fight is getting stronger. And I try to put that desire more and more into each training session," Rodrigues stated.

Todd presents Rodrigues with one of the biggest challenges of her young career as she has a healthy blend of veteran experience and sneakily strong striking power under her belt.

Rodrigues knows exactly what she is getting into.

"Janet [Todd] is a dangerous fighter. She has good punches and kicks and is very fast. I think she's a great striker, but I'm used to that kind of pressure. We're going to fight Muay Thai, and here in Thailand we clinch a lot every day. That's something I'm definitely going to take advantage of over her," she remarked.

With a matchup of epic proportions heading her way, Rodrigues believes that it will be a short night for her opponent and she will leave the event the undisputed champion.

"I'm going to knock her out. I believe we'll exchange some blows in the first and second rounds, but the intention is to press from the beginning in search of the knockout," Rodrigues declared.