Allycia Hellen Rodrigues backs Austrian teammate ahead of ONE Fight Night 35: “Now her time has come”

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues sees championship destiny in her training partner’s immediate future. The ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion believes Stella Hemetsberger possesses every quality needed to capture strawweight gold against elite opposition.

Hemetsberger challenges Jackie Buntan for the vacant ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Fight Night 35 on Prime Video on Friday, September 5, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 26-year-old Austrian enters with a perfect 3-0 ONE Championship record highlighted by devastating finishing ability.

Rodrigues developed a close friendship with Hemetsberger at Phuket Fight Club. Their connection began through social media before blossoming into mutual support during intense training sessions.

The Brazilian champion watched Hemetsberger earn her title opportunity through spectacular performances against quality opposition. Her first-round knockout of Vanessa Romanowski secured a six-figure contract while announcing her arrival among elite contenders.

Hemetsberger’s aggressive style impressed Rodrigues from their earliest training sessions together. The Austrian’s technical precision combined with relentless pressure creates problems for any opponent willing to engage.

Rodrigues draws parallels between Hemetsberger’s journey and her own championship path. Both women faced skeptics who questioned their ability to defeat established champions during breakthrough opportunities.

“We get along very well since the first time we met. We had been following each other for a while on Instagram, but when I came back to Thailand, she was here, and we ended up meeting,” Rodrigues said.

“She arrived, had three beautiful fights. And now she’s going to fight for the title because she deserves it, she’s prepared to have this fight. Now her time has come. It’s her turn to shine.”

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues confident despite challenge

Jackie Buntan brings impressive credentials into their championship collision. The Filipina-American captured inaugural strawweight kickboxing gold with a superstar-making performance against Anissa Meksen at ONE 169.

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues acknowledges the magnitude of Stella Hemetsberger’s task but believes her teammate evolved into a complete striker capable of handling elite competition. Their training sessions revealed continuous improvement in all areas.

“I know it won’t be an easy fight for her; she knows that. But she has evolved a lot, and she has a lot of potential to be a champion,” she said.