Allycia Hellen Rodrigues targets Phetjeeja in battle of atomweight world champions 

Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues retained her gold in emphatic fashion this past weekend. The Brazilian is remaining is fight mode, though, as she stalks a bigger challenge down the road. 

The striking phenom dispatched Marie McManamon at ONE Fight Night 29 this past Friday, March 7, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. Rodrigues outstruck the British-Irish challenger to score a third-round knockout and retain her crown.   

Having completed business on her end, the stoic striker has her eyes set on ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.  

That’s because inside Japan’s Saitama Super Arena on Sunday, March 23, reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Phetjeeja returns to action against kickboxing megastar Kana Morimoto.  

Both Rodrigues and Phetjeeja have put themselves at the summit of women’s striking, so the 26-year-old believes a showdown with the Thai superstar is inevitably close. 

“I know we’re gonna fight some time,” she said.  

“That fight is gonna happen, and I’m gonna be ready for that fight. We don’t know when, but it’s gonna happen.” 

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues details victory versus Marie McManamon at ONE Fight Night 29

For reigning ONE atomweight Muay Thai queen, ONE Fight Night 29 wasn’t just another World Title defense. It was a test of her mettle. 

The Brazilian was set to defend her crown against Israeli star Shir Cohen – that was until Cohen withdrew just one week before their fight.  

So when Marie McManamon stepped up, a whole new dynamic was put in place. Being a champion requires one to adapt on the fly. Fortunately, Rodrigues did just that and put in another world class performance. 

“I knew she was a good fighter and even had a similar style to me. She likes to clinch, she likes to kick,” Rodrigues said.  

“But I [felt] so strong today, and I [felt] really prepared for the fight, and I just put my style and my way to fight. I saw that I started to fight better, and then I just kept going and everything worked well.”