‘That Was The Key To My Win’ – Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Breaks Down Phetjeeja Victory, Eyes MMA Gold
· Yahoo Sports
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues knew that retaining her ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom would demand one of the absolute finest performances of her career.
Visit tr-sport.click for more information.
The 28-year-old Brazilian faced the reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion in the main event of The Inner Circle 19 at Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium, where the two elite strikers battled through five closely contested rounds.
View this post on Instagram
The mom-champ ultimately earned a hard-fought split-decision victory, becoming the first athlete to defeat Phetjeeja in ONE Championship and denying the Thai superstar’s bid to claim World Titles in two sports.
The victory marked Rodrigues’ fifth successful World Title defense since she dethroned Stamp Fairtex for the atomweight Muay Thai crown in August 2020, further extending one of the longest-running championship reigns in ONE. After overcoming one of the toughest challengers of her career, the Phuket Fight Club representative took immense pride in keeping the belt with her team.
She said:
“I’m so happy to represent my team and everyone against a really strong opponent like Phetjeeja, and to get one more win to keep the belt with us.
“For sure, she’s one of the strongest opponents of my life, but I felt good in the fight. In the beginning, I felt really great, and things were going really well. In round three, the fight became harder, but we came back and took the win.”
View this post on Instagram
Rodrigues entered the contest with a clear game plan to slow Phetjeeja’s frenetic movement, attack her legs, and impose herself through heavy knees and suffocating clinch work.
She felt comfortable during the early exchanges, but the complexion of the bout began to change in the middle rounds as Phetjeeja increased her output and found more success with her boxing. Rodrigues persistently advanced and looked to force the kickboxing queen into physically demanding close-range exchanges.
That persistence became increasingly important as the contest tightened and both athletes fought to convince the judges over the championship rounds.
Rodrigues explained:
“The fight was good. I did everything I trained really hard to do for this fight: kick her leg, land knees, and clinch. I felt good. The fight became harder at some point, but then I overcame it and kept clinching. Phetjeeja started running away, and that’s when the fight started going [my way.]
“It was a close fight, but I feel I won most of the rounds. I only lost one round, so I was a little bit unsure, but I was confident that I did enough to take the win.”
View this post on Instagram
Although Rodrigues acknowledged the highly competitive nature of the contest, she believed her willingness to continually move forward ultimately separated her from the surging challenger.
By maintaining relentless pressure, the Brazilian hoped to drain Phetjeeja’s energy and prevent her from freely using the fast boxing combinations that had carried her to championship success in kickboxing.
Rodrigues said:
“The forward pressure, for sure. I was going forward most of the time to make Phetjeeja tired, and I think that was the key to my win.”
View this post on Instagram
Rodrigues Opens Up About Rematch And Transition To MMA
After successfully navigating Phetjeeja’s monumental challenge, the ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion is certainly not ruling out another meeting with the Thai superstar.
The razor-close decision could naturally create high demand for an immediate rematch, and the reigning queen insists she would be fully prepared to run it back if ONE presents the opportunity.
Despite the intensity of their five-round battle, Rodrigues expressed nothing but genuine admiration for her opponent and the journey that brought “The Queen” to the World Title stage.
The mom-champ said:
“We’re always ready, and we’re going to get better and better.
“Thank you so much for the fight. I have so much respect for you and your story. It was a pleasure to share the ring with Phetjeeja. See you soon.”
View this post on Instagram
However, a rematch may not be Rodrigues’ immediate next move.
The Brazilian revealed that she has already begun training in MMA and actively hopes to test herself in the all-encompassing sport. After firmly establishing herself as the dominant force in atomweight Muay Thai, she now sees the exciting possibility of pursuing another World Title under a completely different ruleset.
Rodrigues stated:
“I’m already training MMA, and I’m planning to make the move. If everything goes well, my next fight will be in MMA.
“For sure, I want the MMA belt.”
View this post on Instagram
An MMA debut would open an entirely new, thrilling chapter in Rodrigues’ combat sports career, but she remains incredibly flexible about what comes next.
Whether her next assignment is another Muay Thai defense, a transition to MMA, or a chance to test herself under kickboxing rules, the mom-champ intends to remain sharp and ready for any challenge.
The Brazilian superstar concluded:
“We work for the company. Whatever they give us, we’ll take. I promise I will only get better and better.”
View this post on Instagram