Allycia Hellen Rodrigues on the perks of fighting in a higher weight class: “It’s nice to freely eat”

Moving up a weight class to challenge Swedish phenom Smilla Sundell is indeed an unnerving task for every female fighter in the world. Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, however, remains as calm and composed as ever in her bid to become a two-division ONE world champion.

After Jackie Buntan withdrew from the match for personal reasons, the reigning atomweight Muay Thai queen has agreed to step in at 125 pounds to challenge Smilla Sundell for her ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai crown.

This high-octane striking-only affair is one of three world title fights set for the colossal ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video card. The female-led spectacle marks the promotion’s return to Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday, September 29.

Rodrigues, of course, expects to be in for the fight of her life against the taller and heavier Sundell. While some fans are worried that the size disadvantage could prove costly for the Brazilian, the proud ‘mom-champ’ is opting to look at the bright side of things.

For one, Rodrigues is thrilled with the idea of not having to cut weight for this one and having more leeway with her diet. The Phuket Fight Club affiliate shared in her ONF14 pre-event interview with the South China Morning Post:

“I’ve always ate quite well, but now it’s nice to freely eat. Now, I eat a little bit more. But also working on hydration, still trying to keep a little bit of balance in the diet. I just got to do this for the category [weight class].”

To be fair, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is one lean and mean fighting machine, who packs a ton of power behind her chiseled physique. Let’s see if she can use that added weight to her advantage when she shares the circle with Smilla Sundell at ONE Fight Night 14.

The full event will air live in US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Here’s Allycia Hellen Rodrigues’ SCMP MMA interview in its entirety: