Allycia Hellen Rodrigues says fight with Janet Todd will be great for the fans

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is just days away from making her long-awaited return to ONE Championship next Friday night.

After capturing the ONE atomweight Muay Thai world championship in a stunning upset of fan-favorite Stamp Fairtex in August 2020, Allycia Rodrigues was forced to the sidelines after becoming pregnant with her son. More than two and a half years later, the Phuket Fight Club product will return to defend her belt against the promotion’s interim titleholder, Janet Todd.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues shared details of her training and thoughts on her opponent:

“I've been training very well... I always prepare very well for every fight. Regardless of who the opponent is, I will always arrive 100 percent prepared. Because of our fighting styles, I'm sure we'll put on a great fight for the fans.”

During Allycia Hellen Rodrigues’ absence, Janet Todd has been holding down the fort, defeating Lara Fernandez last year to become ONE’s interim atomweight Muay Thai champion. During Rodrigues’ absence, ‘JT’ has established herself as the top dog of the division, earning wins over Alma Juniku, Anne Line Hogstad, and the aforementioned Lara Fernandez.

Todd will attempt to get the biggest win of her career on March 24 in their co-main event clash at ONE Fight Night 8. Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch the action live and for free in U.S. primetime.

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Janet Todd made the most of her extra time to prepare for Allycia Hellen Rodrigues

Originally, Janet Todd and Allycia Hellen Rodrigues were slated to square off at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December, closing out ONE Championship’s year with the long-awaited unification bout for the ONE atomweight Muay Thai world title. Unfortunately, Todd tested positive for COVID-19 forcing the contest to be postponed, which understandably devastated Todd:

"I remember bawling my eyes out... And I was just in shock. I didn’t believe it. Because the last time I had COVID, I had the body pains, fever, and I didn’t have any of that.

Initially upset over the postponement of their contest, ‘JT’ now sees it as somewhat of a benefit as it has given her more time to prepare herself for a tough test against Allycia Hellen Rodrigues:

“I think that time has helped me hone some skills that would work against Allycia. But it also allowed me to work more on the creative side of my brain, so that when I do get in a certain situation, I can flow from one movement to the next. So it allows me to move more freely, knowing I have more tools to work with.”