“Everything worked well” - Allycia Hellen Rodrigues says she trained body-hook combo that ended Johanna Persson for weeks

The ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, retained her championship belt in her title match last week. It was a victory that she said fell within their game plan and something she was happy and proud to deliver on.

The 27-year-old Phuket Fight Club standout made it a fourth successful defense of her title at ONE Fight Night 33: Rodrigues vs Persson on July 11 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. She defeated Swedish challenger Johanna Persson with an emphatic third-round knockout, which she capped with a well-placed body hook combination.

During the post-fight interview session, Rodrigues spoke about what went down in her title match with Persson, including how the crisp combo she uncorked product of weeks of work in training.

The Thailand-based Brazilian champion said:

"We trained a lot on this shot, you know, with the body shot, and then body, and the hook. We've been training this for many weeks already, and then everything worked well."

At ONE Fight Night 33, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues and Persson went back and forth in the first two rounds. The world champion had early inroads with her step-in elbows and body kicks, and the challenger was doing damage with her well-timed jabs to her opponent's face.

In the third round, Rodrigues picked up the ante and considerably swung the tide in her favor. Midway, following an exchange of punches from the outside, she landed a solid left hook that instantly dropped Persson onto the canvas.

The challenger could beat the eight-count only to find her back on the mat moments later from the body and head shot combination from the champion, forcing the referee to wave off the match at the 59-second mark of the third canto.

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Allycia Hellen Rodrigues earns $50,000 performance bonus for KO win over Johanna Persson

Apart from retaining the atomweight Muay Thai world title, the impressive KO victory of Allycia Hellen Rodrigues over Johanna Persson at ONE Fight Night 33 earned her a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

It was her second straight time bagging the hefty incentive, given to athletes who put up exciting performances and finishes, while extending her winning streak in ONE Championship to three in a row.

Aside from Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, also rewarded with a performance bonus, was Russian featherweight Muay Thai fighter Abdulla Dayakaev, who knocked out Thai Nontachai Jitmuangnon in just 24 seconds.

The full replay of ONE Fight Night 33: Rodrigues vs Persson is available on demand to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.