ONE Fight Night 33: "It's been tiring but hopefully it'll be rewarded" - Johanna Persson pushes through grueling camp to unlock world title dream

30-year-old Swedish Muay Thai star Johanna Persson says her hard work will finally culminate this weekend, and she hopes it reaps a golden reward.

Persson is set to make her ONE Championship debut opposite Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues on Friday night, and the Sitjaopho Muaythai representative wants to give her best.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Persson talked about her grueling fight camp and how she hopes to achieve her dream in the world's largest martial arts organization.

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The 30-year-old said:

"Over the past few weeks, there have been more hours added into my training every day. But intensity-wise, I think it’s been the same from the first week the fight was confirmed. It’s been tiring but hopefully it’ll be rewarded after next week."

Needless to say, Persson is joining the global stage of ONE to face one of its most celebrated champions, and beating Rodrigues is certainly a tall order.

The Swedish protagonist remains motivated and confident ahead of the bout, and envisions herself with 26-pounds of gold around her waist by the end of the night.

Johanna Persson to challenge Allycia Hellen Rodrigues for the gold at ONE Fight Night 33 on Prime Video

Competing in U.S. primetime for the very first time, Sweden's Johanna Persson is taking on none other than reigning and undisputed ONE women's atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues herself.

The two lock horns in the main event at ONE Fight Night 33: Rodrigues vs. Persson on Prime Video, which is set to broadcast live in U.S. primetime this Friday, July 11 from the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak