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Brazilian superstar Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is still committed to competing in Muay Thai. But the atomweight queen said they have started preparing for her transition to competing as well in MMA, targeting to begin seeing action in it next year.
She touched on it following her successful defense of the atomweight Muay Thai world title on July 11 at ONE Fight Night 33: Rodrigues vs. Persson at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The 28-year-old Phuket Fight Club standout shared that her MMA training is afoot, and they are excited about it.
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues said in the post-fight interview sessions for ONE Fight Night 33:
"The focus this year is that we're going to keep training. We're training MMA already. We just came back to train for Muay Thai before we have a fight. But we're training already, and the focus is that next year we're going to start MMA."
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Check out what she had to say below:
If her MMA plans push through, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues will see herself in the company of a solid group of MMA fighters, led by reigning atomweight queen Denice Zamboanga of the Philippines. Also in the division is former champion and Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex and streaking Japanese submission artist Ayaka Miura.
Meanwhile, at ONE Fight Night 33, Rodrigues successfully defended the atomweight Muay Thai world title for the fourth time since winning it in August 2020. She knocked out challenger Johanna Persson of Sweden in the third round of their title match.
The win was the third in a row for her, and fifth, in six matches in ONE Championship. It also earned her a second straight $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
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.
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues vows continued evolution as a fighter
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues' push to also compete in MMA is seemingly part of her goal to continue evolving as a fighter. It was something she and her team reiterated following her impressive KO win at ONE Fight Night 33.
Through her coach, Leo Elias, the Brazilian champion shared to combat sports journalist Nick Atkin that her development is not yet done and she still has a lot to give as a martial artist.
"For sure, you guys are going to see a better version of her at every fight she comes. She's going to improve every fight like we're doing. You guys can see, fight after fight, we become better and better, and we're going to keep everything like this."
Rodrigues has had a lot of success as a professional fighter, currently holding an overall record of 35-7, and 5-1 in ONE Championship, while establishing herself as one of the best in the game right now.
