Allycia Hellen Rodrigues To Make MMA Debut Against Charlotte Padie At The Inner Circle 39
The wait is over. Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is officially heading into the world of mixed martial arts.
The Brazilian striking queen makes her highly anticipated professional MMA debut against French Kickboxing Champion Charlotte Padie at The Inner Circle 39 on Friday, November 20, live in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, streaming exclusively for subscribers via live.onefc.com.
Rodrigues has been the undisputed ruler of the women’s atomweight Muay Thai division since the moment she walked into ONE Championship. Her debut in August 2020 against then-titleholder Stamp Fairtex produced one of the most stunning promotional arrivals in the organization’s history, as she defeated the Thai megastar to claim the gold in her very first bout in ONE.
A hiatus for the birth of Rodrigues’ child followed, and when she returned in 2023, she wasted no time reclaiming her dominance, unifying the belt against interim champion Janet “JT” Todd and then defending it against ISKA K-1 Champion Cristina Morales, Britain’s top female striker Marie McManamon, and Johanna Persson.
Her most recent outing delivered perhaps her most significant statement yet, as she became the first person inside ONE to defeat divisional kickboxing champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom, a result that cemented her standing as the greatest pound-for-pound female striker on the planet.
Throughout those years of Muay Thai dominance, a parallel story has been quietly developing behind the scenes.
Rodrigues has been training jiu-jitsu and MMA at Phuket Fight Club for years, laying the groundwork for a transition that the martial arts world has long speculated on and anticipated.
With her Muay Thai legacy now beyond question, the 28-year-old has decided the time is now to test herself in the all-encompassing sport, and The Inner Circle 39 is where that journey begins.
Her first test in MMA comes in the form of Padie, a French National Kickboxing Champion and French National Burmese Boxing Champion who is making her own pro MMA debut on November 20.
The French striker has been moving toward MMA for some time, gaining amateur experience on the French scene earlier this year before deciding she was ready to make her professional bow.
Choosing to do so against the reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion, on the global stage no less, signals the ambition and fearlessness that have defined her striking career.
For Rodrigues, this debut represents the opening chapter of what she hopes will be a path toward the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title. A clean and convincing first performance would announce her as a genuine threat in the MMA division and validate years of quiet preparation.
For Padie, an upset over the most decorated female Muay Thai champion in ONE history would launch her name into the global spotlight in the most dramatic fashion possible.
