‘I Intend To Fight MMA’ – Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Details BJJ Training And Transition Plan
Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues has already solidified herself as the most dominant striker in her division, but the hard-hitting Brazilian superstar is now preparing to venture into a new realm of combat sports.
Next up, the 26-year-old will defend her Muay Thai gold against Israeli phenom Shir Cohen in the main event of ONE Fight Night 32 on Prime Video, which airs in U.S. primetime on June 6 from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Beyond that hotly anticipated World Title defense, Rodrigues has been quietly readying herself for what could be the most exciting chapter of her career – a transition to the all-around sport of MMA.
In between Muay Thai fights, she’s been dedicating significant time to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, no-gi submission grappling, and mixed martial arts training.
Rodrigues told onefc.com that grappling training at the renowned Phuket Fight Club has become a part of her regular schedule:
“I always go back to training jiu-jitsu after a fight. Obviously, I need to keep up my Muay Thai training routine as well, but when I don’t have a fight scheduled, I can fit in jiu-jitsu training.
“And the best part is that I train both jiu-jitsu and MMA at my gym, Phuket Fight Club. This makes it easier to fit training into my routine.”
The atomweight Muay Thai queen enjoys access to world-class instruction at her home base, working with multiple coaches in an effort to rapidly develop her ground game.
In addition to her husband, she benefits from the grappling expertise of Leonardo Souza, an experienced black belt who heads up the BJJ program at Phuket Fight Club.
Rodrigues explained:
“My husband, Jose Neto, helps me a lot with my training, but there’s also Leonardo Souza, who is the jiu-jitsu teacher at Phuket Fight Club.
“But there are other teachers and training partners, and it’s always great to train with all of them because they all help me a lot. I only train MMA in the morning. In the afternoon, I train Muay Thai.”
This extra training isn’t just for fun. Rodrigues said that her grappling journey is building toward a specific purpose that could reshape her career trajectory in combat sports.
While she’s currently focused on defending her Muay Thai crown at ONE Fight Night 32, she’s also targeting a switch to MMA at some point in 2026 – a move that could instantly make her one of the sport’s most intriguing fighters:
“I decided to train jiu-jitsu because I intend to fight MMA. If everything goes well, I intend to debut in MMA next year. Let’s see how I evolve and how things unfold along the way.”
Becoming A Complete Fighter
The transition from pure striking to the chaos of mixed martial arts will be a significant challenge for Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
She admitted it’s been anything but easy adapting to grappling-based combat sports, saying the physical demands of ground fighting tax her body in ways she’s unaccustomed to:
“It’s very different. Jiu-jitsu, since I don’t have much experience, requires me to use a lot of strength, and that really wears me out.
“In Muay Thai, my body is already adapted to the training. So I think that’s the main difference today, and it’s what makes jiu-jitsu training so difficult and challenging for me.”
Despite those challenges, Rodrigues is employing the same determination that made her a Muay Thai World Champion when undertaking her grappling and MMA training.
With that in mind, she’s eager to test herself in BJJ competitions, knowing it would be the quickest way to accelerate her development.
Rodrigues added:
“I’m still a beginner in jiu-jitsu. But I hope to be able to focus more after this Muay Thai fight, and if I have the opportunity, I would like to compete and gain experience. I don’t know much about the events, but I hope to compete soon.”
