‘The Best In The Division’ – Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Chases Greatness Against Phetjeeja At The Inner Circle 19
Reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is radiating absolute confidence ahead of the most monumental matchup of her career at The Inner Circle 19.
The Brazilian superstar will defend her twenty-six pounds of gold in the main event against reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom, who is on a relentless mission for two-sport glory.
The epic superfight goes down live in Asia primetime on Friday, June 19, exclusively for members on live.onefc.com.
After traversing different paths to the top of the global stage, their highly anticipated showdown was originally booked for ONE Fight Night 41 this past March. However, fate intervened when both elite athletes pushed themselves to the absolute limit in their respective training camps and sustained injuries.
Faced with the severe wear and tear of a grueling preparation, Rodrigues listened to her body and accepted the necessary postponement.
The Phuket Fight Club affiliate told onefc.com:
“I ended up having inflammation in both of my legs, which was preventing me from running, kicking, or doing anything that created impact.
“I had to take about a month and a half off, along with medication and physical therapy, to recover. I believe it was caused by training itself.”
By prioritizing her physical therapy, Rodrigues transformed the frustrating delay into a much-needed period of rest. The Brazilian mom-champ was already hitting a dominant stride before the injury, having scored spectacular, bonus-winning finishes over Marie McManamon and Johanna Persson.
Fueled by that extra recovery time, the 28-year-old believes she is in absolute peak form and perfectly equipped to handle her elite Thai rival.
Rodrigues said:
“I was already feeling very good during the first training camp, but now I feel even better and more prepared. I also have my entire team with me now.
“In my last two fights, I got good finishes, but I feel much more complete than her in Muay Thai, especially in the clinch game.”
Imposing that complete Muay Thai arsenal requires navigating a dangerous gauntlet in the pocket, where Phetjeeja thrives. The surging challenger consistently overwhelms opponents with blistering volume, carrying genuine stopping power behind blinding hand speed.
To neutralize that boxing-heavy assault, Rodrigues will look to dictate the distance using her traditional Muay Thai kicks and a suffocating clinch game. However, she has also rigorously sharpened her own boxing. If the matchup devolves into a wild slugfest, the defending champion is fully prepared to stand her ground and trade heavy leather.
Rodrigues offered:
“The truth is, we still haven’t really seen much of her in Muay Thai, because the only fights of hers that lasted longer were in kickboxing.
“We know she is very good at boxing. I’ve been training boxing for quite some time as well, and I’ve been improving and gaining a lot of confidence in my hands.”
Rodrigues Commits To MMA Transition After Settling Phetjeeja Rivalry
From capturing her belt with a historic win over Stamp Fairtex to unifying the crown against American legend Janet “JT” Todd, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues has systematically dismantled the biggest names in women’s striking.
Despite that decorated run, Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom represents the ultimate test. The dangerous Thai phenom feels like the true final boss closing out this specific chapter of her story. Surmounting this formidable foe would secure Rodrigues her fifth World Title defense and officially cement her legacy as the undisputed pound-for-pound best female striker on the planet.
She explained:
“It would be a huge milestone in my career, and the truth is that we are going in to achieve that. There are always talented new girls coming up, but regardless of what happens, I see her and me as the best in the division.”
Conquering the division would grant the reigning monarch the undeniable right to chase a completely different martial arts dream alongside her current reign. For years, Rodrigues has wanted to test her world-class striking in the all-encompassing sport of mixed martial arts, and she is finally ready to embark on that quest after the dust settles this Friday night.
The mom-champ concluded:
“After this fight, my focus will return to MMA. I believe my next fight will be my MMA debut. I’m very excited for this new journey as well.
“I’ll go back to MMA training, and I hope to make my debut by the end of the year. I’m not in a hurry to fight the best right away. I want to gain experience with each fight until I feel ready.”
