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It’s going to be a guaranteed barnburner when two of the fiercest strikers in women’s Muay Thai share the circle with 26 pounds of solid gold hanging on the balance.
After a successful kickboxing detour, the sensational Smilla Sundell returns to the “Art of Eight Limbs” to defend her ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai crown for the first time at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video.
However, her first challenger most certainly won’t be a walk in the park. This Friday, September 29, ONE atomweight Muay Thai queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues embarks on her quest for two-division supremacy at a higher weight class.
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The Brazilian ‘mom-champ’ has every intention of leaving Singapore Indoor Stadium with not one, but two massive golden belts on her shoulders.
A simple peek at the tale of the tape of these two ferocious warriors will show just how intriguing this striking showdown between two supreme athletes is.
The 18-year-old Sundell is a towering figure, whose physical gifts are made even deadlier by her virtuosic understanding of the intricacies of Muay Thai.
‘The Hurricane’ can chop her opponents from the outside using her superior length, but also loves to get inside the clinch and wreak havoc in closed quarters using her elbows.
Rodrigues, on the other hand, is an immovable force who drowns her opponents with relentless forward pressure. The Phuket Fight Club star also loves to slice her opponents open with hell-bows on top of her lightning-fast combinations.
Styles do make fights, and this showdown has all the makings of an instant classic.
As such, Sportskeeda MMA’s ONE Championship team has carefully analyzed this high-stakes affair and offered their two cents.
James De Rozario: Allycia Hellen Rodrigues by decision
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues will be at a disadvantage as soon as this match gets underway, but I expect the Brazilian to use that to her advantage on her way to a win after five rounds.
Smilla Sundell’s range is really the only thing Rodrigues has to work her way around, but given how effective she is at creating angles, stepping out, and going in for the kill, I forsee her to not miss a trick whenever the two are trading.
Sundell’s close-range weapons could undo Rodrigues’ forward movement, though. But every time she throws one or two, the Brazilian will reply with three times the amount because of her speed and ability to accumulate damage.
Of course, she will have to take knees, elbows, and maybe some punches that will test her defense. But as seen in past fights, Rodrigues never backs down from a challenge – and when you add experience into the mix – there’s no denying that she has all the tools to make life difficult for the teenage sensation.
Mike Murillo: Smilla Sundell via decision
This is going to be a humdinger of a champion-versus-champion clash and fight fans are in for a treat. However, I see Sundell retaining her ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title by decision.
‘The Hurricane’ has the reach and size advantage over atomweight queen Rodrigues, which I think will significantly come into play in this contest. She has also the power to rock her opponent if an opening comes along.
This is not to say that Rodrigues will just be rolled over on. We can count on her to put up a great stand. She after all defeated Stamp and Janet Todd in tough and exciting title matches. Plus becoming a double ONE world champion with a win is added motivation for her.
But in the end, it is Sundell connecting with more telling hits, thanks to her advantage in length, which would propel her to the decision win.
Vince Richards: Smilla Sundell by decision
Smilla Sundell is practically a living breathing freight train, and even a fellow world champion won’t be able to stop her rampage.
The Swedish phenom will take on ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in her defense of the ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world title this Friday.
Rodrigues is seen as Sundell’s biggest test so far, yet looks to extend her dominant reign over her division.
We’ve all seen Sundell use her 5-foot-8 frame to her advantage when she dominated Jackie Buntan to claim the gold, and it’s practically expected that ‘The Hurricane’ will do the same to Rodrigues.
Nevertheless, the encounter will be an absolute banger since Rodrigues is still one of the most fearsome strikers on the planet today. Sundell, though, is a true master in terms of using distance and launching those laser-like kicks at her disposal.
This match will see the final bell with all of the judges’ scorecards giving Sundell the win.
Anatoly Pimentel: Smilla Sundell by decision
The champion-versus-champion showdown between Smilla Sundell and Allycia Hellen Rodrigues for Sundell's ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title will be an absolute barnburner.
The technique, fundamentals, and elite combinations are out of the question with these two striking maestras, as they are both undefeated in ONE Championship.
I think it all comes down to the fight plan and who would execute it perfectly. Rodrigues would want to close the distance to land her patented roundhouse kicks and elbow strikes, while Sundell should control the distance and tempo of the fight by maximizing her height and reach advantages.
As much as I like Allycia Rodrigues to win this fight, my money is on Smilla Sundell because 'The Hurricane's' five-inch height and seven-inch reach upper hand will be too much for the Brazilian challenger to handle.
ONE Fight Night 14 will air live in US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
