Allycia Hellen Rodrigues won’t let her respect for Smilla Sundell get in the way of becoming a double champion

One of the three world title fights on October 29 at ONE Fight Night 14 will be between ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell and ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, as the latter challenges the former for her world title.

Rodrigues’ quest to become a two-division world champion came after two successive victories against superstars Stamp Fairtex and Janet Todd in her first two bouts under the world’s largest martial arts organization on her way to becoming the atomweight Muay Thai queen.

Still, the 25-year-old’s biggest challenge will be against the young phenom Sundell. ‘The Hurricane’ has an equally impressive pile of wins over Diandra Martin and Jackie Buntan, as well as Milana Bjelogrlic in kickboxing en route to her world title triumph in the 125-pound Muay Thai division.

Because of this incredible campaign so far, Rodrigues has developed a great admiration for Sundell. However, she reiterated that it will not be a roadblock to her pursuit of becoming the latest two-division world champion in ONE.

In her appearance on the South China Morning Post for an interview, the Brazilian striking sensation gave a warning to the defending champion in their upcoming showdown.

The Phuket Fight Club representative said:

"Smilla, I know you are surprised when I accepted that fight. We follow each other for a long time, we have our careers, but I respect you a lot. I have respect for you but I’m gonna come for the belt for sure."

It is a big step up for Rodrigues in terms of weight because of the extra 10 pounds she needs to fill up to catch up with the world champion. But when it comes to the skillset and fighting style, it can definitely go down as a classic.

ONE Fight Night 14 is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.

Watch Allycia Hellen Rodrigues and Coach Leo Elias’ full interview: