“It’s a dream that came true” – Allycia Hellen Rodrigues reflects on victory over Cristina Morales at ONE Fight Night 20

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues couldn’t be more satisfied after killing two birds with one stone at ONE Fight Night 20.

The mom-champ fended off a spirited challenge from Cristina Morales inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium last Friday to defend her ONE atomweight Muay Thai world title on International Women’s Day 2024.

For the Brazilian superstar, the victory held more significance as it was held on a female-only card, which featured the very best on the ONE Championship roster.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, an emotional Allycia Hellen Rodrigues described her achievement in American primetime last Friday, March 8, as a dream come true.

The 25-year-old shared:

“Although I have a lot of support, it was hard. So it's a dream that came true, and I'm very happy to be able to make history and fight the way I do.

“I was most pleased with being able to keep my belt, of course, and to represent women on this day. I have no words to describe that. Keeping my belt is very important for me. It's not easy.”

Watch the full interview here:

Although Morales did threaten to diffuse the Brazilian’s onslaught during certain junctures of their five-round scrap, Rodrigues stayed sharp to brilliantly dictate the flow of the tie with her combinations of strikes – elbows, punches, knees, kicks.

In the end, that striking masterclass was all the difference inside the 'Mecca of Muay Thai' as the defending queen rose to the occasion and added a second world title defense to her resume.

---

What’s next for Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in ONE Championship?

With a 3-1 slate under the ONE Championship spotlight, there’s a pretty obvious choice to what she would want next on the global stage.

A rematch against ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Smilla Sundell could be Allycia Hellen Rodrigues’ preferred choice after she fell short in her two-division world title aspirations to the towering Swede at ONE Fight Night 14 in September last year.

However should Sundell have her hands busy with any of the talented strawweight athletes, a clash against Stamp Fairtex or Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom would make sense for the ever-talented Brazilian mum-champ.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video can rewatch the entire ONE Fight Night 20 card via replay.