Jackie Buntan says Janet Todd has a huge advantage over Allycia Hellen Rodrigues with superior fight IQ

Jackie Buntan believes her teammate Janet Todd will hold a significant advantage over Allycia Hellen Rodrigues this Friday night.

Todd will return to the Circle for the first time after cashing in on an opportunity to become the ONE interim atomweight Muay Thai world champion. She’ll attempt to trade that interim title in for an undisputed crown when she meets Rodrigues in the ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video co-main event.

Sharing her thoughts on the massive title unification bout, Jackie Buntan believes Janet Todd's superior fight IQ will lead her to two-sport supremacy:

“That [good fight IQ] makes her steps ahead, and I always tell her that,” Buntan told ONE Championship. “I told my coach that I'd be more scared of fighting the woman who's smarter versus the woman who is stronger physically. You have no answer if someone outsmarts you. That puts you in a bad position. I think that plays a huge advantage with Janet.”

Janet Todd’s heightened fight IQ likely comes from the experience advantage she holds over Allycia Hellen Rodrigues. The Brazilian will return to the Circle for what will be her 38th career contest while ‘JT’ has 50 fights under her belt, including eight under the ONE Championship banner.

That edge in experience could prove to be invaluable for Todd as she faces one of the heaviest hitters in all of women’s Muay Thai.

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Allycia Hellen Rodrigues plans to take Janet Todd’s ONE atomweight kickboxing title

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues has been out of action since August 2020. Despite the lengthy layoff, the 24-year-old Brazilian believes she has what it takes to not only re-establish herself as the undisputed queen of atomweight Muay Thai, but she plans on taking away both of Janet Todd’s ONE world titles this year:

“Of course, I have that in my mind after winning this fight. I want to compete for the [atomweight] kickboxing belt against Janet Todd,” Rodrigues the ONE Fight Night 8 press event.

Todd earned three victories in the ONE atomweight kickboxing division, including a closely contested split decision win over fan-favorite Stamp Fairtex to capture the ONE world title. If Allycia Hellen Rodrigues succeeds in her co-main event clash with ‘JT’ on Friday night, there is no reason to think she won’t immediately step into the Circle with an opportunity to earn her second ONE world championship.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch Rodrigues vs. Todd live and for free in U.S. primetime.