Allycia Hellen Rodrigues says she will enter Janet Todd fight a better fighter with ample preparation

Reigning ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is confident of her chances in her unification bout with interim world champion Janet Todd later this month despite the long break she had after giving birth to her son.

The Brazilian will make her first world title defense on March 24 at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video in Singapore. It comes nearly three years after she became the world champion in August 2020.

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues defeated former world champion Stamp Fairtex by split decision in her promotional debut at ONE: A New Breed. She subsequently chose to start a family, which kept her out of competition for some time.

Despite the long break, the world champion believes that the time away only made her a better fighter as she was able to further work on her game and be more prepared. She also has added motivation now to win for her son.

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues told ONE Championship in an interview:

“I certainly had more time to work on some things and improve others that I already felt comfortable doing.”

At ONE Fight Night 8, Rodrigues is up against a streaking fighter in Todd, who apart from being the interim atomweight Muay Thai world champion is also the ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion.

'JT' has been unstoppable since dropping her promotional debut in February 2019, racking up seven straight wins since. She is now seeking to become the undisputed ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion.

ONE Fight Night 8 will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and will be bannered by the unification world title bout between reigning ONE heavyweight world champion 'Singh' Arjan Bhullar of India and interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly 'Sladkiy' Malykhin of Russia.

The event will air live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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“My biggest source of inspiration” - Allycia Hellen Rodrigues draws inspiration from her mother

ONE atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues credits her mother for the fighter she has become both inside and outside of competition.

Now that she is making her return to action later this month after a long break, the Brazilian world champion said that she is drawing inspiration from the lessons she learned from her mother about staying determined and strong.

Rodrigues, 24, shared to ONE Championship in an interview:

“My biggest inspiration is not someone from the sport, but someone from my life. My mother is my greatest example of strength and determination. The most warrior and feisty person I know. So, my biggest source of inspiration couldn't be anyone else but her.”

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues also highlighted how her mother supported her dreams of making a career in combat sports, which has worked out well for her, even becoming a world champion in her promotional debut in 2020.