“It was by pure accident” - Janet Todd on how she went from gymnastics to kickboxing

At ONE on Prime Video 5, Janet Todd will have the opportunity to write her name into the history books. In a title unification fight with Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, Todd could become a multi-sport undisputed world champion, a feat reserved for the best strikers in the world.

ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2, and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.

After defeating Lara Fernandez in July, Todd won the interim atomweight Muay Thai world championship after already holding the title in kickboxing. Whilst she has always been into athletic competition, the California native has revealed that kickboxing wasn’t her first love.

In an interview with Calf Kick Sports, Janet Todd explained how she got started by walking into the gym for the first time:

“It was by pure accident. I went to college and I didn’t have any sport to do. I did cheerleading after gymnastics and I didn’t really like the cheerleading team. They weren’t as good as my high school team for some reason. I found myself on the treadmill and finding exercises to lift weights. I did not enjoy that. My friend in college at the time took me to a kickboxing gym and the rest is history.”

Watch the full interview below:

On December 2, Todd will face returning champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in a unification fight.

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Allycia Hellen Rodrigues, Janet Todd to unify ONE women’s atomweight Muay Thai world titles

At ONE on Prime Video 5, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues will return to face Janet Todd on December 3. In the champion's absence, Todd became the interim titleholder, setting up a unification fight with the returning Rodrigues.

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues made a phenomenal debut in ONE Championship back in August 2020, when she defeated Stamp Fairtex to win the atomweight Muay Thai world title at ONE: A New Breed.

Watch her full fight with Stamp Fairtex below:

Rodrigues has been inactive since her debut after announcing a leave of absence due to her falling pregnant and giving birth to her son Josue last year.

In the champion's absence, California’s Janet Todd has become the interim champion to set up this unification clash. The atomweight kickboxing world champion has the chance on December 2 to unify the division if she is able to defeat the returning champion.

In her most recent fight, Todd defeated Lara Fernandez in July to win the interim world title. In February 2020, she announced herself in ONE Championship by defeating Stamp Fairtex to win the atomweight kickboxing world championship.