It took a while for Allycia Hellen Rodrigues to get her momentum, but she still got the job done against Janet Todd to become the undisputed atomweight Muay Thai world champion.
The Brazilian star looked better than ever after her lengthy lay-off, as she walked away with the unanimous decision victory at ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Williams on Prime Video at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday.
Todd looked loose from the get-go, scoring with her signature leg kicks and piercing jabs to set the tone. Rodrigues, though, kept calm and maximized her length with front kicks to the body.
‘JT’ landed a sneaky lead right hook right at the buzzer to secure the round.
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It was more of the same in the second canto, with Todd letting her lightning-fast hands go. Her movement was also pristine, catching Rodrigues with pinpoint straights on her way in.
After struggling to close the distance in the first two rounds, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues finally imposed her dangerous clinch game in the third.
The Phuket Fight standout roughed up the American with vicious elbows and knees, opening up a nasty gash above Todd’s right eyebrow.
She also landed a damaging left hook, as the 37-year-old dipped to escape the phonebooth match.
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues’ aggression continued in the championship rounds, where she re-opened ‘JT’s cut with her relentless hell-bows.
It was a neck-and-neck affair heading into the final three minutes, but the 24-year-old mom champion got the edge through her relentless forward pressure.
After 15 minutes of marvelous Muay Thai mayhem, Rodrigues marched forward and became the sole owner of the atomweight Muay Thai crown.
She also effectively ended Todd’s remarkable seven-fight winning streak inside the circle.
Post-fight, an elated Allycia Hellen Rodrigues credited her newborn son for giving her the motivation to succeed. She also had a special shoutout for mothers all over the world to keep chasing their dream:
“Of course my son gives me a lot of motivation, but not just my son. I’m also doing this for the women who have the same situation as me, I’m here to show that you can bounce back, you can come back, and still be a champion.”