ONE Women's Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is preparing to transition to mixed martial arts in 2026 following her recent title defense at ONE Fight Night 33.
The Brazilian champion (35-7 Muay Thai) has been training both gi and no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Phuket Fight Club to prepare for her eventual MMA debut. Rodrigues previously indicated her intention to make her first appearance in mixed martial arts next year.
"My focus is to train MMA, and to start in MMA next year. We're going to try to defend our belt if everything works well, but the final focus now is to go to MMA," Rodrigues said.
The 27-year-old has been adding new dimensions to her striking-based skill set as she prepares for the challenges that mixed martial arts will present. Her extensive training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu should help with the transition to the all-encompassing sport.
Rodrigues has been the ONE Women's Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion since August 2020, when she defeated Stamp Fairtex to claim the title. Her recent victory at ONE Fight Night 33 marked her fourth successful title defense.
The Brazilian defeated Swedish challenger Johanna Persson by third-round knockout on Friday, July 11, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Rodrigues dropped the former WBC Muay Thai World Champion with a left hook early in the third round before finishing the fight with the same punch moments later.
The victory earned Rodrigues a $50,000 performance bonus and extended her winning streak in ONE Championship. She had previously scored a fourth-round TKO victory over Marie McManamon at ONE Fight Night 29 in March.
Rodrigues said the knockout sequence was something she had been drilling extensively during training camp at Phuket Fight Club.
"We trained a lot on this shot. The body shot, more body shots, and the hook. We've been training this for many weeks already, and everything worked well," she explained.
The champion admitted that Persson proved to be a tougher opponent than expected, particularly with her forward pressure and volume punching.
"We knew she was going to put on the pressure, but we didn't think she was going to put in a lot of hands [as well]. She punched a lot," Rodrigues said.
"I let her hit a lot, but in the last round, the third round, I listened to my corner. They told me what to do, and then everything worked. Then, I found myself finishing the fight."
