After nearly three years away from competition, reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues will make her long-awaited return to the Circle. This Friday, in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 8: Superlek vs. Rodtang on Prime Video, the Brazilian titleholder will take on interim atomweight Muay Thai queen Janet Todd in a World Title unification bout. 

Set to go down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, that showdown has been months in the making.

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues was keen to get back and prove herself a true champion

But for Rodrigues – who captured the belt in August 2020 – her return to action represents a years-long journey. Because shortly after she captured the World Title, she gave birth to her son, putting her on the shelf as she recovered and enjoyed the early days of motherhood.

 The 24-year-old was slated to face Todd last December, but that contest was postponed after the American tested positive for COVID-19 just days before the event. Simply put, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Rodrigues.

READ MORE – “He’ll Never Scare Me” – Superlek Not Afraid of Rodtang, Believes He Holds Advantage Ahead of ONE Fight Night 8

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 But now, as she enters her final preparations for the first defense of her World Title, she looks back at her time away and knows she’s on the right path, “It represents my whole story – getting to where I am now, fighting at one of the biggest events in the world, and showing that I’m the champion and that I’m back to stay. Fighting the best and being able to defend my title with all my strength is my dream.” 

 With so much time on the sidelines, concerns about ring rust have naturally popped up.

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues upgraded her game while she sat out of competition

After all, when the Phuket Fight Club representative joined the promotion three years ago, she already had over 35 professional Muay Thai bouts to her resume, so she was not accustomed to such an extended absence from competition. 

 Rodrigues, though, says her time away has not only allowed her to level up her already dangerous striking game but also made her hungrier than ever to defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title.

READ MORE –  “It’s a Dream Come True” – Janet Todd Ready to Seize Muay Thai World Title After Four-Year Wait

 “I certainly had more time to work on some things and improve others that I already felt comfortable doing. Anxiety is part of it, right? It’s been a long time since my last fight, so the desire to fight is getting stronger. And I try to put that desire more and more into each training session.”