ONE Championship Fight Night 14: Allycia Rodrigues breaks down in tears after missing son’s birthday for title bout
- Rodrigues, ONE’s atomweight Muay Thai champ, makes huge sacrifice ahead of bid for second title in Singapore co-main event
- Brazilian ‘can’t wait to be back’ with two-year-old son – ‘hopefully holding new belt so we can take photos and be happy together’
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues has made a huge sacrifice ahead of her bid for a second Muay Thai title at this Saturday’s ONE Championship Fight Night 14 event in Singapore.
The Thailand-based Brazilian, who holds ONE’s atomweight Muay Thai title, is set to challenge Smilla Sundell for the promotion’s strawweight belt in the card’s co-main event.
It is an opportunity that required her to miss her son’s second birthday.
“I came with a lot of motivation, as you can see, because today is my son’s second birthday,” Rodrigues, 25, told the Post at the Copthorne King’s Hotel in Singapore on Wednesday, with tears trailing down her cheeks.
“It’s really hard to be away given everything we’ve been through and everything we have to go through, but this is my job. I love doing it and I’m extremely motivated.”
ONE Fight Night 14 weigh-ins: Stamp survives scare, Xiong misses
Rodrigues accepted the opportunity to fight the 18-year-old prodigy Sundell on relatively short notice, having stepped into the match-up on August 16 when the Swedish strawweight’s original opponent, Jackie Buntan, was forced off the card because of a family issue.
Despite the short time she has had to prepare, the atomweight champion feels well equipped for the task at hand.
“I feel really ready,” she said. “I see that I’m getting stronger and stronger.
“I’ve been training with some very high ranking people to make sure I achieve my goals.”
Rodrigues won her atomweight belt with a decision defeat of Stamp Fairtex in August of 2020, and after giving birth to her son, returned to defend the belt with a decision win over interim champ Janet Todd this past March.
ONE Fight Night 14 weigh-ins: Stamp survives scare, Xiong misses
Her skills are undeniable, but she will face some substantial physical disadvantages against Sundell, who not only fights in a heavier weight class, but will be the much taller woman in the cage.
“I did see Smilla earlier, but I actually had met her before,” Rodrigues said of the size disparity in the match-up. “I’ve known her for a little while. She actually looks much bigger than when I first met her.”
Rodrigues feels no animosity toward Sundell, and the Swede told the Post the feeling is mutual.
The two Muay Thai champions hold each other in high esteem but are both determined to win their Singapore title fight in emphatic fashion.
“I have a lot of respect for her,” Rodrigues said. “I think we both train really well, and I really respect her for getting a belt at such a young age.
“We both want a knockout. At the end of the day we both have the same dream, and I’m coming prepared for it.”
When the fight has come to pass, the two women will shake hands, and Rodrigues will return to home in Thailand. If things go her way, there will be a new belt in her luggage, and she is excited to show it to her son.
“He means the world to me,” she said. “He’s always going to be my first priority. I miss him a lot and I can’t wait to be back with him, hopefully holding the new belt so we can take some photos and be happy together.”
