Janet Todd has had one goal since arriving in ONE Championship. That is to become the undisputed ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion. She will get her chance to achieve that dream at ONE Fight Night 8 in Singapore, on Friday, March 24, against Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
Janet Todd Talks Title Unification Fight at ONE Fight Night 8
The bout was initially set for last December, but Todd tested positive for COVID-19 just days ahead of the bout. The positive result for the interim atomweight queen was shocking to the American. However, she took the news in stride and knew she would have to refocus quickly.
“I couldn’t believe it. I think the staff was probably annoyed that I kept asking, “Hey, can I get retested?” But yeah, I even tested again once I got to the other hotel, and it came out positive, so I was like, ‘Alright, well, I guess it’s meant to be for now.’ And I just got to be patient,” said Todd.
The upcoming title tilt will be a challenging battle. After studying tape of the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion, Todd expects a close contest when in tight. The Southern California resident also anticipates Rodrigues to counter her boxing with crushing leg kicks.
“She’s a very good kicker, and she’s very good in the clinch. I know that at one point in the fight, we’re going to end up in the clinch because she’s a clinch fighter. And I know that she’s got very good left kicks against punchers, so I’m going to be expecting that too,” said Todd.
If there was a silver lining for Todd, it came within the walls of Boxing Works. Although she said she was fully prepared for her battle with the returning Brazilian last December, more time in the gym has only sharpened her skills. Todd expects to be more dangerous, with more options, when the bell rings on March 24.
“I was back training in December. We were having more fun with it, like, not really necessarily working on tactics against Allycia, but trying to incorporate more like doing different skills and just being creative with what I do to incorporate new skills, whether it’s doing it against Allycia or doing it with a future opponent. It gave us a little bit of downtime to play around with different skill sets. And not necessarily just be purely focused on tactics and skills against Allycia. It still gave me time to expand my skills,” said the two-sport World Champion.
Todd has remained excited regardless of how the initial bout got pushed back. Everything she has worked for will come to a head inside Singapore Indoor Stadium. But if she can get her hand raised, the sweet taste of gold will make the wait worthwhile for the two-sport World Champion.
“Oh, man, it’s been four years in the making now. And the fact that I had to wait again for another three months – yeah, it’s been something I’ve wanted for a really long time. So I’m really looking forward to it. And it’s a dream come true. It’s something that I have wanted for four years,” said Todd.
ONE Fight Night 8 goes live on Friday, March 24, from the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The event gets underway at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Prime Video. It is free for all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada.
