The co-main event of ONE Fight Night 20 will feature two mothers squaring off for the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Championship. On International Women’s Day, Allycia Hellen Rodrigues defends her title against Cristina Morales. The all-women’s showcase in U.S. primetime will be a massive platform for the two women to shine in the spotlight.
Rodrigues will be trying to get back in the win column in defense of her gold. She attempted to move up to strawweight and become a ONE Championship two-division queen, but Smilla Sundell shut her down. With her gold up for grabs, the Brazilian is dialed in to ensure she leaves Bangkok the same way she entered.
“I always focus on my fights, but whenever I defend my belt, that focus is doubled. This time I’m not going to let anything get in my way. Nothing at all. I can’t wait to fight and show who I really am. I believe it will be a good striking fight. She’s coming off a big win, so I’m looking forward to our showdown,” Rodrigues told ONE.
Morales has had a decorated kickboxing career, but for this match, she will wear four-ounce gloves. The reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion believes that will be her greatest advantage. Although Morales brings in credible skills, the entire arsenal of “the art of eight limbs” is where Rodrigues plans to excel.
“I don’t think our styles are comparable. [Morales] comes from kickboxing, and I’ve trained Muay Thai my whole life. But I realized that she likes striking, and so do I. So, it will be a great fight. She has good combinations of punches and knees, which is how she managed to win her last fight. But, honestly, I’ve faced the best on the circuit in several different styles. And after the last fight I had in a higher division against a girl twice my size, I can’t see any danger in anyone else,” the Brazilian commented.
Any great champion will learn from their mistakes, which is precisely what Rodrigues plans to do in this battle of mothers. The Brazilian discussed where she came up short in the past. In the co-main event, the reigning atomweight queen wants to make sure there is no repeat and that she stays in full control.
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“What happened is that I let the adrenaline take over me. I’m always very nervous in all my fights. I still can’t quite control it. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it has happened a few times. The fight itself didn’t bother me, but I feel like I lost to myself,” Rodrigues admitted.
Retaining the gold is paramount for Rodrigues. However, she wants to do so in highlight-reel fashion. The plan is to be aggressive and take the knockout if the opportunity presents itself to reaffirm herself as one of the pound-for-pound best strikers on the planet.
“I’m going in search of the knockout. I’m going to show everything I couldn’t show in the last fight. You can expect the best from me,” Rodrigues said.
ONE Fight Night 20 airs live on Friday, March 8. The action begins on Prime Video at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event will be free for all Amazon Prime subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.
