Every year on March 8, International Women’s Day is observed, honoring the impacts that women make on our society. With 2024 being a leap year, International Women’s Day falls on a Friday. There’s no better time for combat sports promotion ONE Championship to hold its March show on Prime Video than this week.
In celebration of the holiday this Friday, the same venue holding the April 5 card hosts ONE on Prime Video 20, where it’ll be filled top to bottom with women taking center stage. Live coverage begins at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT on Prime inside North America with nine fights across the combative disciplines.
Championship Doubleheader Kicks Off with Atomweight Muay-Thai Bout in ONE on Prime Video 20 Co-Main Event
Highlighting the night’s activities is a championship doubleheader in ONE’s atomweight division (115 lbs.) The ONE Atomweight Muay-Thai Championship will be settled first on Friday evening. Incumbent titleholder Allycia Hellen Rodrigues (32-6 Muay-Thai, 2-1 ONE Championship) puts her belt on the line when she battles challenger Cristina Morales (50-8 kickboxing, 1-1 ONE Championship.)
As is the case with all ONE Muay-Thai title fights, this one is an advertised maximum of five rounds at three minutes per round.
https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1764138631219061177
ONE on Prime Video 20 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the ONE on Prime Video 20 main event on Friday night, Cristina Morales stands as the taller combatant at 5-foot-5 1/2, compared to the 5-foot-3 frame of Allycia Hellen Rodrigues. The champion owns a 62-inch reach, with no such information accessible for the challenger at press time.
Can Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Rebound From September Defeat in Atomweight Return?
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues has posted a 3-2 record in her last five fights. Last time out, she moved up 10 lbs. to the strawweight division (125 lbs.) to fight Smilla Sundell (35-5-1 kickboxing, 4-0 ONE Championship) in September during ONE on Prime Video 14 from Kallang, Singapore, losing by third-round TKO due to punches and elbows in that night’s main event.
2023 marked a return to The Art of Eight Limbs for Rodrigues, who took time out from Muay-Thai after having a baby in the summer of 2021. In her first fight back from maternity leave last February, she defeated then-interim champion Janet Todd (39-12 kickboxing, 7-2 ONE Championship) in a unification battle for the ONE Atomweight Muay-Thai Championship.
Todd is currently forecast to battle current ONE Interim Atomweight Kickboxing Champion Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom (207-6-3 kickboxing, 4-0 ONE Championship) to unify the title in Friday’s headlining bout. More on that fight later on this week.
Will Rodrigues be able to get back in the win column on Friday night? Tune in and find out.
Morales Looking to Build off Supergirl TKO Finish in ONE on Prime Video 20 Main Event
In the other corner, Cristina Morales has posted a mark of 3-2 in her last five fights. Most recently, she finished Anna Jaroonsak (40-6-1 kickboxing, 3-2 ONE Championship), better known as Supergirl, with a first-round TKO last November during ONE on Prime Video 16. Supergirl later admitted that she felt unwell prior to the fight but pressed on with the bout regardless.
After the win, Morales was interviewed by Sportskeeda, mentioning that the victory helped her stock as a fighter rise.
“I’m really happy for the win today, happy to fight Supergirl because she’s a superstar and I need to be one,” Morales said. “Right now, it’s important for me to come back [for my next fight] because I love fighting and I love fighting for ONE Championship.”
On Friday, she’ll make her return to the promotion. Will another highlight-reel finish follow?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
It’s a classic strength vs. strength matchup in the ONE on Prime Video 20 co-main event. Who wins the day?
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Can Go Deep Into a Fight
Muay-Thai fights can sometimes. be wars of attrition. It isn’t always going to be an easy road to the paycheck for the fighters involved. Allycia Hellen Rodrigues knows this firsthand from her fight against Janet Todd last year.
As the fight got into the championship rounds, Rodrigues wore Todd down, having already given Todd a cut above the eye during round three. Although Todd backed away several times during this late stretch and made some effort in the fifth round, it was too little, too late, with Rodrigues being the clear aggressor, moving into the clinch during that last round.
She did everything but score the knockout that spring night, securing the decision after 15 minutes. If she can get Cristina Morales into the later stages of the ONE on Prime Video 20 main event, she’ll be golden.
Look for Cristina Morales to Land the Big Shots
In the other corner, Cristina Morales is going to be a woman on a mission to stop Allycia Hellen Rodrigues this week. She finished Supergirl in surprising fashion last fall.
Late in the first round, she scored with a left hook, wobbling Supergirl against the ring ropes. A barrage of shots followed, leading to the referee calling a knockdown by Morales. Upon the count being administered, the fight was waved off.
If Morales lands the concussive blows in the ONE on Prime Video 20 co-main event, this one will be over before you can heat up that bowl of macaroni and cheese.
Final Thoughts
This is a satisfying co-main attraction on Friday night. While the calendar may read March 8 in North America when the ONE on Prime Video 20 co-main event happens, expect fireworks rivaling those seen in the night sky on July 4.
Prediction: Allycia Hellen Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision.
