ONE women’s atomweight Muay Thai world champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues of Brazil has never shied away from a challenge, inside or outside the ring.
The latest does not involve fighting in the ring. In her bid to connect more with the global fan base, the “mom-champ” has been taking English classes twice a week with her professor to speak more fluently.
It’s an attempt to push through a language barrier and further build her brand as a professional athlete.
The progress is real, and so is the effort required. She told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:
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“I take online classes with Professor Claudio twice a week. The process has been going well because I already knew some words when we started, and that made things a little easier. But it’s still a long process.”
The Phuket Fight Club warrior continued:
“I’ve already lost some of the fear of speaking, but I still have a lot to learn, and my teacher has been helping me a lot to improve.”
Rodrigues defends her title against ONE women’s atomweight kickboxing world champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom at The Inner Circle on Friday at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues ready to match Phetjeeja’s signature boxing
Allycia Hellen Rodrigues understands that the biggest threat when facing Phetjeeja is dealing with the Thai’s high boxing output.
“The Queen” has the sharpest hands and crispest boxing in the division.
While Rodrigues will stick to her traditional Muay Thai excellence, she won’t back down from a fiery exchange of fists in the pocket.
The atomweight Muay Thai queen told ONE Championship:
“We know Phetjeeja is very good in boxing. She shows for everyone, but I also train in boxing.”
Fans can watch her defend her title live by purchasing The Inner Circle at live.onefc.com.
Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein
