‘I Always Feel Pressure’ – Allycia Hellen Rodrigues Braces For Tough World Title Defense Against Marie McManamon

This Friday, March 7, live in U.S. primetime in the main event of ONE Fight Night 29 on Prime Video, Brazilian star Allycia Hellen Rodrigues will defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against a supremely dangerous late-notice replacement in Marie McManamon.

Set to take place in front of a raucous Thai crowd at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, that bout will mark Rodrigues’ third defense of her gold as she continues to emerge as one of the planet’s top pound-for-pound Muay Thai fighters.

The 26-year-old was originally slated to face surging contender Shir Cohen, but when the Israeli rising star was forced to withdraw due to injury, McManamon stepped up on short notice for the biggest opportunity of her career.

Rodrigues didn’t initially recognize her new opponent’s name, but after doing some research, she was pleased with the chance to compete against such a skilled and experienced athlete.

The atomweight Muay Thai queen told onefc.com:

“Before I was offered the fight, I didn’t know Marie, and from the little I’ve seen of her, I like her style.

“It’s going to be a fight. It’s going to be a well-matched fight because of our styles. I am happy with my opponent.”

Representing both Ireland and the United Kingdom, the 34-year-old McManamon has spent the past several years cementing herself as the UK’s top women’s striker, employing her long reach, versatile skills, and impeccable cardio to set herself apart and garner attention from ONE Championship’s matchmakers.

With that in mind, Rodrigues knows she’s in for a stiff test in Bangkok.

She’ll certainly have to work around her opponent’s height and reach advantage, so she and her team have devised a strategy focused on chopping down the challenger’s legs:

“Well, our game plan for this fight is – given that she’s a tall girl, you can see she is really tall, we worked a lot on leg kicks to injure her legs and gradually wear them down during the fight.

“For me, it’s crucial not to lose my distance because she’s very tall. So we did an excellent job with boxing and leg kicks, but also full Muay Thai. We never stop training the rest of the techniques. So, I’m very well-rounded for this fight.”

Rodrigues has leaned heavily on her well-rounded Muay Thai skills over the course of her dominant run as the ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion, showcasing a dangerous blend of long-range combination striking and a vicious clinch game.

With each new challenger to her throne, Rodrigues feels the weight of her lofty status – and her battle with McManamon at ONE Fight Night 29 is no different.

But despite all the pressure and anxiety that comes with being a titleholder in the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Brazilian remains confident and trusts in her training:

“I always feel pressure. There’s no way around it. As they say, it’s hard to reach the top but even harder to stay there. So, I always feel the pressure — and as always, the anxiety that hits is that urge to fight immediately, and also to defend my belt, to win.

“As I said, I’m very focused, and I’m well prepared. I’ve been training for a long time, and I’m very confident, even though she is a good fighter. But so am I, right? I’m number one.”

Rodrigues Believes Training In Thailand Sets Her Apart

Allycia Hellen Rodrigues will come into her World Title defense against Marie McManamon with the confidence of knowing she’s sought out the best training in the world.

Nearly seven years ago, she uprooted her life in Brazil to move to Thailand and train full-time at the famed Phuket Fight Club. The daily grind of long practices both morning and afternoon, she said, has been key to her success in ONE Championship:

“Look at my experience in Muay Thai. I feel very confident training and living here in Thailand. This is the birthplace of Muay Thai. I’ve been here for six, almost seven years. So, I trust the training a lot because it’s really intense. It’s a very heavy routine.”

For her part, McManamon also trains out of a world-class camp – London’s Knowlesy Academy, home to many of the UK’s top strikers, including current ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty.

While Rodrigues has plenty of respect for her opponent and the work she’s done to reach this level, she still believes that her own training in the home of Muay Thai is superior:

“What I’ve always believed is that they don’t train like we do here. They don’t train the way we do. I think they even try, but not the way we train, since it’s every day. It’s morning and afternoon, doing the same thing.”

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