Becoming a ONE Muay Thai World Champion isn’t just about throwing the hardest kicks or landing the most devastating elbows. It’s about developing the mental fortitude and unwavering commitment that separates some fighters from the rest.
You’ll witness this World Championship mindset on full display when Brazil’s Allycia Hellen Rodrigues defends her ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against Sweden’s Johanna Persson at ONE Fight Night 33 on Prime Video.
The bout goes down Friday, July 11, in U.S. primetime live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, showcasing two athletes who’ve mastered the mental game required to reach the pinnacle of “the art of eight limbs.”
With that said, here’s what it really takes to reach the World Championship level of Muay Thai in ONE.
Dedication: The Foundation Of Excellence
ONE Muay Thai World Champions aren’t made overnight – they’re forged through years of unwavering dedication to their craft. This means training twice a day, six days a week, for years on end. While others are sleeping in or watching television, future titleholers are already at the gym, perfecting their technique on heavy bags and pads.
Persson perfectly captures this long-term commitment:
“[This ONE World Title shot] means everything. This is what I’ve been working for over the past seven years, and now I’ve got a shot at my goal – fighting for the belt and competing in ONE Championship. I can’t actually describe how big of a dream this is.”
Dedication extends far beyond physical training. It means studying fight footage, analyzing opponents, and constantly refining your game plan. World Champions dedicate themselves to proper nutrition, recovery protocols, and mental preparation. They sacrifice social events, comfort foods, and lazy weekends because they understand that every choice either moves them closer to or further from their goal.
The dedication required isn’t just physical – it’s emotional too. Many fighters dedicate their entire lifestyle to the pursuit of excellence, making choices that others might consider extreme.
Grit: Pushing Through When Everything Hurts
Grit separates the World Champions from the pretenders. It’s the ability to continue fighting when you’re exhausted, hurt, and facing an opponent who refuses to quit. Every Muay Thai king and queen has faced moments in the ring where everything told them to stop – except their will to win.
In training, grit means pushing through brutal conditioning sessions when your body screams for rest. It’s getting back up after being knocked down, continuing to train with injuries, and showing up to practice even when motivation is nowhere to be found. World Champions develop this mental toughness through countless hours of difficult training that most people would never endure.
Grit also means handling the mental pressure of World Championship fights. The weight of expectations, the bright lights, and the knowledge that years of preparation come down to one performance – fighters like Rodrigues thrive under this pressure while others crumble.
Perseverance: The Long Road To Glory
Perhaps the most crucial quality of any ONE Muay Thai World Champion is perseverance. The journey to the top is filled with setbacks, losses, and moments of doubt. They persevere through defeats that would end other fighters’ careers, learning from each loss and coming back stronger.
Perseverance also means continuing to believe in yourself when others don’t, fighting through injuries that would sideline recreational athletes, and maintaining focus during years of preparation for opportunities that may never come.
It’s the ability to rebuild after devastating losses and maintain the hunger to improve even after achieving success.
